“Business is war.“
A phrase often used in business; although, it might be more correct—and fair—to say that, “business is a type of war” or that, “business is like war,” so that there is respectful caveat for real war, such as war that risks the lives and limbs of our soldiers for liberty.
But, there is a good reason that we say, “business is war” and “this sports game is war.” It is because business and sports have the same competitive adversarial framework as war.
It is the framework, not necessarily the importance, that makes business like a war, or sports games like a war.
Perhaps more so, there tends to be something in our human nature—or evolution—that, as it is for war, appeals to the qualities of analysis and prediction.
It might have been one million years ago that men with spears stood there arguing about from which hole a pig might emerge. A pig then, a pigskin now. Now it is a football pigskin emerging from an offensive line. “He’s going to come out of there! We better stand over there.” “No he’s not, he’s coming out over here.” “No, he’s not.” “Yes, he is!” Different importance, one million years later. Same natural framework.
Now, regarding the framework of war, let us get something out of the way immediately: the easiest attribute to lop off the framework of war is luck. Yes, certainly, we can get lucky. Yes, by God or luck, General Patton got a sunny day for mobilization of the Third Army. Yes, the hockey puck took a great bounce. Yes, the defender at the goal line tripped. Yes, “we’ll take the win,” and we’ll enjoy it, but getting lucky—that is to say, planning to win by accident—is bad strategy. [1]
The broad framework of war is strategy and tactics, or to say, respectively, what are we trying to accomplish and how are we going to do it.
But, these two qualities in the framework are part of the head of it. Strategy and tactics are part of the thinking person’s framework. Inherently, these attributes are thought-processes.
Let us not forget the heart of it. The morale, the discipline, the work up-front.
When Abraham Lincoln was told that General Grant was a drunkard, Lincoln replied, “Well, I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals,” and later about Grant, “I cannot spare this man, he fights.” Strategy and tactics are crucial, but they must be matched to capable implementation. General Grant implemented.
All the cerebral discussions of strategy and tactics are simply academic, unless they can be capably implemented. Without capability, the cat won’t get belled.
[2, 3] Implementation takes preparation.
Preparation is the key to implementation. And, preparation takes, in many cases, discipline. [4] Anyone can slide downhill by natural gravitation. Going uphill is hard to do, because it contradicts natural tendencies. [5]
But, here’s what we know about preparation. By definition, it must come before the thing, whatever that thing might be. It means, literally, “to make ready.”
To be capable—to be ready—to implement the strategy and tactics. To think, and be ready to do, and better yet, to think, and be ready to do the adjustments that will come as part of the natural framework of war.
The great John F. Kennedy alluded to his Aesop, when he said, “The best time to repair a roof is when the sun is shining.“
Aesop wisely taught us about preparation more than 2,000 years ago. Here goes…
The Wild Boar and the Fox
A Wild Boar was sharpening his tusks, when a Fox approached him.
The Fox mocked the Boar by looking around, as if in fear of some hidden enemy. But the Boar just kept on sharpening.
“What a waste of time. There’s no danger here,” said the Fox. “True,” replied the Boar, “but if danger should come, I will not have time then to sharpen my weapons.”
Moral of the Story. Present challenges lend no time to prepare. [6]
Here, Aesop casts against type. The Boar is not reputed to be the most clever of the animals, but he’s clever enough about war to know that his weapons will be implemented. [7] The usually clever Fox ridicules the Boar for advance preparation, but the Boar responds with Aesopian wisdom of thinking ahead, perhaps the essence of all wisdom. [8]
“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, as often as you can, and keep moving on.” ~Ulysses S. Grant
Thusly, each of us might ask ourself the question, “Am I ready?” [9]
“If you want peace, prepare for war.” Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin.
“The key is not the will to win… everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important.” Bobby Knight.
“I’ve never run into a guy who could win at the top level who didn’t have the right attitude, didn’t give it everything he had, wasn’t prepared, and didn’t have the whole program worked out.” Ted Turner.
[1] On Wisdom and Luck; Or, Getting Lucky is not the Same as Being Wise [#GRZ_155]
[3] Big Ideas – Business of Aesop™ No. 8 – Belling the Cat [#GRZ_4]
[4] The Great Masquerade – Stand for America® [#GRZ_11]
[5] The Two “Master Virtues” – The Executive Summary [#GRZ_209]
[8] The Essential Aesop – Epilogue Reference – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [#GRZ_98_114]
“Malum consilium fortuna est.” (“Luck is bad strategy.”) ~grz
Copyright © 2016 Gregg Zegarelli. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.
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