So how do we get better at strategy?<\/p>\n Well, we could do a lot worse than studying Napoleon. Yeah, the hand-in-jacket guy. Most people hear the name and just think \u201cshort\u201d and \u201cFrench,\u201d which is ironic because both of those things are wrong. He was average height for the time and he wasn\u2019t even ethnically French. He was Italian, from Corsica.<\/p>\n By age 24 he was a brigadier general. He was running France by 30. And at 35 he became Emperor, literally taking the crown and putting it on his own head<\/em>, right in front of the Pope. It\u2019s pretty much history\u2019s most memorable \u201cyou know what, I\u2019ve got it\u201d moment.<\/p>\n Incredibly, it took him just nineteen years to go from junior artillery officer to Emperor. (Meanwhile, it takes me two years to cancel a subscription.)<\/p>\n Historian Andrew Roberts<\/a> says Napoleon\u2019s record was just 7 losses out of 60 battles. Pretty impressive in almost any arena.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but he still lost in the end! Waterloo!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Actually, that just proves my point. Napoleon had a set of principles about war. When he obeyed them, he kicked ass. When he didn\u2019t, well\u2026 oops<\/em>. So his maxims on strategy are actually demonstrated in both directions.<\/p>\n That said, your daily life isn\u2019t the Battle of Austerlitz. The guy taking his sweet time at the self-checkout isn\u2019t \u201cdisrupting your supply lines.\u201d But the ideas underlying Napoleon\u2019s maxims can help us more than we think in our minor everyday conflicts.<\/p>\n This time we\u2019ll be looking at \u201cThe Military Maxims of Napoleon<\/a>,\u201d with a little help from \u201cNapoleon: A Life<\/a>\u201d by Andrew Roberts.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get to it\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Napoleon<\/a>: \u201cA general-in-chief should ask himself frequently in the day, What should I do if the enemy\u2019s army appeared now in my front, or on my right, or on my left? If he have any difficulty in answering these questions he is ill posted, and should seek to remedy it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIll-posted\u201d is an old military term meaning your forces aren\u2019t in a position to effectively respond to a threat.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, he means I should have a plan.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Nope. Planning is good, sure. But you can never predict the future. Being \u201cwell-posted\u201d means that if reality looks at your plans and says \u201cnope,\u201d you still have options.<\/p>\n If my plan for dealing with a burglary is to grab my Louisville Slugger and call the cops, but my phone is in the basement and I don\u2019t own a Louisville Slugger, I have a plan but I\u2019m ill-posted.<\/p>\n For the record, fellow dead strategist Sun Tzu<\/a> agrees: \u201cThe art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy\u2019s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So routinely do a \u201cNapoleon Check.\u201d Ask yourself, \u201cIf the most likely problem happened right now, what would I do?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n If a good answer comes quickly, you\u2019re probably fine. If your brain sputters, well, you\u2019ve found an exposed flank.<\/p>\n If a problem people in your situation commonly face requires information you lack, connections you never made, or cash you don\u2019t have, you\u2019re ill-posted.<\/p>\n (To learn more about handling conflict from history\u2019s greatest strategist, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So you\u2019re prepared. But how do you deal with the enemy\u2019s preparations?<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Napoleon<\/a>: \u201cIt is an approved maxim in war, never to do what the enemy wishes you to do, for this reason alone, that he desires it\u2026 never to attack a position in front which you can gain by turning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Modern equivalent? Admiral Ackbar\u2019s been yelling \u201cIT\u2019S A TRAP!\u201d since 1983.<\/p>\n In a zero-sum situation, what\u2019s good for them is bad for you. The fact that they offered it tells you all you need to know. If you approach the fight as is, you\u2019re not merely fighting them; you\u2019re fighting all the preparation that they put into speeding you to your demise.<\/p>\n Again, Sun Tzu<\/a> agrees: \u201cThe clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy\u2019s will to be imposed on him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Ask yourself, \u201cWho benefits if I react in the most predictable way?\u201d<\/em> Because the most predictable response will be the one their setup is built to crush.<\/p>\n Military historian Liddell Hart<\/a> looked at 280 campaigns from 30 wars and realized a direct approach was a wonderful way to turn soldiers into statistics. Doing the predictable thing that the other side prepared for was effective only 6 times out of 280.<\/p>\n So Napoleon says: change the game. Shift the point of attack or the timing. Refuse to play it their way. David didn\u2019t accept the face-to-face sword fight Goliath probably expected. Instead, he introduced the giant to long-distance geology and we all know how that went.<\/p>\n Same move works off the battlefield. If the other side wants a screaming match, shift to calm logic and facts. If their negotiator wants to haggle, focus on overall deal value or an ongoing relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cGotcha. If they want me to do something, I\u2019ll just do the exact opposite.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n No. Bad. Stop. You don\u2019t want to do what they\u2019ve prepared for, but if you do the opposite, they\u2019re still in charge. Do what is unexpected but optimal for you. Otherwise, they just need to use reverse psychology:<\/p>\n Mom: Don\u2019t eat those vegetables.<\/p>\n Child: YOU CAN\u2019T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! (begins chewing asparagus)<\/p>\n Mom: Don\u2019t clean your room either.<\/p>\n (To learn more about business strategy, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So you\u2019re not doing what the enemy wants. Good. But what should<\/em> you do? Well, try talking to a lot more janitors and secretaries\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Napoleon<\/a>: \u201cTo provide guides that may be depended upon. To interrogate the cur\u00e9 and postmaster. To establish rapidly a good understanding with the inhabitants\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Why the heck does Napoleon want you to talk to the postmaster?<\/p>\n \u201cThe map is not the territory.\u201d Yeah, it\u2019s a clich\u00e9 but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s bad advice. Find the people closest to reality and get the details from them on how things actually work before making big decisions.<\/p>\n Trying to get the scoop on an area you\u2019re unfamiliar with by looking at the public narrative is like thinking you can understand somebody\u2019s marriage by looking at the wedding announcement. That frilly letter doesn\u2019t tell you that the groom\u2019s mom sees her future daughter-in-law as a pole dancer with a law degree, or that the best man is in love with both of them.<\/p>\n Does Sun Tzu agree? Of course Sun Tzu<\/a> agrees: \u201c\u2026unless you can employ local scouts, you cannot turn the terrain to your advantage.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Every organization has two maps. The formal, public map shows how stuff is supposed<\/em> to function. The informal map is\u2026<\/p>\n Linda. The receptionist. Or Gary in IT. The people who see how stuff really gets done and who is really in charge.<\/p>\n Ignore the mission statement. Find the Linda who has been there through five reorgs.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t read the job description if you can talk to the HR assistant instead. They can tell you the magic words on a resume that get names on the \u201cschedule interview\u201d list.<\/p>\n Are you going to learn more from the apartment listing or from talking to the maintenance guy who knows which unit is right next to the noisy air-conditioning system?<\/p>\n (To learn more about strategy from Sun Tzu, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So you\u2019ve got the info you need and you\u2019ve avoided the enemy\u2019s trap. Cool. But how do you set a trap of your own?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Napoleon<\/a> again: \u201c\u2026even in offensive warfare in the open field the great secret consists in defensive combats, and in obliging the enemy to attack.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Choose the location and timing of the fight and then force them to come to you.<\/p>\n \u201cBut how do I do that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Threaten a spot they cannot afford to ignore so they have to leave their safe cubbyhole and come at you. In the expected way. That you have prepared for.<\/p>\n Of course, do not, under any circumstances, arrange a fair fight. As the old saying goes, \u201cIf you find yourself in a fair fight, you have not planned your mission properly.\u201d<\/p>\n Yeah, yeah, you know\u2026 Sun Tzu<\/a> agrees: \u201cWhoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Since you aren\u2019t planning an invasion of the Whole Foods on 5th Street:<\/p>\n (To learn the 9 secrets that will make you an expert negotiator, click here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n So the battle is underway. But what if the enemy vastly outnumbers you? Don\u2019t sweat it. That\u2019s not the thing you should be counting anyway\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Napoleon<\/a> says: \u201cWhen two armies are in order of battle, and one has to retire over a bridge, while the other has the circumference of the circle open, all the advantages are in favour of the latter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Does he mention how big the respective armies are? Nope. How skilled they are? Nah. Who has better cannons? Uh-uh.<\/p>\n He says better exits mean \u201call the advantages.\u201d<\/p>\n Too often we\u2019re impressed with big titles, money, head count, or market share. But we don\u2019t spend enough time asking, \u201cWho can walk away? Who can just wait?<\/em>\u201d A powerful person with no good options is not a powerful person.<\/p>\n And Sun Tzu<\/a> isn\u2019t just agreeing with this one; he\u2019s hopping up and down. He\u2019s twerking to the beat. You could make an argument that The Art of War<\/em><\/a> is a book about exits. Again and again, Sunny is describing battlefields by how easy they are to leave<\/em>. He even has names for them. Hemmed-in ground is when you can only escape by using \u201ctortuous paths.\u201d<\/p>\n And \u201cdesperate ground\u201d is when there are no exits at all. You do not want to be there. (Interestingly, desperate ground is so dangerous you don\u2019t want your enemy on it either<\/em>. It only gives them a single option: fight as hard as possible. You just converted an easy victory into the third act of a John Wick movie.)<\/p>\n Going back to the 1960s, social scientists literally defined power<\/a> in terms of alternatives. A related idea was later formalized into BATNA (\u201cbest alternative to a negotiated agreement\u201d) by Fisher and Ury.<\/a>\u00a0Your BATNA is what you\u2019re gonna do if the negotiation collapses. \u201cWell, if I don\u2019t get an offer, I\u2019ll explore my options.\u201d Does that sound like a BATNA? That sounds like what people mumble before moving back in with mom.<\/p>\n![\"how-to-be-strategic\"](\"https:\/\/bakadesuyo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/how-to-be-strategic.jpeg\" "\\"how-to-be-strategic\\"")
We don\u2019t think about it much, but a surprising amount of life involves strategy. Career goals. Negotiating salary and major purchases. And the near-constant attempts at persuading others that we engage in every day.<\/p>\n1) What If The Enemy Attacked Right Now?<\/h2>\n
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2) Never Do What The Enemy Wants<\/h2>\n
3) Reconnaissance Means Local Human Knowledge<\/h2>\n
4) The Great Secret Of Offense Is Defense<\/h2>\n
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5) Strengthen Your Best Exit<\/h2>\n