How Far Would You Go To Solve A Problem?
(a business lesson from September 14th 1812)
Unknown German artist. The French in Moscow. 1812. 1820s. Oil on canvas.
On September 14th 1812, the Russians set fire to Moscow in the face of Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops. The governor of Moscow herded out the majority of Moscow residents and burned almost 80% of the city.
Just as a reminder to all non-historians…this began the demise of Napoleon’s reign. This action not only permitted Russia to defeat Napoleon by forcing a debilitating retreat back to France, but it also began the demise of the Grand Armee of France.
Vasily Vereshchagin. The Return from the Petroff Palace. 1895. Oil on canvas. Historical Museum, Moscow, Russia.
The point of this is… what happened on this date should make us all think about what we in the business world would sacrifice to win.
Russia 1812
Do you imagine there was consensus in this discussion?
Okay, can you imagine the first guy who stood up and said “how about we purposely burn Moscow so they can’t have it?” (to the Czar and probably a couple of Cossack bodyguards with some very sharp swords.)
The tough decisions are…well…tough.
So would you be willing to burn your burn your business to win in the face of overwhelming odds?
Ok. What ARE you willing to do to win?
Heck. Maybe most importantly. When you look at your situation do you even recognize how desperate your situation is? (Remember. Someone in Russia recognized, and had the balls to say something about, the fact they were about to get their ass kicked. Next. Someone “stepped out of the box” with a solution.)
And let’s be clear.
I have to imagine neither of these points were popular, well-received nor accepted as a “so what do we do” type of moment.
One of the most difficult things a company can do is address their situation in the market. In general I believe most companies and businesses are pretty good at assessing their situation in the marketplace. I, for one, have been in a number of those types of meetings where everyone sits down and honestly assesses the difficult position they are in.
I also have been through too many meetings where that same business just isn’t willing to do what it takes to resolve the situation. Hey. I am not suggesting this is an easy discussion (but at least we don’t have Cossacks with really sharp swords standing around us while we are discussing what to do).
So. Are you willing to put 80% of everything you have up in flames to win?
I guess it depends on whether you believe the situation merits it. And that is a toughie for sure because we are certainly a country and group of optimists and in general we always believe there is a positive horizon. And burning ‘the city’ isn’t necessary. But. What if it is? Would you recognize it? Would someone in your group recognize it? And if someone did would you listen?
I don’t have the answers. And I am not suggesting every situation demands “burning the city.” But. This date in history reminds us that sometimes extreme situations demand extreme solutions. Keep your eyes open. And keep your mind open to solutions. Sometimes the extreme solution, while scary, is the right solution.
No comments yet.
No trackbacks yet.
here an insight, there an insight, where an insight?
February 9, 2012 - 7:22 am
Tags: actions today make who i am tomorrow, affecting people’s conflict behavior, aligning generational attitude and technology and consumer trends, broadcast, building character, business, Business Thoughts, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, character, communication, conflict and people, content dissemination trends, conversations, creating the next generation of thinkers, creating the next generation of thinkers using the web, crowd clout, crowds providing unsolicited feedback, curiosity is the enemy of ignorance, decision making, developing cross cultural skills, developing minds of next generation of thinkers, developing social and emotional competencies, discovery, dreaming is not just for kids, education to enlighten, encouraging curiosity, encouraging understanding of choices, enlightened conflict, exploration not ROI, facebook, failure of imagination, finding what is possible from impossible, finding your way is tough, freedom of choice, generation of measurement, generational ideation, generations, global collaboration, global respect, Hubble, ignorance, ignorance is the enemy, imagination, influencers are still influencers, influencing purchases, insights, insights are about truth, insights don't exploit, it has become uncool to do simple things in business, leadership, learning, lessons, life, life is a winding road, life lessons, making the simple complicated, marketing, maslow and marketing, maslow needs, measuring exclusion from primary education, measuring generational attitudes, measuring generational behavior, measuring global education, meeting the challenges of concentration, more honest online, most people cannot recognize simple solutions, most things in life are not black or white, mtv europe awards, NASA, NASA budget shrinking, net enabled education, no one believes in simplicity anymore, online friends, only few find the way, organizations, predictions, project global generation, pursuing the way, quality versus quantity online, quotes, rare to make complicated simple, research, respect, respect for individual choice, responsibility, ROI versus imagination, self actualization, short term concentration capabilities, simplicity has gone the way of the dodo, simplicity takes remarkable effort, six impossible things before breakfast, social media, strategy, strength of character to make change, strip away the undoable and identify the doable, Stuff I Like, success of ROI, telling the truth, that i will be tomorrow, there are a lot of insights, thinking, thinking impossible things, thinking is good, this i am today, to slay a dragon you need to believe in dragons, trendwatching, truth, truth in marketing, truth should be simple, Twitter, twitter triumph of humanity, use your imagination, web based global education
Posted in Business Thoughts, Rants and Observations | No comments
So. Every once in awhile in the ad/marketing business we talk about “what’s the insight that will help us create the big idea?” Ok. Not every once in awhile. Actually ad nausea. So often your head hurts. In fact it may be the reason why people in the industry drink as often as they do. [...]
