Business is a brutal battlefield.
For Ben and Tim it’s their second battlefield.
In an episode requested by listeners, Ben and Tim reach deep into their camouflaged knowledge banks all the way back to their time at the ‘College of Knowledge’ (The Royal Military College (RMC)) – as they take a look at the applicability of the Principles of War to the corporate environment.
As is mandatory for all lessons at RMC, they outline some Carl von Clausewitz theories before examining each of the ten Principles of War and how they can assist the campaigns we now mount on the ‘second battlefield’ – the cutthroat and unforgiving world of business.
As a special bonus, we even throw in an eleventh, unsanctioned (but, we think, very relevant) Principle of War.
And along the way, we suffer through Ben misquoting numerous dead generals and failing miserably in his attempt to recite the Role of the Infantry.
Enjoy!
Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)
1:28 – Some fun facts on Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) can be found here: https://www.clausewitz.com/mobile/faqs.htm
6:42 – Ben unsuccessfully tries to demonstrate knowledge. The correct reference was Horst Ritter and Melvin Webber coined the phrase ‘wicked problems’ in 1973, in their seminal work Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Sounds dry, but it’s actually a great read: http://www.sympoetic.net/Managing_Complexity/complexity_files/1973%20Rittel%20and%20Webber%20Wicked%20Problems.pdf
9:00 – Richard Thaler was the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science for his research into behavioural economics: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/directory/t/richard-h-thaler
20:41 – Ben is pretty much wrong again. Von Moltke was a student of Clausewitz rather than a peer….
27:39 – William H. McRaven, Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice. A precis of the key concepts McRaven proposes in this book is contained here: https://www.amazon.com/Spec-Ops-Studies-Operations-Practice/dp/0891416005
28:13 – The Australian 2ndCommando Regiment’s motto is ‘Foras Admonitio’, Latin for ‘Without Warning’: https://www.army.gov.au/our-people/units/special-operations-command/2nd-commando-regiment
31:36 – More information on Robert Heinleincan be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein
32:49 – Again, Ben throws out another half-cocked, only semi-correct reference – it was actually General Omar Bradley who said ‘Amateurs talk tactics. Professionals talk logistics’
S1E28 – Jack Moshovis – Building High Performance Aircraft in the Sky!
S1E27- Sam Penny: English Channel Swimmer- 'I didn't come this far to only come this far'
S1E26- General Jim Molan, AO, DSC - No Backward Step
@RV10 – On Susan Saleeba and Chris Collard, Servant Leadership, Psychopaths and Ben’s Leather Vest
S1E25- Chris Collard- No Barriers! From Jail to World Champion in 5 Years.
S1E24- Susan Saleeba- All Give, No Take: Inspiring Hope for Kenyan Children
@RV9- On Phil HSC & Sans Tattoo, Alaskan Real Estate Deals, Junior Leadership and Life without Consequences
S1E23- Marc Wohling- Movement is a Story
S1E22- Conversations with Mandela ... and Subsequent Corporate Combat - Sans Tattoo
S1E21- The Entrepreneur's Entrepreneur: From Little Things... with Phil HSC
@RV8- On Jess Dane, Greg Wallace, Andrew Leigh's Interview of Ben, Art and Playing Music on Operations
Special Episode- On SAS Leadership, Elite Fitness and Why Specialisation is for Insects- Ben Pronk, DSC Interviewed by Andrew Leigh, MP (via The Good Life Podcast)
S1E20- More Than Just a Surfboard! Greg Wallace- Building Surfboards but Rebuilding People
S1E19- Motorsports IS for Girls! Jessica Dane- Red Bull Holden Racing Team & Triple Eight Race Engineering
@RV7- On Matt Hall, the 2nd Battlefield, Supposedly Irrelevant Factors and Recent Travel
S1E18- (Extremely!) Top Gun- Matt Hall- Australia's (Only) Elite Red Bull Air Race Pilot
@RV6- On Two Andrews and SAS Band The Externals. Questions from Listeners
S1E16- Who Sings Wins! The Stories and Music of the SAS Rock Band- The Externals
S1E15b- A Tale of Two Andrews – Two Federal Politicians / But No Politics! Andrew Hastie (MP) and Andrew Leigh (MP)
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