A person skilled at warfare will achieve victory by using or creating a strategic position favorable to himself. A “strategic position” refers to the overall situation or state resulting from the deployment and actions of two opposing forces. A strategic position can be enormously powerful and is a critical factor which affects victory and defeat. A favorable strategic position is not ready-made; it is created by the logical allocation or deployment of forces, efforts to take the initiative in employing flexible strategies and tactics, maximizing one’s own strengths and minimizing the opponent’s strengths. Planning, creating, and using a strategic position that is advantageous for oneself and disadvantageous for the foe is an important responsibility of military commanders. This concept was later extended beyond the military sphere and became part of leadership wisdom for business and governmental affairs.

Creating a strategic position means using what favors you and taking appropriate measures to gain control. The Art of War

Therefore someone skilled at warfare achieves victory by using or creating a favorable strategic position, not just by having his troops fight. Hence he can choose the right people and adjust to the situation at hand. Adjusting to the situation at hand means that he can direct a battle as deftly as if he were rolling logs and boulders downhill… Thus the favorable strategic position created by someone skilled at warfare is as powerful as boulders rolling down the highest mountain. This is “strategic position.” The Art of War