friends, feedback, influencing & a new economy
February 7, 2012 - 8:37 am
Tags: a generation of concerned citizens, a net education platform, actions today make who i am tomorrow, affecting people’s conflict behavior, aligning generational attitude and technology and consumer trends, broadcast, building character, business, Business Thoughts, careful tweeting, change begins in the head, change takes remarkable effort, character, children and critical thinking, children out of school, children’s education, communication, community individualism, conflict and people, content dissemination trends, conversations, creating innovation attitude in children, creating the next generation of thinkers, creating the next generation of thinkers using the web, crowd clout, crowds providing unsolicited feedback, curiosity is the enemy of ignorance, decision making, developing cross cultural skills, developing minds of next generation of thinkers, developing social and emotional competencies, educating using the net, education to enlighten, effective teaching globally, encouraging curiosity, encouraging understanding of choices, enlightened conflict, facebook, freedom of choice, generation after millennials, generational ideation, generations, global collaboration, Global generation, global generation sociological platform, global respect, ignorance, ignorance is the enemy, influencers are still influencers, influencing purchases, leadership, learning, lessons, life, life lessons, marketing, mass mingling impact on Global Generation, measuring exclusion from primary education, measuring generational attitudes, measuring generational behavior, measuring global education, media, meeting the challenges of concentration, mobile technology impacting education, more honest online, mtv europe awards, net enabled education, new economic model, nietzsche, online friends, online has quality communication, peace on facebook, pop up schools, predictions, project global generation, quality versus quantity online, redefining children’s education with a global initiative, research, respect, respect for individual choice, responsibility, short term concentration capabilities, social media, strategy, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, that i will be tomorrow, the economist e-communication and society, the f-factor, this i am today, trendwatching, truth, Twitter, twitter triumph of humanity, using cell technology for education, web based global education
Posted in Business Thoughts, Stuff I Like | No comments
So. My thoughts on this topic were inspired by a trendwatching’s briefing called “The F-Factor.” Their briefing (another excellent one by the way) discusses focuses how the impact of influencers’ on purchasing has increased because of the web (and the dynamics associated with the web). By the way. Trendwatching has another excellent briefing called Crowd [...]
survival
February 6, 2012 - 8:29 am
Tags: a full life, actions today make who i am tomorrow, architects of fate, be who you are, business, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, changing objectives to make change, character, choices, choices leading to full life, choices we make or do not make, communication, creation means destroying something, decision making, destroying the personal baggage you carry, every one is an architect of life, every one plays a role in fate, fear, fear of choices, gain some new identity aspects, generations, getting a new start means destroying some old things, good people, hope, identifying who you are, inaction, intentions, just this once, lacking hope, learning, lessons, letting go is difficult, letting go is not simple, lies, life, life lessons, making changes personally, making choices, managing perceptions, motivated by a desire to achieve, ordinary people don’t think they are remarkable, organizations, personal creative destruction, quotations, quotes, relationships, resiliency, resiliency and character, respect, responsibility, see your own reality, self truth, smallest actions contribute, strategy, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, that i will be tomorrow, there is no formula for good choices, this i am today, trust, truth, trying to preserve will lead to stagnation, words
Posted in Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations | No comments
“it is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin I love this quote. Mostly because those with ‘brawn’ scoff at those with ‘brains’, and vice versa, when survival (and that doesn’t have to mean life & death but rather success [...]
the unAmerican american tradition
February 4, 2012 - 12:38 pm
Tags: 8th biggest beer day, america has lost its beers, american beer, american beer connoisseurs, beer, beer and bonding, beer is good, brand, Bud isn't american, budweiser, business, Business Thoughts, champagne of beer, coors, learning, life, life lessons, no high falutin micro brews, Stuff I Like, super bowl beer tradition, the character of beer, truth, unamerican beer
Posted in Personal & Nonsensical, Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | No comments
Ok. This is about the American tradition (the super bowl) and an un-American aspect (the fact there just aren’t that many American beers left). The super bowl (according to Nielsen sales studies) is the 8th biggest beer day of the year. It is behind the 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Christmas/New [...]
