Who was he? Well, he was born on the 1st June 1780 and died on the 16th November 1831 and he spent his career as a relatively obscure Prussian General, but his claim to fame was as an influential military theorist. It was in this guise that he wrote Von Kriege which translates as ‘On War’.

Now, you may be thinking at this point what the beep beep beep has this to do with running a business and on the face of it I wouldn’t blame you! But, wait the now and I will explain. I was reading an interesting book, The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor (sic) to Hiroshima, edited by Daniel Marston. In chapter 10 Professor H. P. Willmott quoted Carl von Clausewitz as defining why the Japanese were doomed to failure from the outset and it resonated with me that it could equally be applied to business strategy. Having researched a number of von Clausewitz’s quotes it struck me even further that business people could do well to read them and to apply his thinking to business. Here is a selection that I have chosen and replaced military emphasis with commerce:

• “After we have thought out everything carefully in advance and have sought and found without prejudice the most plausible plan, we must not be ready to abandon it at the slightest provocation. Should this certainty be lacking, we must tell ourselves that nothing is accomplished in business without daring; that the nature of business certainly does not let us see at all times where we are going; that what is probable will always be probable though at the moment it may not seem so; and finally, that we cannot be readily ruined by a single error, if we have made reasonable preparations.”

• “We must, therefore, be confident that the general measures we have adopted will produce the results we expect. Most important in this connection is the trust which we must have in our team. Consequently, it is important to choose people on whom we can rely and to put aside all other considerations. If we have made appropriate preparations, taking into account all possible misfortunes, so that we shall not be lost immediately if they occur, we must boldly enter into the shadows of uncertainty.”

• “If the leader is filled with high ambition and if they pursue their aims with audacity and strength of will, they will reach them in spite of all obstacles.”

• “Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.”

• “The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the Board and senior team have to make is to establish . . . the kind of enterprise on which they are embarking.”

• “A certain grasp of the whole organisations affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy.”

• “The first and most important rule to observe…is to use our entire workforce with the utmost energy. The second rule is to concentrate our energies as much as possible against those competitors where the chief blows are to be delivered and to incur disadvantages elsewhere, so that our chances of success may increase at the decisive point. The third rule is never to waste time. Unless important advantages are to be gained from hesitation, it is necessary to set to work at once. By this speed a hundred competitors’ measures are nipped in the bud, and customer opinion is won most rapidly. Finally, the fourth rule is to follow up our successes with the utmost energy. Only pursuit of the beaten competitor gives the fruits of victory.”

• “Business is very simple, but in business the simplest things become very difficult.”

Follow this link Carl von Clausewitz for more of his quotations.

If you want to order ‘The Pacific War Companion: From Pearl Harbor (sic) to Hiroshima’, edited by Daniel Marston follow this link

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