Jason A. Santamaria is an independent business consultant and a former Marine Corps artillery officer, Morgan Stanley investment banker, McKinsey consultant, and J. William Fulbright scholar. Vincent Martino is a senior business analyst for Capital One Financial. He is a former Marine Corps communications officer and a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Eric K. Clemons is a Professor of Operations and Information Management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
The authors explain how the basic principles of The Marine Corps Way can help all other organizations train managers at all levels on how to apply the tactics and techniques of maneuver warfare to achieve overwhelming results in an increasingly competitive market environment. The material illustrates the power of maneuver warfare and explains how to apply it effectively. There are seven guiding principles: Targeting Critical Vulnerabilities, Boldness, Surprise, Focus, Decentralized Decision-making, Tempo, and Combined Arms. (Of course, most of these same principles were introduced more than 2,500 years ago by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. However, many readers may appreciate having the same principles examined within a contemporary frame-of-reference. As the authors explain, the US Marine Corps has three leadership “pillars”: setting an example (correct in all respects) for others to follow, taking care of those who are led, and fulfilling the leadership development of each and every member of the organization. The Marines effectively cultivate a sense of exclusively (i.e. “The Few”) and pride. Upon arrival for basic training, Marine recruits immediately realize that they will be held accountable to very high standards for conduct and performance and these standards are strictly enforced. Formal training and physical conditioning are intense. Every effort is made to get each recruit through to a satisfactory conclusion of boot camp but not every one does. To paraphrase, “Few are called and even fewer chosen.” In the business world, few organizations seem to achieve or at least sustain comparable morale, commitment, loyalty, and pride among those in their workforce. In this book and in Semper Fi co-authored by Dan Carrison and Rod Walsh, senior-level business executives will find a wealth of information and counsel revealed by The Marine Corps Way as well as specific “lessons” to be learned from it.
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