In his 1879 commencement address to the graduating class of the Michigan Military Academy, Civil War Union General William Tecumseh Sherman famously proclaimed, “War is hell.” A century later, Nike CEO Phil Knight, an Army veteran himself, compared the two, saying “Business is war without bullets.”
Though you cannot seriously equate the horrors of war with the challenges of corporate life, business has always had a bit of a melodramatic crush on military terminology and methodology. Need proof? Think about what happens when companies are launching major new business initiatives:
- They create a “War Room.” They appoint a “Chain of command,” to “recruit and onboard” team members who possess the specialized skills needed to achieve victory.
- Marketing people launch “campaigns” that employ corporate “air war” strategies, “ground war” tools for salespeople, and “guerrilla marketing” tactics in the hopes of catching competitors off guard.
- They “rally the troops” and put salespeople through “Boot Camp,” teach them how to avoid “minefields,” and arm them with “Battlecards,” listing their strengths and opponents’ weaknesses to exploit.
Almost every business organization tries to replicate military strategies, processes, and terminology in some form; business strategies and their tactics can be very analogous to military maneuvers, if you stop to study and learn from them. Maybe that’s why “The Art of War” – written in the 5th century B.C. by the Chinese general and military strategist Sun Tzu – still stands as one of the bestselling business books of all time, 2500 years later.
That’s also why on the latest Webmark website refresh we listed several of our favorite engagements in military history, and describe their business applicability throughout the site:
1. HOMEPAGE: The Trojan War (1189 B.C)
In “The Aeneid,” written about the Trojan War, Virgil described a cunning scheme called “The Trojan Horse,” in which after 10 years of combat, the Greek army pretended to surrender and sail away… leaving behind an ornate, giant wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. Believing it was a peace offering, the unsuspecting Trojans brought the horse inside their city walls, unaware that 40 Greek soldiers were hiding inside. After nightfall, the Greeks crept out and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, who’d surreptitiously returned. The Greeks razed the city and ended the war victorious.
Lessons for modern companies: In business terms, a “Trojan Horse” strategy is one in which a product is given to a customer at no or minimal cost, to induce them to make continual purchases of complementary products over the long term, to increase “Lifetime Value” (or LTV). The best-known example of this is called the Razor/ Razor Blade strategy: companies give a consumer a nice razor at minimal acquisition cost, in the hope that they will purchase blades designed for that razor for years to come. Mobile phone carriers used this ploy very successfully in the early days of the mobile phone industry, giving away mobile devices to entice consumers to commit to long-term cellular plans. Today, modern software vendors use the Trojan Horse approach to compel (or require) customers to purchase add-on “platform” applications from them, a versus similar standalone applications from competitors.
Question: What might your company give away at minimal cost to acquire new customers and build profitable long-term relationships with them?
2. OUTMARKETED: Italo-Turkish War (1911)
On November 1, 1911, during the Italo-Turkish War, Italian Second Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti flew his Taube monoplane over a Turkish camp in Libya, and dropped hand grenades down on the enemy soldiers, the first documented aerial bombing. While Gavotti’s effort inflicted minimal damage, it signaled the beginning of a new era in warfare: the air assault.
Lessons for modern companies: Disruptive companies change the rules. It’s a pretty safe bet that retailers, video stores, and taxi companies never imagined the business disruption that would rain down them from new all-digital rivals like Amazon, Netflix, and Uber. The lesson: established companies in every industry need to practice regular self-disruption, to serve their customers in unique new ways, before a digital upstart comes and steals those customers away. Netflix is a prime example of continual voluntary reinvention: they were successful as an order-by-mail service, before going all-in on streaming services. And when people tired of watching the same Hollywood movies, Netflix moved into original programming, focusing on episodic programs that kept subscribers hooked.
Question: What core products, services, and intellectual property do you possess that can be repurposed to create appealing new ones that would catch your competitors off guard?
3. METHODOLOGY: Second Punic War (218 B.C.)
As Roman forces bore down on Carthage on the north African coast, the Carthaginian general Hannibal had a bold plan to turn the tables on his attackers: he would force the Romans into a defensive war on their own territory by invading Italy from the north, crossing through the Alps. His forces snuck past Rome’s formidable land and naval defenses by marching elephants and cavalry through the mountains, invading Italy directly and inflicting several crushing defeats on surprised Roman forces.
