Message of the Day - Superior Strategy

Good Morning,

 

On Monday night at a Toastmasters Meeting, I presented a speech on 'Superior Strategy' and felt it would be interesting to share with you. The premise of the speech is that when we are in competition, we often look for weaknesses in our opponent, or more so, a mistake or oversight to capitalize on.

 

What then, do we do when our opponent has made no mistake, there there is no oversight to capitalize on. How then do we overcome and win?

 

The answer is with using a superior strategy.

 

Using an overview of an ancient Roman battle as an example, I shared how two opponents can engage each other without either making a mistake, or having an oversight and one side still defeating the other soundly.

 

The Battle of Zama took place in 202 BC between Hannibal from Carthage and the Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio. Both Generals positioned their troops in the most advantageous of positions, and used their best strategy and tactics against their opponent.

 

Hannibal sent a line of war elephants against the front lines of the Romans. A tactic that always caused confusion and devastation to the enemy. This time, Scipio was ready and used a superior strategy. He sent up a line of trumpeters who blew their horns and caused confusion in elephants, some of whom turned around and charged their own forces. At the same time, the Roman forces had adapted a new strategy of breaking their legion into component parts. This allowed many of the elephants to charge past the Romans without incident. A superior strategy. 

 

Hannibal used his cavalry, which repeatedly dominated the vastly inferior roman cavalry. This time, Scipio, learned from Hannibal and built up an even mightier cavalry which dominated and defeated the Carthaginians. A superior strategy.

 

Finally, when the two main infantry forced met in combat, Scipio spread his front lines out thinner so that they were wider than Hannibal's. This allowed the Roman forces to wrap around the Carthaginian flanks while their cavalry came up the rear and put the final nail in the coffin for Hannibal and his army. A superior strategy.

 

Both Generals planned and gave their best. Neither made a mistake, but one learned from the mistakes of the past and at the same time, learned from what the enemy was doing better. Combining these two elements, the Romans were able to bring to bear a superior strategy to defeat their opponents.

 

A superior strategy will often make the difference in victory or defeat in almost any endeavor. It makes sense to study our mistakes and our losses to find those superior strategies!

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg
Sanford@berenberg.net
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