Never Outmatched

"Carl von Clausewitz's strategy of force multiplication was the first one that I started introducing. My team did not need to read his treatise On War; they quickly seized on my adaptation of it to marketing, and it became the common theme in our early approaches to building marketing dominance for Foundations Recovery Network. We were not just jumping from trend to trend or tactic to tactic; the team now had language around a powerful strategy."

"What does the military do that other institutions or principals don't? I love this question! Probably because I like to point out a rather uncommon answer. The military relies on young leaders. The young officers and noncommissioned officers are doing the heavy lifting, the daily training, and executing of the commander's intent. In business, we hamstring and interfere with our young leaders."

Military strategists and historical campaigns offer applicable principles for modern marketing. Military history and personal military experience informed the translation of military strategy into marketing mental models, creating a shared language and strategic clarity. Carl von Clausewitz's force multiplication was adapted as a central marketing strategy that focused teams on strategic dominance rather than chasing tactics. The military model emphasizes empowering young leaders who execute commander's intent through daily training and initiative. Senior business leaders should articulate clear intent, set budgets and governance, hire and train capable teams, document and acknowledge progress, and allow young leaders room to innovate and act.

Read at Psychology Today