BRILLIANT MANOEUVRES

BUSINESS IS WAR IS MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER METAPHOR

Business executives and entrepreneurs often see themselves as warriors or generals, fighting off competitors, conquering markets, creating bridgeheads, and defending their turf. Business people definitely have a hunger for military wisdom.

RICHARD MARTIN

Brilliant Manoeuvres How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles is for executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to create and sustain competitive advantage and to lead their teams in the face of determined competition and rivalry. It brings to the world of business the most important principles of military strategy, operational art, tactics, and leadership. Richard Martin uses his military and business experience to help businesses thrive and grow by exploiting change, maximizing opportunity, and minimizing risk. He served as an infantry officer in the Canadian Army for over 21 years, and developed the strategic and decision-making skills that have made him a highly sought after business consultant. Among his clients are major corporations, the federal government, municipal governments, and many non-profits. Richard also teaches project management and strategic management at University of Quebec. With the release of this book, business leaders will finally have a practical guide to how military leaders and planners actually think and operate. It will translate this into terms that business leaders can readily apply to their own reality so they can thrive and grow.

About the Author

Richard Martin is founder and president of Alcera Consulting Inc. Prior to launching his consulting business, Richard attended the prestigious Collge militaire royal de Saint-Jean as an officer cadet and then served for 21 years as an infantry officer in the Canadian Army, including operational tours in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. He is the only member of Alan Weisss Million Dollar Consulting Mentoring Hall of Fame with extensive military experience. His list of major clients includes Empire Life Insurance, RBC Asset Management, JPdL Multi-management, Mutuelle des municipalits du Qubec, Ottawa Police Service, Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, Environment Canada, Canadian Department of National Defence, and the City of Kingston Ontario.

RICHARD MARTIN
SPEAKING TOPICS
Follow Me! The Ten Principles of Front-Line Leadership
Using examples from his military experience and consulting practice, Richard shows how business leaders can use these same principles to influence and lead their teams in the face of hardship and competition.

Our Best Laid Plans: Why they Fail and What to Do About It
Richard explains why plans go awry and provides proven military strategies to overcome these obstacles to immediately make your business more resilient and robust.

Implementing Strategy
Richard describes the techniques that military forces use to turn strategies into action by harnessing the initiative and native abilities of everyone in the organization.

The Art of Manoeuvre

Richard shows the two key ways military forces manoeuvre on the battlefield and how the same principles can be applied to overcome competitors strengths. *Each speech will last about 25 minutes followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. *Richard is waiving his normal speaking fees on the basis that fees are being charged for lunch/dinner by organizers where adding the book to the overall fee can be discussed. If not, then Richard will offer his book at a special price to those in attendance. This waiver does not apply to corporate and association events such as major conferences. Richard is open to discussing the latter opportunities upon request. *Richard is available for these speeches from October 2012 to June 2013.

Brilliant Manoeuvres
By Richard Martin
$34.95 Hardcover
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 1. How Can Military Wisdom Apply to Business? War and business are both highly competitive endeavours requiring resolve, resilience, cunning, and leadership under conditions of extreme risk and uncertainty. 2. OffenceSeizing and Maintaining the Initiative You can only win through sustained offensive action, which requires seizing and maintaining the initiative. 3. DefenceSecuring Position and Regaining the Initiative Defence is not decisive but it is sometimes needed to consolidate gains and buy time before going back on the offensive. 4. Selection and Maintenance of the AimThe Principle of the Objective Selection and maintenance of the aim is the master principle of war (and business) because it aligns everyone in the organization to a clear and overarching purpose. 5. You Cant Be Everywhere at OnceExploiting Limited Resources The art of juggling always-limited resources so they can be concentrated at the right time and place to achieve the biggest bang for the buck. 6. No Plan Survives Contact with the EnemyPlanning, Friction, and the Fog of War The best-laid plans always go awry, and what to do about it. 7. Is Military Intelligence Really an Oxymoron? The objective isnt to know everything, as that is impossible, but to know more than your competitors and opponents. 8. Bucks, Bullets and Bully BeefLogistics and the Sinews of War Logistics is the technique of rational calculation, and it should be applied to all aspects of business, not just transportation and warehousing. 9. The Moral is to the Physical as Three Is to OneMorale, Cohesion and the Motivation to Perform The real test of morale is adversity. It is based on cohesion and unity and is the main contributor to individual and team motivation. 10. Follow Me! The Art of Leadership Competence is the heart of leadership. It can be learned, evaluated, and honed through the consistent application of time-tested principles of military leadership. Conclusion