French philosopher Michel Foucault (the Financial Times of London called me the Michel Foucault of business): “In my folly I show how mad reason itself is.”
The “Paradox of Control,” per psychologist Michael Popkin: “The more you try to control a teen the less you can influence that teen. … Control eventually leads to resistance, and resistance to rebellion.” (Hint: holds for adults in organizations. Right?)
Victory does not always go to the biggest, even in life and death matters like war. Here’s a sample of little guys who beat big guys: Arabs beat Persia, Byzantine Empire, etc. (633-732); Mongols beat China, Russia, Moslems, etc. (1211-1260); American colonists beat Great Britain (1775-1781); Germany beats France and England (1940); Israel beats Arab states (1948-1973); Algeria beats France (1954-1961); Vietnam beats the United States (1958-1975); Afghanistan beats the USSR (1980-1989); Chad beats Libya (1987). Source: Certain to Win: The Strategy of John Boyd Applied to Business, by Chet Richards.
Politics rules, and boys-will-be-boys … even in wartime. These, from David Irving’s The War Between the Generals (on tension among the Allies in World War II): “A man of great mediocrity”—General George Patton on General Omar Bradley. “A third-rate general”—General Omar Bradley on Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. “If you want to end the war in any reasonable time, you will have to remove Ike”—Montgomery on General Dwight Eisenhower. “One thing that might win this war is to get someone to shoot King”—Eisenhower on Fleet Admiral Ernest King. “Eisenhower, though supposed to be running the land battle, is on the golf links at Rheims”—Sir Alan Brooke on Eisenhower. “If the unhelpful British attitude continues, then I shall go home.”—Eisenhower.