Lessons for modern companies: Unpredictability is a valuable business weapon; it keeps competitors off-balance and puts them on the defensive. The closer attacks are to their core business the better. For example, a “replacement” marketing campaign directly targeting users of a competing product forces your rival to do damage control as more of their customers defect to you. In one software campaign I worked on, our competitor tried to mitigate the damage we were inflicting on their customer base by sending an email to their users, listing the reasons not to defect to us; in doing so, they told customers who’d never even heard of us about our offer; naturally, their customer immediately started to download free trial versions of our application.
Question: Are your rivals complacent because you’ve become too predictable in the marketplace… and what sort of new products, services, or campaigns could you develop that would throw a wrench in your competitors’ plans?
4. SERVICES: Burma, World War II (1944)
The first use of a helicopter in warfare occurred on April 25,1944 during World War II. Second Lieutenant Carter Harman flew behind enemy lines in a Sikorsky YR-4B to rescue stranded soldiers surrounded by hostile forces in Burma. All branches of the military quickly learned that helicopters offer many advantages over planes in warfare, including vertical takeoff and landing, the ability access to hard-to-reach areas, superior maneuverability, and the ability to hover.
Lessons for modern companies: When you have a unique capability, always be on the lookout for new ways to apply it and turn it into competitive advantage. Amazon is a great example of a company who continually does this. Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in the garage of his home in Bellevue, Washington in 1994 as an online bookstore. But he quickly realized that their “secret sauce” wasn’t selling books: it was displaying products online, taking orders, and fulfilling them. Though Amazon started with books, they quickly segued to music CDs and movie DVDs (1998), and clothing (2002), before expanding into hosting and streaming services with the launch of Amazon Web Services and Amazon Prime Video (2006). They’ve continued to aggressively add new products and services like groceries (2007), pharmaceutical fulfillment (2020), and everything else imaginable.
Questions: What are your replicatable core strengths, and how can they be repurposed and leveraged to create new revenue streams at minimal costs? Better still, if your competitors had your core strengths, how would they leverage them against you?
5. INDUSTRIES: Battle of Tumu (1449)
The Chinese Ming Dynasty lost the Battle of Tumu primarily due to an ill-conceived “Army Family System” that resulted in poorly-trained troops, an ineffective supply system, and a disastrous last-minute leadership substitution. Confident that his troops would easily defeat the Oirat Mongols, Chinese Emperor Yingzong pushed his experienced generals aside to personally lead the army into battle. His lack of battle experience proved catastrophic, resulting in his capture and a crushing defeat at the hands of the much weaker Mongols, contributing to the dynasty’s eventual decline.
Lessons for modern companies: Senior executives often fall into the mental trap of believing they are the smartest ones on every subject within their organization… when in fact, the people closest to the work often possess insights that the boss simply doesn’t have. When subordinates raise problems, it is often better for leaders to ask them, “What do you think we ought to do?” or propose a broader discussion of the problem and possible answers. This will not only yield effective solutions, but signals to employees that you value their expertise; this motivates them to take ownership over their portion of the business and makes them feel accountable for contributing to business results.
Questions: Are you really listening to your best domain experts, even when their thinking doesn’t align 100% with yours? Are you missing out on ideas that would enhance your organization’s effectiveness because they didn’t come from you… or worse, people are afraid to speak their minds?
6. PORTFOLIO: Raid on Whitehaven (1778)
During the American Revolution, John Paul Jones conceived the idea of attacking the British homeland – 3700 miles from the American colonies – to attempt disrupt their shipping and economy. On the night of April 22, 1778, Jones and a small detachment of 30 men from the USS Ranger, rowed to the English town of Whitehaven in two boats, to set fire to the ships in the harbor. Though it was only marginally successful militarily, it was a very significant event in the American Revolution: it was the only successful attack on British soil during the war, thus a blow to the English psyche, and a confidence builder for the colonists.
