Shou o intoseba, mazu uma o iyo
To hit the general, first shoot the horse
Have you ever tried to get the better someone that seemed unbeatable? The Japanese have some advice about what to do in this type of situation.
Sho o intoseba mazu uma o iyo can be translated as, “to hit the general, first shoot the horse.” An enemy samurai general galloping towards you on the battlefield must have been a formidable sight. He would have seemed to be an unbeatable foe, especially to an ordinary footsoldier. He would have been a strong warrior made even stronger by the horse he was riding. However, if you had a bow and arrow and shot the horse out from under him, you could cause the general to fall. He may be injured or even killed by the fall. Even if he is not, he will be weaker without his horse and you bring him closer to your level.
Similarly, if you have an adversary in business or even just a person or group who is an obstacle in achieving your personal goals who seems unbeatable, the best way to beat them or win them over is to first attack something that they depend on. By doing so, you can weaken them, get closer to them, or bring them closer to your level and you have a better chance of dealing with them. For example if you want to best a rival company that is much stronger than yours, you could work on undermining their customer base, their suppliers, or their allies in order to weaken them. If you wanted to win over a stubborn company president, you could start by winning over his children or his wife.
So, the next time someone or some group stands in the way of your goal, think of how you can attack them indirectly rather then trying to attack them head-on. After all, Shou o intoseba, mazu uma o iyo desu ne.
Usage note: Most Japanese sayings can be turned into complete sentences just by adding “desu” to the end. To add emphasis, add “desu yo”. To ask for agreements (think, “yeah,” “right,” “you know”), add “desu ne”.
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