When To Be Predictable, When Not

The decision about being predictable - when to be predictable and when not - depends on who you are planning to be predictable (or not to be predictable) to. That is your recipient.  

Your recipient is your enemy if you are making a war strategy. Your recipient is your sub-ordinate if you are making a policy of rewards and punishments for him.

Be predictable when you want the recipient to fall in line. Don't be predictable when you don't want the recipient to fall in line. 

You never want your enemy to fall in line because if it fall in line its power get focused and by that it may get local superiority. 

You do want your sub-ordinate to fall in line, line that you draw, thats aligned with your goals. You do want focus there. 

You never want to take your enemy head-on unless you overwhelmingly overpower it, which you seldom do. You want to strike your enemy here and there, at random. This will force your enemy to spread its forces. Then you will strike at any place of your choosing thats worth taking. You are this way guaranteed to have local superiority at that place. 

You never want your sub-ordinates to not predict you. For your sub-ordinates you want to be extremely predictable so they know what to expect. How else can you control them? If they don't know what you really want them to do you cannot expect them to do what you want. Its your policy about them, that tell them what you want them to do. Your words, spoken and written, dont do the full telling.