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39Principle · Group 5

First Make Yourself Invincible

Sun Tzu: make yourself invincible

“First secure your own weak points, for whether you lose depends on you, while whether you win depends on the opportunity the other side gives you.”

The principle sorts out two things that are often confused: not losing and winning.

Group 5: Position and SpaceT2 Eastern Strategy
Go to the in-depth section ↓
A golden circle stands exposed in the middle, and arrows of teal lines approach from all sides; the picture rewinds, and a ring of dots grows around the circle, its weakest points lighting up first. The arrows bounce off and grow shorter; one overextends and leaves a mist-blue gap behind it, and at that moment a gate opens in the ring and a narrow golden line thrusts straight into the gap.
In short

First secure your own weak points, for whether you lose depends on you, while whether you win depends on the opportunity the other side gives you.

What it’s about: The principle sorts out two things that are often confused: not losing and winning. Your vulnerability is largely in your own hands. You can keep reserves, close weak points and avoid depending on a single risk. Winning is not up to you alone. It takes an opportunity, and that usually arises from a mistake or an overstretch on the other side.

In depth

The principle in detail

Three steps through the principle: grasp it, place it, put it to work. Open each topic on its own.

The core messageCore statement and 3 clarifications
In essence

First close the gaps that are in your hands, and only then seek victory.

It does not say
That security is enough. Winning requires an opportunity, and you have to seize it when it comes.
It does not say
That complete security is possible. Every safeguard costs room to move, time or growth.
It also says
If you offer no target, you force the other side to take a risk.
The explanationSecurity takes away the pressure: if you cannot lose, you don’t have to force anything.
  • Security takes away the pressure: if you cannot lose, you don’t have to force anything.
  • It also shifts the burden, because whoever has to take a risk is more likely to make mistakes.
  • But if you only dig in, you miss the opportunity when it comes.
The question

Which weak point could bring you down today, and what are you doing about it before you go after the next win?

The signs3 signs when you heed it · 3 when you overlook it
When you heed it
  • You keep a reserve of money, time or people that you don’t earmark for anything.
  • You close a weak point you have identified before you start the next project.
  • You wait patiently and move decisively when a gap opens on the other side.
When you overlook it
  • You put all your eggs in one basket because it has worked so far.
  • A single setback puts you in trouble.
  • Or you keep hedging for so long that others seize the opportunity.
The backgroundFrom Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” (c. 5th century BC), Chapter 4. · T2 Eastern Strategy
  1. 5th c. BC
    OriginSun Tzu

    The Art of War

  2. 2011
    SupplementedJim Collins and Morten T. Hansen

    Great by Choice

  3. Tradition T2
    TraditionEastern Strategy

    Sun Tzu, Kautilya, the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the Tao Te Ching, Miyamoto Musashi, François Jullien

    See the tradition on the Origin page
Read more: the full background

From Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” (c. 5th century BC), Chapter 4. Supplemented by the principle of security in modern military doctrine and by the corporate study by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen (2011).

The research4 sources: 2 reviews, 1 classic, 1 case study · 2011–2022 · with limitations of the research
4 sources2011–2022 period2 reviews1 classic1 case study
Strength of evidence
  1. weak
  2. moderate
  3. strong

The classic is a teaching without measurement; the corporate study supports the value of reserves, but rests on a few cases selected after the fact.

  1. 5th c. BC
    Classic
    Sun Tzu

    “The Art of War,” Chapter 4: first make yourself invincible, then wait for the opportunity the opponent offers.

  2. 2011
    Case study
    Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen

    “Great by Choice”: seven exceptionally successful companies, each compared with a similar company; larger cash reserves, fewer risks that endanger survival.

  3. 2011
    Review
    Basel Committee on Banking Supervision

    “Basel III: A global regulatory framework for more resilient banks and banking systems,” revised version of June 2011: banking supervisors’ response to the financial crisis, with higher capital requirements.

  4. 2022
    Review
    U.S. Army

    Field Manual 3-0, “Operations”: security as a principle of war; the enemy should never gain an unexpected advantage.

Where the research reaches its limits
  • Complete security does not exist, and it always has a price.
  • If you pull back, you often give up ground, time or people; in fast-growing markets, others then seize the opportunity.
  • A patient opponent can overcome even a strong position.
  • The study by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen shows correlations in a few cases, not causes.
Read more: what research shows

The classic version is found in the fourth chapter of “The Art of War,” attributed to Sun Tzu. In Lionel Giles’s translation: “The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” Invincibility lies with you; the opportunity for victory is supplied by the opponent. Modern military doctrine treats the idea as the principle of security, for example in the U.S. Army’s Field Manual 3-0. In “Great by Choice” (2011), Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen compared seven companies that had outperformed their industry index at least tenfold over at least 15 years with one similar comparison company each. The successful companies held considerably larger cash reserves and took fewer risks that threatened their survival. After the financial crisis of 2008, the Basel III banking rules require larger capital cushions.

