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Book review: Margin of Victory, Douglas Macgregor
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#Douglas #Macgregor’s #Margin of #Victory (MoV) has two great features. One, it is great read for military history enthusiasts, and two, it is a must-read for senior executives, consultants, strategists and strategic advisors.
The author’s reputation is reason enough to get the book. Macgregor was a commander at the last major tank battle in the 20th century, unrivaled maverick at the National Training Center, and author and thinker whose published work was mandatory reading for senior military leaders. You probably know him best from his appearances on the number one primetime Fox News show, Tucker Carlson Tonight. The retired colonel regularly gives the American people a realistic look into our military, foreign policy, and senior leadership that only a rare few, brave provide. His reputation as a disrupter and status-quo breaker has made him a hot commodity is providing insights about the Russian-Ukrainian war, which have largely been proven true despite the onslaught of mainstream media reports.
The book is a call for current decision-makers to prepare our nation for future conflicts.
“Margin of Victory is about avoiding hell. The battles and wars described in this volume were chosen with that view in mind. Americans can cultivate a new twenty-first-century margin of victory and avoid the hell that consumed untold millions in the last century. Each chapter is a clarion call for the United States to recognize that wars are decided in the decades before they begin, not by the sudden appearance of a new, technological "silver bullet" or the presence of a few strong personalities in the senior ranks during a single battle? How effectively national political and military leaders adjust the framework of organization, technology, and human capital to relentless change in society, technology, and world affairs determines whether the nation-state prevails or perishes in defeat.”
What’s the value of MoV? In my estimation, it is two-fold.
One, the book is not a traditional military history one, laden with personal stories or small unit narratives. Rather, it provides a strategic, holistic view. Five major battles throughout the 20th century are tied together. “The battle described in each chapter,” Macgregor writes, “is a tale of how strategy, technology, and military organization continually interact with each other in the broader context of national culture, history, and human capital to produce success or failure…”
Two, the book’s emphasis on time and the development of militaries prior to war as the critical element in being able to fight and win conflicts. This element of continual personal and organizational development, along with constant process improvement, are very true in the private sector. But to develop requires adaptability to change. Macgregor shows that leaders that don’t enable their organizations to change ultimately suffer. In times of war, the results can be great.
“Change inside military establishments before and during war is always painful because adjustments to warfighting organizations and modernization threaten more people and institutions than we can count. Inevitably, in this struggle for badly needed changes in thinking, organization, structure, technology, and leadership, the enemy is not external. The enemy is us.”
Finally, let me say that despite the work being very scholarly, the writing is crisp, clean, and clear. Rarely does one have to re-read a sentence or section to understand what is tried be to said. I think that is a tribute to this book given the technical jargon associated with military matters.
If you are interested in learning military history from a scholar and a disruptor, then MoV will be a fun read. If you are interested in upping your game as a professional, then MoV should be mandatory. You won’t regret it.
Douglas Macgregor books:
- Margin of Victory: Five Battles that Changed the Face of Modern War
- Warrior's Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting
- Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights
- Breaking the Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century
Other Black Market Leadership podcast videos:
Michael Scheuer Black Market Leadership podcast segments:
Carol Roth (Fox Business, Investor, NYT Best-selling author) Black Market Leadership podcast segments:
Major segments:
The author’s reputation is reason enough to get the book. Macgregor was a commander at the last major tank battle in the 20th century, unrivaled maverick at the National Training Center, and author and thinker whose published work was mandatory reading for senior military leaders. You probably know him best from his appearances on the number one primetime Fox News show, Tucker Carlson Tonight. The retired colonel regularly gives the American people a realistic look into our military, foreign policy, and senior leadership that only a rare few, brave provide. His reputation as a disrupter and status-quo breaker has made him a hot commodity is providing insights about the Russian-Ukrainian war, which have largely been proven true despite the onslaught of mainstream media reports.
The book is a call for current decision-makers to prepare our nation for future conflicts.
“Margin of Victory is about avoiding hell. The battles and wars described in this volume were chosen with that view in mind. Americans can cultivate a new twenty-first-century margin of victory and avoid the hell that consumed untold millions in the last century. Each chapter is a clarion call for the United States to recognize that wars are decided in the decades before they begin, not by the sudden appearance of a new, technological "silver bullet" or the presence of a few strong personalities in the senior ranks during a single battle? How effectively national political and military leaders adjust the framework of organization, technology, and human capital to relentless change in society, technology, and world affairs determines whether the nation-state prevails or perishes in defeat.”
What’s the value of MoV? In my estimation, it is two-fold.
One, the book is not a traditional military history one, laden with personal stories or small unit narratives. Rather, it provides a strategic, holistic view. Five major battles throughout the 20th century are tied together. “The battle described in each chapter,” Macgregor writes, “is a tale of how strategy, technology, and military organization continually interact with each other in the broader context of national culture, history, and human capital to produce success or failure…”
Two, the book’s emphasis on time and the development of militaries prior to war as the critical element in being able to fight and win conflicts. This element of continual personal and organizational development, along with constant process improvement, are very true in the private sector. But to develop requires adaptability to change. Macgregor shows that leaders that don’t enable their organizations to change ultimately suffer. In times of war, the results can be great.
“Change inside military establishments before and during war is always painful because adjustments to warfighting organizations and modernization threaten more people and institutions than we can count. Inevitably, in this struggle for badly needed changes in thinking, organization, structure, technology, and leadership, the enemy is not external. The enemy is us.”
Finally, let me say that despite the work being very scholarly, the writing is crisp, clean, and clear. Rarely does one have to re-read a sentence or section to understand what is tried be to said. I think that is a tribute to this book given the technical jargon associated with military matters.
If you are interested in learning military history from a scholar and a disruptor, then MoV will be a fun read. If you are interested in upping your game as a professional, then MoV should be mandatory. You won’t regret it.
Douglas Macgregor books:
- Margin of Victory: Five Battles that Changed the Face of Modern War
- Warrior's Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting
- Transformation Under Fire: Revolutionizing How America Fights
- Breaking the Phalanx: A New Design for Landpower in the 21st Century
Other Black Market Leadership podcast videos:
Michael Scheuer Black Market Leadership podcast segments:
Carol Roth (Fox Business, Investor, NYT Best-selling author) Black Market Leadership podcast segments:
Major segments:
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