The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization

In this book we will use historical examples to present the intuitive, integrated approaches of master practitioners of maneuver warfare as a systematic set of problem-solving techniques that an aspiring practitioner can clearly understand. We will also draw on the modern-day practices of the Marine Corps to offer an accompanying set of enabling leadership prescriptions that an aspiring practitioner can easily apply.

We will begin by defining maneuver warfare, providing the context into which it fits and distilling it into seven guiding principles . We will follow with in-depth treatments of each of the principles that include numerous supporting examples and prescriptions from the Marines. We will also use selected counterexamples to illustrate the disastrous effects of the failure to employ certain principles. And we will include a handful of examples that illustrate the application of the principles in subsets or as an integrated whole. Collectively, the military history lessons and business case studies we offer are designed to mirror and complement one another, with numerous anecdotes added that will hopefully make this book not only engaging but also an enjoyable read.

The warfare examples we have selected come from all militaries and all countries , irrespective of political motivation. As students of military history, we recognize that strategic and tactical genius is not confined to the winning side or to the politically virtuous . We also realize our own limitations; as much as we would have liked to include accounts from Operation Iraqi Freedom, a pending print deadline and our deference to more qualified military historians kept us from attempting to interpret these most recent events ourselves .

The business examples we have selected come from a changing continuum where companies that succeed in one encounter find themselves thwarted in another. As students of business we recognize that few companies stay on top forever and that truly great organizations show resilience and adapt to constantly changing markets.

Finally, given the indispensable role that leadership plays in maneuver warfare, this book is not solely about strategy and tactics; it is about bridging the gap between grand strategy and operational implementation in your organization. We will, therefore, conclude with perhaps our most important message ”a thorough discussion of Marine Corps leadership as it pertains to the business environment.

Many of you may have worked for a company where trust is the exception rather than the rule, where ethics are a secondary consideration, where control is suffocating, where individuals look out for number one, and where overall performance is correspondingly uninspired. Alternatively, some of you may be fortunate enough to have been part of an organization where positive intent is assumed at all levels, integrity is both beyond reproach and infectious, self-starters are afforded the latitude they need to pursue emerging opportunities, co-workers look out for one another, and overall performance is correspondingly inspired. Applied in the business environment, the Marine Corps s three-pillared leadership philosophy promises to be a solution to the former and a catalyst for the latter.