Victory!

"Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination"

- Carl von Clausewitz

Insight: Clarity is essential.

Principle: Set clear, specific goals and objectives.

"The two factors that produce surprise are secrecy and speed."

- Carl von Clausewitz

Insight: In business, the ability to mobilise resources with speed can give you a market advantage.

"Circumstances do not make the man; they merely reveal him to himself."

- Epictetus

Insight: The best leaders are those that are able to thrive in crisis, remaining calm and reasoned.

• Reference: The Battle of Cannae in the Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.), Hannibal against the Roman armies. Hannibal employed strategies of speed and deception to destroy the Roman armies. When Quintus Fabius Maximus (for which the Fabian Strategy is named) was appointed to deal with Hannibal he recognised that facing Hannibal in direct battle would play into his strengths, so he adopted the strategy of avoiding direct conflict, and wearing down Hannibal's armies, to great success.

• Definition: Continuous betterment or improvement.
• Insight: In Kaizen systems, each employee is encouraged to look for improvements within their "line of sight".
• Insight: There are always small ways in which to improve.
• Insight: In business, Kaizen keeps staff alert to changing circumstances.
• Insight: The cumulative effect of small improvements over time leads to huge improvements.
• Insight: We can always try improvements and ideas at a small scale.
• Insight: Successful ideas in business should be shared so that small improvements can scale across an organisation.
• Principle: Continuously look for small ways to improve.
• Reference: W. Edwards Deming - introduced Kaizen into Japanese manufacturing.

• Definition: The simplest solution is usually best.
• Insight: With an difficulty or challenge we should ask "What is the simplest and more direct way to solve the problem, or achieve the goal."
• Reference: English philosopher William of Occam around 1340 devised a tool for decision making. "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily" meaning the simplest solution is usually best.
• Reference: Socrates: the most likely solution to a problem is probably the one with the fewest steps.