my thoughts on education inspired by The Wire
February 1, 2012 - 8:06 am
Tags: a generation of concerned citizens, a global education kids initiative, a net education platform, actions today make who i am tomorrow, affecting people’s conflict behavior, aligning generational attitude and technology and consumer trends, beating the system, building character, business, Business Thoughts, change begins in the head, change takes remarkable effort, children and critical thinking, children out of school, children’s education, communication, community individualism, conflict and people, content dissemination trends, creating innovation attitude in children, creating the next generation of thinkers, creating the next generation of thinkers using the web, curiosity is the enemy of ignorance, decision making, developing cross cultural skills, developing minds of next generation of thinkers, developing social and emotional competencies, educating using the net, education and collaboration, education is not always equal, education to enlighten, effective teaching globally, encouraging curiosity, encouraging understanding of choices, enlightened conflict, every child deserves a chance, free your mind, generation after millennials, global collaboration, global collaboration and learning, Global generation, hope in learning, ignorance, ignorance is the enemy, imagining a better education system, impacting kid's education, jared leto, jared leto free your mind, leadership, learning, learning by lurking, lessons, life lessons, many good kids fail, mass mingling impact on Global Generation, measuring exclusion from primary education, measuring generational attitudes, measuring generational behavior, measuring global education, mobile technology impacting education, mtv europe awards, next generation of thinkers, peace on facebook, pop up schools, pre school global education, project global generation, redefining children’s education with a global initiative, respect, responsibility, strategy, strength of character to make change, Stuff I Like, teaching kids globally, that i will be tomorrow, the economist e-communication and society, the global generation, The wire and education, there are excuses for not getting an education, this i am today, truth, twitter triumph of humanity, UNESCO children out of school, using cell technology for education, web based collaboration education, web based global education, young children collaborating online
Posted in Rants and Observations, project global generation | No comments
So. Every time I walk into a high school I have a feeling that education … well … that it could be better. For everyone. Teachers & all kids (no matter their socioeconomic status or whether they live in an urban or rural environment). Shit. Not could … that it should be better. And I [...]
never interrupt the enemy
January 31, 2012 - 8:10 am
Tags: action and consequences, actions today make who i am tomorrow, affecting organization thru actions, aiming high, architects of fate, art of staying, brand, builders versus renovators, business, business lessons, Business Thoughts, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, character, communication, company of adventurers, creating positive touchpoints, decision making, depth of character to face everyday life, difficult lessons, dynamic beyond our own purposes, easier to recognize when you don’t suck, events are meant to be commanded not feared, every one is an architect of life, finding your way is tough, going with your gut, greatest danger is aiming too low, leaders and character, leadership, learning, lessons, let someone suck as long as they want, life, life is a winding road, life lessons, managing perceptions, michelanglo, most things in life are not black or white, napoleon and business, never interrupt the enemy, oblivious to sucking, one foot in history one foot in future, only few find the way, patty griffin, pursuing the way, quotations, quotes, reach for the stars, respect, responsibility, safer to stay then go, seek out events without fear, smallest actions contribute, stay or go, stop on a high note, stop when you suck, strategy, strength of character to make change, stressful decisions, Stuff I Like, suckedness, sucking is like quicksand, that i will be tomorrow, thinking too much, this i am today, thrive on dreams and possibilities, transformational people, trapped by fear, truth, what do you do when you get what you want, words
Posted in Business Thoughts, Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations | No comments
“Never interrupt the enemy when he is making a mistake.” – Napoleon Bonaparte This is a follow up to yesterday’s “when you start to suck, stop.” Why? Well. Because that one was focused on your suckedness and this is focused on someone else’s suckedness. Simplistically. If your enemy is starting to suck … don’t interrupt. [...]
knowing when to stop
January 30, 2012 - 8:51 am
Tags: action and consequences, actions today make who i am tomorrow, affecting organization thru actions, aiming high, architects of fate, art of staying, brand, builders versus renovators, business, business lessons, Business Thoughts, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, character, communication, company of adventurers, creating positive touchpoints, decision making, depth of character to face everyday life, difficult lessons, dynamic beyond our own purposes, easier to recognize when you don't suck, events are meant to be commanded not feared, every one is an architect of life, finding your way is tough, going with your gut, greatest danger is aiming too low, leaders and character, leadership, learning, lessons, life, life is a winding road, life lessons, managing perceptions, michelanglo, most things in life are not black or white, oblivious to sucking, one foot in history one foot in future, only few find the way, patty griffin, pursuing the way, quotations, quotes, reach for the stars, respect, responsibility, safer to stay then go, seek out events without fear, smallest actions contribute, stay or go, stop on a high note, stop when you suck, strategy, strength of character to make change, stressful decisions, Stuff I Like, suckedness, sucking is like quicksand, that i will be tomorrow, thinking too much, this i am today, thrive on dreams and possibilities, transformational people, trapped by fear, truth, what do you do when you get what you want, words
Posted in Business Thoughts, Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations | No comments
“when you start to suck, stop” – Kristen Hersh So. This is so explanatory it needs no explanation. However. What I would suggest to everyone is that, in general, people don’t stop when they start to suck. And they don’t for one of two reasons: They are oblivious to their sucking. They recognize their suckedness [...]
