Know the Enemy

/0 Comments/in /by

At the National War College reading Sun Tsu is required reading. My most memorable take away was the following statement:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

ISIS is an enemy; knowing them is job one before battle. Here is a link to the ISIS publication Dabiq that can help us : http://www.clarionproject.org/news/islamic-state-isis-isil-propaganda-magazine-dabiq.

The Four Way Test for Christmas

/0 Comments/in /by

I was watching last week the movie “Love Actually.” It’s become an annual tradition in my family, along with Chevy Chase’s “Christmas Vacation.” Chevy reminds me not to plug in too many lights. “Love Actually” reminds me that the Christmas season is in part about honest relationships. Non-Christians have separate times of the year to do the same; but since this is the Christmas season, I’m using this time of year to make a point.

The point is that Christmas should be a time to focus on business relationships as well as personal and spiritual relationships. One of the themes running through the various plots in “Love Actually” is that Christmas is the time to tell the truth. In the movie, that moral theme emboldens characters to strengthen relationships through being honest.

Christmas should also be a time to strengthen business as well as personal relationships. That can be done by thinking about a company’s core values. Richard Anderson, the Chairman of Delta Airlines, says the graveyard of corporate failures is filled by companies that had no sense of values.

Values are a set of moral guidelines. These guidelines can be rooted in various foundations, with religions the primary sources throughout history. That history is changing as secularism becomes more prominent, so it’s more important than ever to have a time set aside to think about morals.

David Brooks muses in a column in the New York Times on the impact of secularism on morals and relationships. He notes: “…an age of mass secularization is an age in which millions of people have put unprecedented moral burdens upon themselves…”

Any religious season, or any secular reminder, should make us think about our own business “moral burdens.” Where do we start to develop moral guidelines? We would do well to adopt for starters the basic historic religious and secular principle: “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

There are other good guidelines, but the one I think best for business relationships is the Rotary Four Way Test in what we think, say, and do:

1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build good will and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Amongst all the things for which we are reminded at Christmas, thinking about how we implement our business values is one that will make the year ahead more meaningful and successful.

Damn the Torpedoes!

/0 Comments/in /by

Embroidered on the back of the Navy helmets at the Army-Navy game this year was the famous Navy battle cry: “Damn the Torpedoes! Full speed ahead.” That’s the battle order by Admiral Farragut for his ships to charge forward at full speed as they fought their way into Mobile Bay during the Civil War. That determination won the battle.

There are other famous battle cries that reveal the American spirit of determination: “I have not yet begun to fight!” (John Paul Jones – Revolutionary War), “Don’t give up the ship!” (James Lawrence – War of 1812), “Nuts!” (Anthony McAuliff – WW II Battle of the Bulge).

Determination to succeed in battle or business results in a strong work ethic, a clear sense of mission and goals, and a big dose of enthusiasm. Companies with determined workers can have a big competitive advantage over those that don’t.

It was a good thing Navy had “Damn the Torpedoes” on their helmets to keep them determined. They needed all the determination they could muster to beat a very good Army team.
Good leaders instill determination in crews and employees long before it becomes obviously necessary to succeed. Damn the Torpedoes! Applying Naval Leadership Principles to Business can help managers become leaders in instilling determination in themselves and their employees.

New York, Paris, and Pearl Harbor

/0 Comments/in /by

December 7th is Pearl Harbor Day in America. America was surprised by a Japanese attack that left most of the Pacific Fleet on the bottom of Pearl Harbor. 2,500 Americans were killed. “Remember Pearl Harbor!” became a WW II battle cry.

Last month France, and indeed the world, was surprised by Islamic radical jihadists in several Paris locations. 130 people were killed and 368 wounded. The United States has a term “9/11” to remember the Islamic radical jihadists’ attacks in New York which killed 2,996 people. In the future France may refer to the recent attacks as “11/13.” I hope so.

Countries recall many key historical events by designating a special day to remember. America has July 4th. Few Americans know it was in 1776, but that’s fine as long as we remember why the colonies declared their independence from the British Empire. Pearl Harbor Day is another recognized event with a date in history. “9/11” has become a key date too.

“11/13” also needs to be a world event date. We all need something to remind us to be careful not to be surprised. As time moves on, we too often revert back to the status quo that existed before the deadly event. Then we are surprised again.

With “9/11” and “”11/13” we have enough dates to remind us to work to avoid another terrorist created date. We need to pay careful attention to not letting our guard down over the years. Pearl Harbor Day has reminded us to be militarily strong to deter surprise attacks. “9/11” and “11/13’ should remind us to not only deter future terrorist attacks, but to also change the environments that foster radical Islamic terrorists.