
Hope is Not a Method
A lesson from one of the greatest tactical failures in history.
Exactly 100 years ago, Europe was at a crossroads.
WWI raged for four bloody years. Millions of men were dead. Hundreds of towns were shelled into oblivion. Germany’s economy was in tatters.
Desperate to end the war before American troops and trucks arrived in Europe, Germany launched The Summer Offensive.
The Germans rapidly advanced into enemy territory, inflicting heavy casualties.
It delivered a number of tactical victories against the British and French and could have resulted in a very different outcome of the war.
They kept up the momentum as long as they could, but failed to divide the Allies and force a negotiated peace.
When the dust settled, German stormtroopers found themselves deep inside enemy territory without supplies or reinforcements. It wasn’t long before Allied counterattacks annihilated them.
Despite inflicted heavy casualties, the German army had lost 1 million men. Americans were sailing the Atlantic to help the Allies. No one was left to support Germany.
By Autumn, the German army had all but collapsed, leading to the Armistice of 1918 and the defeat of the German Empire.
In the summer of 1918, Germany had superior soldiers and equipment. On the face of it, they should have dramatically altered the outcome of the war.
What defeated Germany?
Indecision.
Lack of clearly defined objectives caused confusion among the troops and when the proverbial music stopped, they found themselves without a chair to sit in.
Hope Is Not A Plan
German leaders learned the hard way that hope by itself will never carry you to victory.
Achieving the life you want requires clear strategic vision and concrete objectives.
You will never get promoted based on hope; it takes merit and months of demonstrated hard work.
Clients don’t come calling because their hope alarms rang; you need to seek them out.
A new job doesn’t fall in our lap because we hope it’s offered; we need to prepare for what the role requires.
Effort Matters More than Anything
We need to make a plan and stick with it to accomplish anything meaningful in life.
If we don’t, we risk stretching ourselves too thin and when the decisive moment comes, we might not have what it takes to win the day.
Call to Action
Think of the most potentially-impactful goal you have right now. What concrete objectives are you working toward to make it happen?
Take time to develop a plan and stick to it.
Hope isn’t enough.
