| The reverse is rare: military theorists don't draw lessons from management texts. Many generals have written lucidly about war""but they don't apply analogies of operating efficiency and competitive advantage to the grim task of killing people and annexing territory. |
| Some of the tasks of the business manager and the soldier are similar. Both require the efficient marshalling of resources to counter the likely strategies of rivals. Much of game theory, linear programming and operations research was actually developed by the military and later used in business. |
| Both professions also incorporate the "soft", if crucial, component of HR management. In the absence of morale and esprit des corps, an army of soldiers is just as likely to be useless at its task as an army of salespersons lacking in a gung-ho attitude. |
| In the context of the similarities between business and war, this book explores an interesting premise: take a successful soldier, deconstruct his working style and figure out the components vital to his success. See how these methods might apply to management. |
| The issue lies with the figure they chose. General Douglas MacArthur, the "American Caesar", was certainly one of the dominant figures of World War II and the Korean conflict that followed close on its heels. He was also, with good reason, one of the most controversial personalities of the 20th century. |
| A relentless self-publicist and undoubtedly a legend in his own mind, the General took the world to the brink of nuclear conflict. He almost committed the cardinal sin of ignoring the authority of his own commander. It is also an open question how much of the actual campaign in the Pacific Theatre was scripted by him. |
| Here's a potted biography. Born in 1880, the General fought in France during World War I, was decorated several times and promoted to brigadier at the age of 38. When he failed to win the Congressional Medal of Honour, he lobbied for it. By 1937, he was 57 and given a sinecure by being "lent" out to act as Field Marshal of the Filipino forces by the US army. |
| In 1942, the Japanese attacked the archipelago. When it became apparent that the US and Filipino forces would be overwhelmed, MacArthur was ordered to break out, proceed to Australia and regroup. On arrival at Darwin, he said " I came through the Japanese cordon and I shall return"""perhaps the most famous one-liner of WWII. |
| Over the next three years, he fought an island-hopping campaign. In the opinion of many, this was masterminded by Admiral Halsey. The Pacific war was won by superior air and sea power rather than ground troops. Nevertheless, MacArthur took the credit. |
| After personally receiving the Japanese surrender, he was appointed governor of Japan and presided successfully over the transformation of Japan into a peace-loving, constitutional monarchy. Aged 71, he took over as commander in South Korea when the North Koreans invaded across the 38th parallel. |
| MacArthur did script the amphibious landing at Inchon, which drove the North Koreans right back to the Yalu river, which is the natural boundary between China and the Hermit Kingdom. The Chinese then took a hand and chased the US troops south of the 38th again! |
| At this stage, MacArthur advocated the use of nuclear weapons. President Truman (who authorised Hiroshima and Nagasaki) took a deep breath and "fired the son-of-a-bitch". |
| The general returned to the continental US after 14 years and after a rapturous ticker-tape parade remarked "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away". |
| After the Republicans decided Eisenhower was a safer bet as a presidential candidate, MacArthur duly faded away, serving on the boards of several companies before his final passage into myth. |
| What lessons can one draw from this life? The authors offer platitudes about "demonstrating courage", "planning honestly", "being visible", and "accepting risk". Quite so""but they might have picked a less flawed poster boy. |
| NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY Lessons in strategy and leadership from General Douglas MacArthur |
| Theodore & Donna Kinni Pearson Pages: 266 |
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