Thirty years from now, when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks you, “What did you do in the great World War II,” you won’t have to say, “Well… I shoveled shit in Louisiana.”
Morning,
Man I love this movie. Like Star Wars and Fight Club, I can quote these movies all day and everyday.
Sometimes when I sit back and enjoy a good flick I discover a great subtle nugget or two and when I watched Patton for the um-teeth time there was one that EVERY entrepreneur needs to hear.
The movie Patton. General Patton makes good use of being massively prepared to take on Rommel and the Afrikan Corps. The situation is freaking bleak because Patton has to take over a unit of muskrats and shape them in to a lean mean fighting machine and he only has a short amount of time to do it.
And to add more fuel to the fire, Patton is going up against a cracked seasoned General. A general that top historians say is the greatest General of all time, The Desert Fox himself Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel.
Everybody is tense. Patton has orders to beat Rommel or else they lose Afrika.
The Second Army Tank Corp is full of undisciplined officers, and lazy soldiers who no longer are motivated to fight and win.
AND
The Second Tank Corp took a huge beating leaving them battered, beaten and shaken of their confidence.
Yep. Things ain’t rosy in the dessert and Patton has to shape the unit up in ten days to fight Rommel at El Guettar.
So Patton goes into raging bull mode and begins to break his foot in his officers and soldiers ass to get them to shape up. And the HATE him for it.
The day to finally punch the clock and meet Rommels tanks division on the field of battle and Patton(the underdog) beats him!
As Rommel leaves the battlefield Patton screams, I read your book Rommel.
Why did Patton win? How did he win? What where his keys to victory on the battlefield?
Massive preparation!
Patton didn’t go into battle without knowing who his enemy was. Sun Tzu said knew this better than anyone.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
But before the war even began Patton took another step to prepare for war.
When he got promoted and ever the being the man to never be complacent and be “basic” got his pilots license, flew over his tanks and came up with ways mobilize his tank division quicker and efficient.
Preparation is KEY.
Preparation is key for negotiating, closing sales and even WRITING COPY.
Go fourth and be magnificent.