Mercenaries & Soldiers

Two armies met in battle. The first was much larger, nearly double the size of their opponent. They wore red and were confident they would win the day.

Across the battlefield, a Commander stood in front of a much smaller force wearing blue, the color of his people. He watched as the enemy gathered — waves of troops approaching on the horizon. His Generals admonished him, “surely we cannot overcome such an enemy?”.

He ignored their worry, turning to his soldiers. He addressed them in a booming voice with a simple question — “one man fights for gold alone, the other for his very life. Tell me, which man will fight harder?” The field grew silent.

By nightfall, the armies in red were fleeing. The battle had been a rout. The smaller force had fought with rare intelligence, and passion. They had surprised with tactics at every turn. How had this small group of soldiers defeated the greatest mercenary army of all time?

Every company wants to fight with soldiers instead of mercenaries. They want people who are dedicated and passionate. Every soldier wants to fight for something they can believe in. They need companies who unlock their talents.

History teaches many lessons on how to find & develop soldiers while limiting the role of the mercenary.

Command Units

The Emperor of France was facing enemies from every part of Europe. In order to win against so many, he would need to maximize the skills of every soldier.

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the earliest military innovators in creating stand alone army units. Before his time, most armies were just large groups of people being bossed around by a single command structure. Napoleon knew that his French army could only succeed if it had the maneuverability and speed that separate units provide.

Each unit was given its own leader, who had the autonomy to make major decisions. The leader was given directives but also freedom. They would act as they thought best, with choices replacing direct orders. These leaders would become known as “Little Napoleons” as each were “Emperors” of their own domain.

We all wish for more autonomy or control over our works. Perhaps the best way to get people to buy in is to allow them to take command. Not small decisions with limited options but meaningful tactical decisions.

Many companies treat people like they are stupid. In fact, almost every person we meet is more intelligent than they let on. They are held back by restrictions and fear.

The boss who doesn’t let people make mistakes, makes it impossible for anyone to make great leaps. A classic self-fulfilling prophecy is at work; if you treat people like they are stupid, they will become just that.

Creating “Command Units” doesn’t mean giving away strategic power but rather tactical power. Giving soldiers a target location but allowing them to find the route.

Battle Proximity

A messenger comes rushing into camp. Orders have come in from headquarters a mile away — “charge the enemy position at 1400 hours from the right flank”. The men in the trenches sag their heads in despair. Thinking, “If only they knew”.

It’s been raining all night and the right flank is a mess of mud. The terrain is a disaster to attack, and without the benefit of speed, they will likely fail. The Generals in their tents don’t see this — on their maps the entire area is dry.

Napoleon Bonaparte was okay with giving away decision-making power because he understood the value of battle proximity. This concept means that a soldier who is actually fighting in the battle will have a better, and faster, understanding of the tactical situation. It is not only less accurate to make decisions from afar, it is often costly in time.

Commanders must decide on matters of positioning — but often times, their intel is sub par. The people on the front lines understand better than anyone the challenges they face. They must be heard.

The power is in giving people a voice. Soldiers want to be valued as a part of something great. When leaders are giving bad instructions without seeking “battle proximity” — trust breaks down. The soldier will either become a mercenary, fighting for pay alone, or she will move to a different army.

Sorting the Fruit

When large bushels of bananas are picked from the Isthmus of South America they must be carefully sorted. Some are nearly ripe, and must be sold in local markets. Others are firm and green — perfect for travel to your local grocery store.

The third type are ripe, and may be showing brown spots. These must be discarded right away. Just one ripe or rotting banana will spread, and quickly ruin the entire shipment of fruit.

The soldier plays to win. The mercenary plays politics. The solider seeks to join the success of the group. The mercenary seeks to not be blamed for any of it’s failures.

Like a disease, bad hiring is dangerous and potentially deadly. A bad hire means the person doesn’t do a great job, or cannot do the job at all. This is a problem, but maybe not biggest.

In psychology, we see how fragile the “group mind” can be. Every person brings their own mentality to the group. It becomes its own organism, strong or weak, based on the culmination of its parts.

The “Broken windows theory” gives us a clue towards how mercenaries can destroy an organization.

Imagine a game of tug-of-war between two companies. One large group against another. We are social creatures and when we see everyone pulling with herculean effort we naturally rise to the occasion.

If a few begin to lessen their grip, it demoralizes the entire group. People begin playing politics — making sure everyone thinks they are pulling harder than the person next to them.

Becoming concerned, many will give extra effort when the leader is watching. When we begin to focus on each other more than the competition we are yanked forward. The game is lost.

To save our soldiers, we have to be vigilant against mercenaries. One bad banana can poison ten good ones.

Defending the homeland

Most great armies reach their limit to conquest based not on their lack of strength but their lack of purpose. Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, and even the Mongols all saw their people lose faith when the mission become unclear. The conquests had lost meaning…beyond the vague idea of “more”.

The best fighting is done when defending something you believe in. The company that raises a flag emblazoned with their purpose will attract the best talent. Through history, many of the most valiant defenses have been of a people’s homeland.

The homeland matters to the soldier — it represents the purpose they are willing to fight for. A mercenary is only interested in the gold found safely along the way.

In 1941 Nazi Germany would invade Soviet Russia. Overcome with confidence, they saw the Russians as a laughable opponent. Hitler was quoted as saying, “You only have to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.” His prediction looked prescient in those early days of Operation Barbarossa.

The Russians were poorly organized and not enthusiastic about fighting for a government many despised. They would lose many miles of territory, and thousands of soldiers in those early days. Compared to Germany, they were outclassed in virtually every department; command, weapons, technology. The people of Russia looked finished.

On July 3rd of 1941 something remarkable happened; a radio broadcast, from a leader that most of the country distrusted. In one of the earliest uses of the radio, Joseph Stalin began speaking directly to his people.

In the weeks before, many Russians had heard rumors of Nazi cruelty. Now they heard their leader calling for them to “Defend the Motherland”. Stalin sounded defeated, like a man who was desperate for survival. His emotion captured the hearts of the people. They may not have been willing to fight for a man like Stalin but they would fight for “Mother Russia”.

The people of the U.S.S.R. had found a purpose in resisting an enemy who wanted to destroy both their history & future. Through the bloodiest fighting, in the worst conditions, they believed in their purpose. Over 20 million of their people, both civilians and soldiers, became causalities of this fight. The call to “defend the motherland” would drive the Nazi’s back to Berlin.

As Hitler was about to commit suicide in his bunker, I wonder if he pondered why these people were able to defeat him. Perhaps he realized the power of a single idea; fighting for a purpose bigger than yourself.