Lessons for modern companies: While audacity makes you unpredictable and forces competitors to think in defensive terms, sometimes the most salient benefit of bold strategies is instilling internal confidence-building than measurable KPIs. Few things build team swagger than giving a larger competitor his first bloody nose. And it can put competitors on their heels, as well… forcing them to regroup, assess their intended strategies, and move you higher up the list of “Threats” on their own SWOT assessment. Either way the benefit to you is that you can start setting the tone in your market segment, and force rivals to react to you for a change.
Question: When you look at your own SWOT analysis, what opportunities present themselves that, with a little boldness and daring on your part, would disrupt the status quo of your industry… or at minimum, serve as a rallying point for employees?
7. ABOUT: Battle of Trenton (1776)
In a daring on Christmas night surprise attack, American General George Washington – a former brevet captain in the British Army – led a small number of troops across the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey, capturing a garrison of mercenaries supporting the British. The colonists’ stunning victory at Trenton was a crucial turning point in the war, boosting flagging morale, inspiring re-enlistments, and literally turning the course of the American Revolution. Interestingly, Washington led the attack at the age of 44, an impressive feat in that the average life expectancy in 1776 was 38 years old.
Lessons for modern companies: There are at least two important lessons: Striking at a time, place, or manner competitors are not expecting creates first-mover advantage, with the potential to shift the long-term balance of competitive power. Secondly, even old dogs can learn new tricks. No one was expecting 35 year-old McDonalds to get into the breakfast market in 1972, or 44 year-old Apple to enter into the mobile phone market in 2008; today, both hold market share leadership in those categories, which accounts for 34% and 55% of McDonalds’ and Apple’s revenue, respectively.
Question: It takes months or years to develop market-changing new products… but new services, offers, and bundles of existing products can often be done quickly. What types of new revenue streams could you create just by examining your customers’ needs, and then looking at your existing offerings differently to meet them?
8. LEADERSHIP: Siege of Orléans (1429)
The Siege of Orléans was a pivotal military engagement during the Hundred Years’ War. After 92 years or battle, a young peasant girl, Joan of Arc, convinced the King of France, Charles VII, to let her lead the French army. Her fresh leadership reinvigorated weary French forces, who rallied and successfully expelled the English siege from the city; it was the turning point in the war, as it shifted the momentum in favor of the French and revitalized their efforts against English occupation. The victory at Orléans became a symbol of national unity and galvanized resistance against foreign rule.
Lessons for modern companies: Lead by example. Inspire people by demonstrating unwavering commitment, courage, and leadership, while serving as a symbol of resilience, defiance, and the power of believing in one’s mission, even in the face of adversity. This is especially important when taking over a team that has struggled in the past.
Work to build the best possible 1:1 relationship with as many employees as you can… but especially the thought leaders and influencers who others look up to, regardless of their titles. Recognize that not all good ideas come from people with impressive titles or college degrees; sometimes they come from the employees you’d least expect. Be open to ideas from across the organization; combine them to foster synergy. Work with HR to use tools like MBTI, Clifton Strengths, and others to understand what drives your employees, and how to bring the best in them. Gently coax ideas out of your introverts and remember that “still waters run deep”: quiet, reserved people often possess a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, or strong emotions that are not always apparent.
Encourage everyone on your team to go beyond their comfort zones, pursuing challenges and following paths forward they hadn’t imagined possible. Put them into situations that challenge them to write, nurture, and present their own ideas; remember that being a mentor that brings out the best in others is far better than being seen as a superstar on your own. Set teammates up for success by grooming their soft skills like communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability.
Question: When you think about the best bosses you’ve ever had during your career, what were the managerial traits they exhibited towards you and your teammates that earned your loyalty… and how well do you exhibit those traits towards people you lead today?
Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana famously said, “Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” If that is true, then the inverse must also be true: those who remember history stand to benefit from its lessons. Sherman was right: war truly is hell. But if wise businesspeople can learn and apply the right lessons of history, they can make life hell for their rivals.
About the author:
Jim Neumann cofounded Webmark Partners from IBM, where he was vice president of marketing and communications for the IBM Technology Group. He has many years of experience, working either as a consultant or embedded executive, leading companies to dramatic revenue growth (400%+), outpacing their competitors by as much as 12x, in STEM, Healthcare, MedTech, Analytics, CyberSec, IoT, Power and Energy, and others.
