“No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”
- Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (1800 – 1891), Prussian Field Marshal
It’s a classic military theory, one that Patton, Grant, and dozens of other great military leaders used to defeat opponents who insisted on sticking to “the plan.” It also has a number of business and sales applications.
Helmuth’s theory is why “The Deck” is dead. Unless every slide in our PowerPoint leaves us tons of options, ramps, and room for interaction, we ought to lose the deck!
Unless our locked-down, buttoned-up plan has a better than 80% input factor from the Client, we ought to still be asking questions.
In business, there doesn’t have to be an enemy. Sure, there are competitors, yet we still should be seeking win-wins, so the “contact with the enemy” thing can be overblown in the business context.
However, in life, just as in war, there is an Enemy, who uses doubt, deception, and diversion to knock us off course and off our plan.
Unless our plan is His plan and steeped in love, joy, peace, and patience, the enemy’s first contact will set us back. The enemy will make sure we face delays, difficulties, and dead ends. If our plans leave us options, and we deploy relentless curiosity and focus on serving others, our plans will not only survive first contact with the enemy, they’ll bear the kind of fruit that makes a difference and leaves a legacy.
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