10. Terrain
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When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; #
Wei Liao Tzu (ch. 4) says: "If the commander gives his orders with decision, the soldiers will not wait to hear them twice; if his moves are made without vacillation, the soldiers will not be in two minds about doing their duty." General Baden-Powell says, italicizing the words: "The secret of getting successful work out of your trained men lies in one nutshell—in the clearness of the instructions they receive."[3="Aids to Scouting," p. xii.] Cf. also Wu Tzu ch. 3: "the most fatal defect in a military leader is difference; the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation."
when there are no fixes duties assigned to officers and men, #
Tu Mu says: "Neither officers nor men have any regular routine."
and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter DISORGANIZATION. #
Comments (Leave a comment)
Jorgen Fors said:
Applying this passage to the general thinking used when planning e.g. a project makes sence: First you survey and measure "the ground" i.e the context of the project. Then you estimate, that is take educated guesses based on your surveys, to find out the numbers needed to do actual calculations. Then you calculate, based on your guesses. So, the first two terms would relate to evaluating the enemy, solely, while the third one deal with assessing what you've found in relation to your own army (or in the case of project management, your own assignment). #
Dec 19, 2007