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How to lose a battle explained
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January 1879 The British Army invaded Zululand. You’ve probably watched the movie or you know the story. The pirates had rifles. Artillery. Professional soldiers. And a commanding officer called Lord Chelmsford. A man who was remarkably confident in British military superiority. Unfortunately for the British, the Zulus hadn't been informed of their inferiority. Chelmsford established a camp. Standard military practice required defensive precautions. Entrenchments. Protected positions. A defensive perimeter. Like reading contracts and insurance policies… Boring stuff. Apparently totally unnecessary when you're convinced you're the smartest man in Africa. Chelmsford marched away with part of his force while his camp was as prepared as the first PPP of any client… On 22 January, around 20,000 Zulu warriors attacked. Result: more than 1,000 British and colonial troops died. An impressive achievement in executive confidence. Not so impressive in military leadership. And look… Chelmsford knew how to command an army and kill people not interested in be part of the empire. He just underestimated the possibility that the enemy might know how to fight. Sound familiar? I've met plenty of executives with 20 years of experience that look as one year of experience repeated 20 times. They know everything. They've seen everything. They've done everything. And when someone challenges them, they become very interested in explaining why that person is wrong. Preferably before the person finishes speaking. Then something goes wrong. And you know how it goes… The most dangerous person in a boardroom isn't the one who makes mistakes, but the one who's stopped believing they can. Enter The Room​ I can't promise you'll never make another mistake, but perhaps we can avoid you becoming the subject of a fascinating historical case study… With a very unfortunate ending. PD 1: If you liked this email, don't keep it in secret and forward it to a friend. They will thank you enormously one day. PD 2: If somebody has sent you this email and you want to receive emails like this yourself, visit vicentevalencia.com PD 3: If you want unsubscribe, click the link below. |
Vicente Valencia
Weekly insights on how to perform when it matters | High-stakes decisions. Real situations. No BS. | 👇JOIN +2k readers 👇
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