Think before they think—that is the rule of warfare. Even in the game of chess, every move of the opponent is studied, analysed, and carefully thought upon before making any move. If you are the first one to move, have a plan.
And it is this plan that needs to be protected from prying eyes. It goes without saying that, for this, businessmen should be alert—very alert. While taking up new projects or while executing projects in hand, a high level of secrecy should be maintained.
Kautilya advice: “Others should not know about any work sought to be done by him. Only those who undertake it should know (about it) when it is begun or even when it is actually completed.” (1.15.17)
What you are doing, what you are thinking, and all your moves should not be known to others. One needs to create an aura of secrecy around himself to move ahead, before the rest. In professional and powerful organisations like the army, the Central Bureau of Investigation, etc till the last moment, no one knows what the next order would be. Only a handful of people are there who work on a strictly-enforced ‘need-to-know’ basis and it is these people who, in turn, call up others supposed to execute subsequent orders.
The call is made at the last moment and is quite sudden for those being asked to go into action. Till the moment of passing on the orders, the seniors keep the plan entirely to themselves. A golden rule to remember in business is that there is a big difference between planning and execution. Make your plan perfect, then execute without delay. There is no point in planning when the time has come to execute.
But let’s face it—keeping secrets is a tough thing to do. However, there are some tips that can help one: