A successful entrepreneur and I recently discussed how companies need to make things happen. He conveyed that they just need to get the job done, be on the look-out for risk, and watch for opportunity. We must do all of this to grow, and we must do all of this to stay alive. As he ended his thoughts, he stopped and said slowly, deliberately, “Business is war.”
I wrote those three words in my notes.
It is said there is a limit to every metaphor or analogy. It is true here, as certainly I hope there is no killing in the business world. Hopefully, there are no weapons. Having grown up in a civil war and acknowledging all the wars currently in progress worldwide, I don’t want to throw the term around lightly. It’s just that too often, I notice organizational leaders becoming too relaxed. Running an organization and leading a business, is risky. We must go to war and win!
And so, the question arises: How does one prosecute a war? And it is a war, not a battle. A war has many battles, and in our metaphor that “business is war,” we must have a long-term vision of our available resources for the whole war, not just the current battle. If we are not watchful during the current battle, we will lose and not get to fight future battles.
How does one war in business? We fight a war with the weapons we have and know how to use. For me, it’s strategy. I am strategic. I like to think, dream, and come up with solutions. I am less tactical in the sense that I act and react and position and reposition quickly. I need people around me to help me with that. Another of my tools is my belief in people, so I like to scale a mountain with people I trust and believe in. I am a risk-taker. I believe in God and know that He guides. These are my tools of war. My tools may not be full of bluster and noise as some leaders’ are, but they are effective when they complement the tools of those around me.
If you want to be in business, particularly in the business of leadership, you must remember that it is war. It is risky at its best, and at its worst, it can be fatal if you neglect care and diligence.
Business is war. Let’s go to battle. May we ever fight under the banner of our Savior: for Him, through Him, and with Him.
