As a journalism student years ago, I found myself in the party room at the home of General George Patton.
No, this wasn’t the General Patton. It was his son’s house.
My class, part of a graduate program at Northwestern, was invited to a party by the illustrious general’s grandson, who was a student in the class.
General Patton, Jr., who was also a general, and his wife greeted us as we filed into the basement.
Once there I gazed at old black and white photographs picturing the general with President Franklin Roosevelt and other dignitaries.
Wow, this is history, I thought. Not just stuff in a book.
Fighting spirit
Running a business has been compared more than once to fighting a war. You need focus, energy. You have to be driven, but you also need smarts.
General Patton was focused and dedicated. He led the battles from the front. He was demanding of his men, but highly respected as well.
One veteran said, “We hated the rules, but we never lost a battle.”
When the general met with his newly-assigned unit, he delivered a speech that they were probably not expecting.
“You’re here to fight,” he said bluntly. “Ahead of you lies battle. That means one thing. You can’t afford to be a fool, because in battle, fools mean dead men. It’s inevitable for men to be killed and wounded in battle. But, there’s no reason why such losses should be increased because of the incompetence and carelessness of some stupid S.O.B.”
To paraphrase the general, in business it takes more than the desire to win. It takes more than guts to lick the enemy. You also must have brains.
