Customer Reviews

The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I did not serve in the military, but I was at Wharton getting my MBA when Vince Martino and Jason Santamaria started introducing these lessons to the student body. They first helped bring in distinguished speakers from the Marine Corps and then organized a creative hands-on leadership event at a real Marine Corps base that was wildly popular with students, many of whom said it was the best leadership instruction they received at the school. The program is a critical part of the Wharton experience and complements Wharton's lecture based coursework with hands on, practical leadership lessons.

So it was with great interest and high expectations that I read this book. The authors delivered: the lessons they pass on are commonsense, easy to understand and insightful. I really feel for once that I have a set of tangible lessons learned that I can apply in my organization. I work in an acquisitions group for an Fortune 500 services company and the skills and case studies that are highlighted in the book have impacted the way I evaluate both our competition and potential acquisition targets. I have recommended the book to my peers and direct reports, and I highly recommend it to all.

I run an up-and-coming wireless company in, what the authors refer to as "a rapidly evolving market" and, as promised, this book has armed me with a framework to deal with change and uncertainty. It has also served as a great vehicle to channel the ideas and insights of my employees.

I highly recommend it to small business owners and employees who will find it both educational and inspiring. It is practical, to the point, and comprehensive. I found numerous great ideas on strategy, the implementation of strategy, and how to lead people to get the most from them.

I only wish that I had found this book sooner.

This book is an interesting and well written analysis of how to apply maneuver warfare to a commercial business. The authors prove their analysis by illustrating the similarities between military and competitive business environments.

First, this book is an easy read. It is approximately 181 pages long and broken into easily digested parts. Seven of the thirteen chapters focus exclusively on each of the principles of maneuver warfare. Generally speaking, all the chapters follow a similar format. The authors will make a point and follow it up with an example from military history. They then provide an example from the commercial world. Each of these examples is followed by a brief analysis of the principle in discussion. The reader is then given a general analysis that cuts across both the military and business examples. Finally, each chapter ends with a discussion of how the Marine Corps applies and/or views this principle. The advantage of this format is that the reader knows what to expect. The book finishes with a discussion on leadership, the glue that holds the maneuver warfare principles together.

There is nothing new in this book. All of these principles can be found in other management and leadership teaching aids. This book's true value is the clear, concise, and easy format in which it is written. The true standard for good writing is the ability to clearly convey a point to the reader. This book meets that standard. It has valuable lessons for managers in all organizations, be they military, civilian-government, commercial, or non-profit. Anyone in a leadership position would find their time well spent in reading this book.

This is a marvelous book. 46 case studies are woven into the book to illustrate the seven principles of the Maneuver Warfare. Creatively and convincingly, the authors show how these seven principles are also keys to the success of business. I find a rare combination of theoretical elegance and managerial relevance.

The book is extremely readable. I do not know much about warfare, but thanks to the authors' great work, the seven principles are clearly defined and explained, and I can appreciate their applications in business immediately through the cases that follow up.

I would recommend the book to anyone who has interest in business strategy and management.

Having read many other of the "military strategy applied to business" books, I can tell you that this one is by far the best. The strategies are well-defined and the business examples have enough depth to really be understood and applied. The military comparisons are thorough and lucid enough to derive the point and meaning of each example and strategy employed.

Overall, the book is very pragmatic and makes the application of these principles to any organization (or some even to one's personal life) very easy. If you are deciding on a book to read in order to enhance your thinking on business strategy and leadership, you should strongly consider this one!

I've read three other business books invoking the Marine Corps analogy and this one is the best. What sets it apart is an understanding that a biz book need not be boring to impart lessons. The case studies are tight, exciting, and relevant...bouncing between the camouflage and the suits without getting bogged down in banal MBA lessons. Look, this is a fun, fast, and lean read that managers and wannabes will eat up.

As a former Marine Corps officer, I applaud the authors for their superior characterization of maneuver warfare and USMC leadership philosophy. As a brand manager for a leading marketer of retail food products, I was equally impressed with their ability to translate these lessons into "business-ese" that everyone can understand and appreciate. I have read many military-to-business books, and this one does by far the best job on the business side of the equation - primarily because there are twenty or so business case studies to illustrate the main points.

The authors talk at length about "breakthrough" results, and I think this book is particularly effective because they have translated "best practices" from one environment - military - to another - business. Normally, business books simply take lessons from one successful company and generalize them. While I believe this approach to be effective in stimulating incremental ideas, it does not lead to breakthroughs.

The value of this book should not be underestimated - the authors' USMC leadership experience yields unique, powerful insight while their business acumen facilitates the articulation of these ideas for practical application. A must read!

The authors do a tremendous job breaking down Marine Corps warfighting philosophy into a practical, understandable framework. Very interesting mix of military and business examples and research into modern Marine leadership practices. A must read for any business manager who wants to outpace the competition.

The book closes with one of the best chapters on leadership I have ever read. Explains the Marines' recruit-train-mentor model, and distills Marine leadership into three pillars. Also features an interesting interview with Fred Smith.

Highly recommended!!

I've been waiting a long time for a book on maneuver warfare in business, and this one did not let me down. Great combination of military history lessons and business cases. I could not put it down!

This book was reminiscent of Good To Great - very tangible, quick reading examples of successful companies. But this book is unique in that it includes lessons from military history, covering a span of time from Agincourt to World War I through Desert Storm. I found the mix of military and business cases fascinating. The authors did a great job finding examples that were closely related, and explaining the commonalities and differences between the examples. Unlike most military to business books, this one offered a very, understandable real bridge between military and business.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter on leadership. There are leadership lessons throughout the book, but the closing chapter does a great job explaining how to apply Marine Corps leadership philosophy to your business.

I think this will be a classic - very timely and great read for any manager or decision-maker.

You might expect a book that draws on the business-military parallel to focus almost exclusively on leadership. Actually, though it does cover leadership, this book is fascinating for its lessons on how to apply military tactics on the modern corporate battlefield. The authors cut through the testosterone-laced fog of war by applying a reasoned, analytical, strategic approach to conflict, whether in business or on the field of combat. They take an in-depth look at the principles that guide the Marines, such as maneuver warfare, and explain how to utilize those principles in business. They also provide many practical Marine Corps ideas for making your organization more competitive and profitable. This well-written book also offers case studies for insight and practical application, so you can directly benefit from the role model offered. We highly recommend this volume to those bold enough to lead their organizations to a successful, "mission accomplished."