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January 18, 2005
More on Strategy from Liddell Hart
Been reading more from this amazing thinker and writer, including his aptly named book, Strategy.
The book, focused on military strategy, is mostly about the superiority - in terms of economy and likelihood of positive outcome - of the indirect vs. direct approach. What we most of the time refer to as the Stealth Play.
Some good advice for start-ups as well. Sometimes constraints can set you free as in this quote about Napoleon during his Italian campaign:
"The restiction of Bonaparte's freedom of action [because of orders from the Directory and his own limited resources] proved the proverbial blessing in disguise. For by compelling him to delay the pursuit of his dreams, it enabled him, with his enemies' assistance, to adjust his end to his means until the balance of forces had turned far enough to bring his original end within practicable reach."
It really is good to have a strong, inspiring vision, but often it is best not to try to dragrace the others in the market, no matter how great your product, but rather to start smaller, build strength and then assert yourself - witness Google.
Click here for a great summary of Liddell Hart's maxims:
- Adjust your end to your means. In determining your object, clear site and cool calculation should prevail. It is folly 'to bite off more than you can chew'
- Keep your object always in mind, while adapting your plan to circumstances. Realize that there are more ways than one of gaining an object, but take heed that every objective should bear on the object.
- And in considering the possible objectives weigh their possibility of attainment with their service to the object if attained - to wander down a side-track is bad, but to reach a dead end is worse.
- Alternate objectives allow you to keep the opportunity of gaining an objective; whereas a single objective, unless the enemy is helplessly inferior, means the certainty that you will not gain it - once the enemy is no longer uncertain as to your aim.
- Ensure that both plan and dispositions are flexible - adoptable to circumstances. Your plan should foresee and provide for the next step in case of success or failure, or partial success.
- Do not shove your weight into a stroke whilst your opponent is on guard - whilst he is well placed to parry or evade it. Hence no commander should launch a real attack upon an enemy in position until satisfied that such a paralysis has developed.
- Do not renew an attack along the same line (or in the same form) after it has once failed. It is even more probable that his success in repulsing you will have strengthened him morally.
In other words: keep your eyes on the prize, but make sure their are achievable prizes along the way; conditions change so be ready to change with them; don't try to beat somebody who is bigger than you are expecting you to challenge them; and if you lose, don't keep banging your head against the wall - learn from the experience and try something else.
Pretty reasonable.
Posted by johnza at January 18, 2005 07:17 AM
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John,
Good stuff here. My question: what Marketing Play covers the use of de facto marketing to beget the company!?
From yesterday's New York Times:
The production team has an even bigger goal in mind for this series - a strategy to resurrect boxing as a sport. The two producers, who said they first became involved out of a desire to let good fighters have a chance at legitimate success, said they foresaw promoting big-money fights
between boxers from their newly created stable. The money could come, Mr. Burnett said, in everything from network specials to pay-per-view events.
"The Contender" has this notion in common with its prime competition, "American Idol." Besides simply putting on a show, both series have a second intention: To build talent on a television show, sign that talent to holding deals, then cash in through other outlets. With "Idol," it is
singers, with "The Contender," boxers.
"Each year, we create a different set of boxers," Mr. Burnett said. "On my other shows, I'm limited if someone emerges like Omarosa," he said,
referring to Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, who became a celebrity as the pseudo-villain on the original "Apprentice" series. "She's not an
actress," Mr. Burnett said. "I don't have access to her future value."
But he and Mr. Katzenberg have become licensed boxing promoters in California, and if their fighters emerge as major athletes, they are in
position to steer their careers. "The real value is, if people care about these fighters, they'll pay to see them," Mr. Burnett said.
---
Could this herald the dawn of startup comedy?
:-)
Enjoy,
Posted by: Frank Ruscica ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://marketingplaybook.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at January 18, 2005 07:53 AM
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