The Wages of War – The Wages of Peace
Business
people have always been attracted to war heroes. The business
environment is indeed reminiscent of the battlefield at times, and
battlefield theorists are studied as if they are business gurus.
So, to
consider the wages of war, let us first look at what Carl von
Clausewitz had to say about how to win a war.
According to
the famous Prussian military scholar, if two armies are equally
matched in strength and position, the one with the greatest morale
will usually win. And how do you attain such an esprit d’corps?
By overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. In other words, like
the marauders of old, an army must experience what it feels like to
set fire to their own ships, then turn to face a seemingly
invincible enemy by the shore, knowing that the only means of escape
has been destroyed. Choice no longer remains. Either you win — or
you lose — all.
When the
Emperor of China told Sun-Tsu that the invading hordes had
bivouacked on the south shore of a lake, Sun lamented, “All is
lost!” The enemy had no retreat possibilities, and so would fight
to the last man.
Great business
leaders take great risks. Courage, by definition, means that you
find a way to overcome your fears. That is how battles are won, and
that is how Jeff Bezos took on the retail booksellers with his
Amazon.com. That’s how Michael Dell takes on computer
manufacturers. And that’s how Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines
took on the established airlines.
Von Clausewitz
also advised that one must attack at the center of the power of the
enemy. That means cutting off the enemy’s communications, supply
lines, intelligence-gathering ability, and his ability and will to
fight. It means aiming for both the head and the heart of
the dragon.
I
know of companies that have dominated their markets for centuries.
They will never let a competitor within sight of their plants.
Their employees don’t divulge business secrets. Their deals are not
made public. Their customers are treated like royalty, and their
names are never disclosed.
Contrast this,
if you will, with Silicon Valley. Absolutely anything of importance
is freely discussed in bars and coffeehouses by a generation of
“techies” whose biggest kicks come from being on the cutting edge of
everything in their field. This is a boon to the rest of the world,
because no earned monopoly advantage will last very long. On the
other hand, the mortality rate among the “warring” companies is
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The
best defense is a strong offense – and vice versa.
There is the yin of fire and the yang of
quenching water. There is the need to find and develop
talent, innovation and breathtaking change; and there is
a need to safeguard your patents, competitive advantage
and your best people.
The
analogy between war and business is only partially
true. More important to survival is a society that
trains its citizens to value freedom and democracy, that
allows everyone to seek and pursue their dreams, that
helps those who cannot help themselves, and that rewards
talent and initiative.
Why? Because those are the conditions that bring forth
great generals, business leaders, educators and
statesmen. And soldiers who will win the war,
scientists who will win Nobel Prizes, and the artists
who will make us understand who we are . . . and who we
should be.
There are about twenty thousand Pakistani immigrants
living and working in Oslo, Norway today. Many of these
immigrants drive taxis — twelve hours a day, seven days
a week. In the Gurj Province, a particularly poor part
of Pakistan, palaces — often larger than seven thousand
square feet — are being built with the hard-earned money
of these drivers, sent back to their hometowns every
month. These new developments are called “Little
Norway.”
When they retire, these Pakistanis, now Norwegian
citizens, will go back home, where they will live in
splendor. And they are lifted every day by their dreams
and hopes for the future as they drive their cabs
through the prosperous suburbs of Oslo.
Pakistan does not have to be a poor country. Their
richest resource is right there, as hard working and
committed as their Oslo brothers. They just need to be
lifted as well: Through education, and better health,
and opportunity. And then to be free. And safe. And
justly treated.
Then, the emigration will stop, just as it did for
Norway in recent years. And someday, perhaps, it will
stop for Mexico as well.
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