History Lessons

We have to put up with the fact that a lot of management terminology borrows heavily from military concepts: we take on the opposition head-on or we try to outflank them; we discuss our strategies and our tactics; we worry about our logistics; we attack new markets and we defend our market position.

There is a good reason for this: for several millennia, the most common testing ground of our leadership skills has been warfare. Also, and perhaps equally significantly, it was the military affairs of nations that were recorded in detail. Complex leadership decisions within sophisticated political structures will have been taken by statesmen throughout ...