Re: Leadership and Personality LO2903

Dr. Ivan Blanco (BLANCO@BU4090.BARRY.EDU)
Wed, 20 Sep 1995 16:28:51 -0400 (EDT)

Replying to LO2801 --

> Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 21:56:16 -0400
> From: DwBuff@aol.com

<<< lots of stuff deleted here >>>
>
> PST!! The military has no more certainty about success than business.
> General Schwartzkopf and the guys in Desert Storm did not know with great
> certainty they would be successful. But they spent quite a bit of time
> working towards the end of CREATING BETTER ODDS AT SUCCESS through
> scenario analysis by THINKING and PLANNING for contingencies.

The effectiveness in fighting fires is based primarily on the
volume of water that one puts on the fire. So, fire departments try to
make sure that they have more than enough of that element to fight fires!
The military is no different. They put as many resources as possible to
secure the success of each operation. To get General Noriega out of
Panama, there were 26,000 individuals involved in capturing one "bad" guy!
In the Gulf War there were enough numbers (individuals and equipment) to
fight that same war several times over. With this it seems clear that the
military, at least in the U.S. has very limited limitations in terms of
resources, and when it comes to an "important operation" there is no
notion of efficiency. By the way, I believe that the military also
operates in a very inefficient way in peace times!

Business leaders, on the other hand, have to face whatever
situation they face with very limited resources. In these days, being
creative and innovated with how one uses the resources available is a very
important competitive advantage.

> The military leaders are taught to take chances with REAL PEOPLE's REAL
> LIVES. I don't believe the risk in business is anywhere near this great.
> My impression is that business leaders need to learn some of this risk
> attitude.

It is true that there are human lives lost in the military, but
this is also a universally accepted condition to take part in any
operation. In fact, a major factor in planning any operation is the
minimization of the number of casualties!

I do agree with you in that business leaders need to learn a lot more
(this is my emphasis) about risk taking.

Ivan,

--
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     "Las naciones marchan hacia el termino de su grandeza, con
  el mismo paso que camina su educacion." "The nations march      
  toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational    
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