The clever clinical director imposes his control on the health risk

Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.
 

Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.
 

By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.
 

If the enemy is taking his ease, he can harass him; if well supplied with food, he can starve him out; if quietly encamped, he can force him to move.

From "Sun Tzu on the Art of War - The Oldest Military Treatise in the World"

Translated from the Chinese By Lionel Giles, M.A. (1910)

Discussion:

Sun Tzu always put emphasis on preventive and proactive measures over responsive and reactive ones. This chapter is about understanding the situation and take precautionary actions against them. Especially analysis of "Weak Points and Strong" is crucial in risk assessment. This section saw quite a lot of rewriting to convey the original meaning after considering the original Chinese text.

Translation:

It could be said: Whoever gives prevention the first priority and awaits the coming of the health risks, will be fresh for the fight against diseases; whoever gives prevention the second priority and has to haphazardly battle against health risks will arrive to hospitals exhausted.

Therefore the clever clinical director imposes his control on the health risk, but does not allow the health risk's implications to be imposed on him.

He promotes healthy behaviours and practices by encouraging them, he discourages risky behaviours and practices by disadvantaging them.

If the health risk is inactivity, he can encourage activities; if it is overeating, he can recommend lean diet; it is hidden, he can make it widely known.

Ray Murakami