confessions of an ad man
January 29, 2012 - 7:25 am
Tags: a business consultant, account management in ad agencies, action and consequences, advertising, affecting organization thru actions, agency, alignment, architects of fate, be still in midst of activity, brand, brand ambassadors, builders versus renovators, building a culture, business, Business Thoughts, character, chemistry, client, client services, communication, company of adventurers, corporate values, creating positive touchpoints, decision making, depth of character to face everyday life, dynamic beyond our own purposes, employees, employees have ability to create impressions, events are meant to be commanded not feared, every one is an architect of life, fairness, fun, leaders and character, leaders are still and active, leaders have strength of character, leadership, learning, lessons, life, life lessons, managing people to be successful in life and business, managing perceptions, managing transitional moments, marketing, one foot in history one foot in future, organizations, partner, partnership, quotations, quotes, relationships, respect, responsibility, restless consistency, seek out events without fear, smallest actions contribute, strategy, Stuff I Like, transformational people, truth, unique person in an ad agency, vibrantly alive in repose, what we are seeking explanations, words
Posted in Business Thoughts, Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | 1 comment
Well. Maybe its because I get to talk with a lot of teen/20somethings or maybe its because all my friends are cynical bastards … but I seem to defend the advertising business a lot. And maybe because of that I thought I should take a moment and share some truths. Because the business (for the [...]
rat girl thoughts
January 27, 2012 - 8:03 am
Tags: addictive songs, amazing songwriter, architects of fate, articulation skills, attitudes, be who you are, books about musicians, boundlessness of friendship, brand, branding, business, Business Thoughts, character, choices we make or do not make, cognitive thinking, communication, creation means destroying something, creative innovators, destroying the personal baggage you carry, embellishment, every one is an architect of life, every one plays a role in fate, fear, fear of choices, gain some new identity aspects, getting a new start means destroying some old things, good books, good people, hope, identifying who you are, ignore at your own peril, inaction, influence of internet, influencing thinking, intentions, just this once, kristen hersh, lacking hope, leadership, learning, lessons, lies, life, life lessons, managing perceptions, motivated by a desire to achieve, music, organizations, personal creative destruction, quotations, quotes, rat girl, real ramona, relationships, resiliency and character, respect, responsibility, role of internet, see your own reality, self truth, serious life decluttering, slippery slope, slippery slope of despair, slippery surface of irrelevant brilliance, smallest actions contribute, strategy, Stuff I Like, the next generation of thinkers, there is no formula for good choices, throwing muses, tonya donnelly, trust, truth, trying to preserve will lead to stagnation, tweens, words, young influencing everyone, young people are smarter than you think, youth can surprise us
Posted in Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | No comments
So. I wrote about Rat Girl (Kristen Hersh) awhile back … and have been meaning to come back to the book and some quotable/comment-able thoughts from Kristen and her book. Let me say this upfront. Rarely have I found so many quotable thoughts from one book. Anyway. There is no particular order for these thoughts [...]
to be yourself or nobody
January 26, 2012 - 8:14 am
Tags: architects of fate, be who you are, being distinct, boundlessness of friendship, brand, branding, business, Business Thoughts, character, choices we make or do not make, communication, creation means destroying something, destroying the personal baggage you carry, doubt, ee cummings, embellishment, every one is an architect of life, every one plays a role in fate, fear, fear of choices, fight the hardest battle to be yourself, gain some new identity aspects, getting a new start means destroying some old things, good people, hope, identifying who you are, inaction, intentions, just this once, lacking hope, leadership, learning, lessons, lies, life, life lessons, managing perceptions, motivated by a desire to achieve, organizations, personal creative destruction, quotations, quotes, reason for being, relationships, resiliency and character, respect, responsibility, see your own reality, self truth, serious life decluttering, slippery slope, slippery slope of despair, slippery surface of irrelevant brilliance, smallest actions contribute, stand for something within yourself, strategy, Stuff I Like, there is no formula for good choices, trust, truth, trying to preserve will lead to stagnation, words
Posted in Favorite Quotes, Rants and Observations, Stuff I Like | 1 comment
“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” – ee cummings Just when I think the battle to be yourself ends when you have gained [...]