The related principles12 Reserve · 14 Overstretch · 29 Emptiness and Fullness · 37 Strength of the Defense
ReserveStrength of the Defense

To go deeper, see 12 Reserve (the practical form of invincibility) and 37 Strength of the Defense (if you stand secure, you save strength for the counterstroke)

Emptiness and Fullness

29 Emptiness and Fullness shows where the opportunity lies: at the other side’s unprotected points

Overstretch

14 Overstretch describes how the opponent delivers that opportunity to you

Read more: the full text

To go deeper, see 12 Reserve (the practical form of invincibility) and 37 Strength of the Defense (if you stand secure, you save strength for the counterstroke); 29 Emptiness and Fullness shows where the opportunity lies: at the other side’s unprotected points. 14 Overstretch describes how the opponent delivers that opportunity to you.

The action steps5 things you can actually do

  1. Write down the three things that could bring you or your team down, and close the biggest gap first.

  2. Keep a reserve that you don’t commit to anything, and decide what you would tap it for.

  3. With every big bet, ask: what happens if it goes wrong, and would we survive it?

  4. Stabilize your team before you launch major changes.

  5. Decide how you will recognize an opportunity, and then act decisively instead of digging in further.

The reflection questions3 questions: Which single weak point could bring you or your team down today?
  1. Which single weak point could bring you or your team down today?
  2. Where are you betting on a win right now before your foundation is secure?
  3. Where have you secured yourself so well that you are missing an opportunity?

Take your time with one question. Write down your answer – or talk it over with someone you trust.

To finish
The picture to rememberThe animation once more, with an explanation
  1. A golden circle stands exposed in the middle, and arrows of teal lines approach from all sides
  2. The picture rewinds, and a ring of dots grows around the circle, its weakest points lighting up first
  3. The arrows bounce off and grow shorter
  4. One overextends and leaves a mist-blue gap behind it, and at that moment a gate opens in the ring and a narrow golden line thrusts straight into the gap
Strategy Check

What could bring you down?

Get your profile across all 12 groups in about 10 to 15 minutes.

Start the Strategy Check
In context

Group 5: Position and Space

Guiding question: Where do you stand, and how much room do you have to move?

Stage 2 of 5: Understand the situation

Where the 92 principles come from: eight traditions of strategy, from classical war theory to dealing with uncertainty.

More about the origin

Background: WEGVISOR’s own selection from the strategy literature · More about the origin

Examples

The principle in practice

From the different spheres of society.

Government

Henri Guisan, the Réduit and the Principle “First Make Yourself Invincible”

In the summer of 1940, Switzerland is surrounded by the Axis powers. General Henri Guisan withdraws the core of the army into the Alps to make the country so costly for an attacker that an attack would not be worth it.

First Make Yourself Invincible
Culture & Sports

Tigran Petrosian and the Principle “First Make Yourself Invincible”

Tigran Petrosian becomes world chess champion in 1963 because he is extremely hard to beat. He secures his position, takes away his opponent’s plans before they take shape and exploits the mistakes the other player makes out of impatience.

First Make Yourself Invincible
Business

Lehman Brothers and the Principle “First Make Yourself Invincible”

Lehman Brothers is a counterexample. The investment bank works with extreme leverage from borrowed money and bets heavily on real estate. When prices fall, a small loss is enough to wipe out its equity, and in September 2008 the bank goes bankrupt.

First Make Yourself Invincible
Culture & Sports

Movie: The Karate Kid

In the 1984 film, the teenager Daniel LaRusso wants to learn karate to defend himself against his tormentors. His teacher, Mr. Miyagi, first teaches him defensive moves, hidden in seemingly pointless chores. Only when Daniel can protect himself is he allowed to fight.

First Make Yourself Invincible
FAQ

Questions about the principle “First Make Yourself Invincible”

What does the principle “First Make Yourself Invincible” say?

Before you seek victory, you secure your own weak points. Not losing is in your hands; winning depends on the opportunity the other side offers you.

Where does the principle “First Make Yourself Invincible” come from?

From the fourth chapter of “The Art of War,” which is attributed to Sun Tzu and was written around the 5th century BC. Modern military doctrine knows it as the principle of security.

What are some examples of the principle “First Make Yourself Invincible”?

With the Alpine Réduit, Henri Guisan made Switzerland a costly target in 1940, and Tigran Petrosian became world chess champion in 1963 through prophylactic defense. As a counterexample, Lehman Brothers shows how a bank without security of its own went under in 2008.

How well is the principle “First Make Yourself Invincible” supported by research?

Evidence: moderate – the classic is a teaching without measurement; the corporate study supports the value of reserves, but rests on a few cases selected after the fact.

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