{"product_id":"victory-isbn-9780399183867","title":"Victory!","description":"By bestselling author Brian Tracy, a revised and updated edition of this indispensable field guide to using military strategies to win in business and life. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The modern world can be a battleground, but key strategies that have helped history's great leaders triumph in military campaigns can also be used to achieve business and personal success. Brian Tracy is a leading authority on success and achievement, authoring bestsellers including \u003ci\u003eEat That Frog!\u003c\/i\u003e, and raising millions toward advancement with his guidance. In this fully revised and updated edition of a classic, Tracy presents 12 core principles of successful military commanders and how to apply them in almost any situation and emerge victorious, including proven methods to:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e · Concentrate your strengths in the most effective way to reach your goals\u003cbr\u003e · Gather game-changing intelligence to determine the best approach\u003cbr\u003e · Decide when to go on the offensive vs. cover your bases\u003cbr\u003e · Exploit the element of surprise for maximum benefit\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Packed with Tracy's transformative advice, \u003ci\u003eVictory!\u003c\/i\u003e arms readers with powerful skills and a practical road map to unlock their potential for greatness in business and in life.\u003cb\u003eBRIAN TRACY \u003c\/b\u003eis one of the world's foremost authorities on success and achievement and the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eEat That Frog!, Goals!, Maximum Achievement\u003c\/i\u003e, and more than 70 other books, which have been translated into dozens of languages. The chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations, Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 businesses and has addressed over 5 million people in 5,000 talks and seminars he has given about personal and professional development topics throughout the U.S., Canada, and 70 other countries. He speaks to 250,000 people each year on subjects ranging from personal success and leadership to management, creativity, and sales. Tracy lives with his wife and four children and serves as president of three companies headquartered in Solana Beach, CA.Chapter One\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Principle of the Objective\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Clarity Is Essential\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e -Major General Carl von Clausewitz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In every war, every battle, every great human endeavor, there must      be clear, specific goals and objectives. Each person who is      responsible for a part of the result must know exactly what that      result is and how it is to be measured. The greater the degree of      clarity, the more likely it is that the goal will be achieved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Battle of Arbela\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On the first of October in 331 BC, a battle between the      well-rested, veteran troops of Alexander and the tired soldiers in      the army of the Persian king Darius III would decide the fate of      an empire. Alexander had allowed some of his scouts to be captured      and interrogated by the enemy. They told Darius III that Alexander      was planning a night attack. To guard against this, Darius kept      his entire army awake and in full battle formation all night. To      reinforce this perception, Alexander sent light skirmishing forces      in a series of quick attacks on the flanks of the Persian army,      darting in and out, throughout the night. But on the other side of      the Plain of Gaugamela, near the town of Arbela on the Tigris in      Assyria, the Macedonian army had retired early and slept well. The      fatigue of the Persians was, however, only one factor that      Alexander counted on for victory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Persian army definitely had the advantage. They greatly      outnumbered Alexander's army. From the numerous accounts of this      battle by ancient Greek historians, such as Arrian, and from      Plutarch's The Life of Alexander the Great, we know that the      strength of the Persian army was about two hundred thousand men.      Alexander had an army of less than fifty thousand infantry and      cavalry under his command. The Persians would only have to extend      their front and sweep around both flanks to crush the Macedonians      once and for all. Alexander had already defeated them in two      previous battles, and the Persians were eager for revenge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ready for Battle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When the sun rose on the Plain of Gaugamela, the entire Macedonian      army was drawn up at an oblique angle, with cavalry at either end      of the formation, and with the heavy infantry (the phalanx, the      shield bearers, and the hoplites) in formation in the center. As      always, Alexander rode his great black warhorse Bucephalus and      wore a shining, jewel-encrusted helmet above a flowing red cape so      that everyone in his army, and in the enemy army, could see him      clearly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Darius launched his assault on the outnumbered Macedonians by      sending forward his three hundred battle chariots with their      razor-like scythes spinning on the axles. Alexander had      anticipated this initial assault and immediately ordered his      javelin throwers forward to hurl wave after wave of deadly      accurate javelins into the oncoming horses and men. The chariots,      horses, and riders were torn to pieces by the oncoming missiles      and were quickly eliminated as an effective fighting force.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Meanwhile, the cavalry on either flank of Darius's army attacked      the right and left flanks of the Macedonians. A bitter fight      ensued. But the well-disciplined Macedonian center held firm and      began moving right, toward the left flank of the Persian army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An Opening in the Line\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As the Persian front shifted sideways to counter the movement of      the Macedonians, a hole opened up in the center of the Persian      line. Alexander, seeing his opportunity, gave a loud battle cry      and with his companion guard of elite cavalry pursued Darius      himself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alexander led the attack. His men, the finest fighting cavalry in      the world, hurtled after him. They carved through the front of the      Persian line like a knife through butter, heading directly toward      Darius's command post in the center of the army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alexander's objective was clear from the beginning. He knew that      the Persian army was made up of conscripted troops from all over      the Persian empire. They were not loyal to each other; they were      only loyal to Darius, the king. Alexander was certain that, if he      could kill Darius or drive him from the field, the remaining      troops would not stand and fight for each other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Attack the Linchpin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alexander's military philosophy was that the opposing general in      command was the linchpin that held the enemy army together. He      planned each battle to create an opportunity where he could launch      his elite cavalry, like a spear, at the enemy general in the      middle of the army. In every case, when the enemy general was      killed or fled, the rest of the army would lose its cohesion and      begin to disintegrate. Victory quickly followed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alexander and his elite cavalry formed a wedge that cut through      the front of the Persian army toward Darius. As Alexander      approached, the king lost his nerve, leaped on a horse, and fled      from the battlefield. His subordinate generals immediately jumped      on their horses and followed him. The word traveled like wildfire      throughout the Persian army: \"The Macedonians are in the center,      and Darius has fled. The battle must be lost. Run for it!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Leadership Is Essential\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Without leadership, the army started to come apart. There were two      more hours of bitter fighting, between the Persian and Macedonian      cavalry on the flanks and the Persian and Macedonian troops in the      center. But the Macedonians under Alexander prevailed. It was a      defeat, then a rout, then a slaughter. By the end of the day, the      Persians are believed to have lost about ninety thousand men. The      Macedonian dead numbered only about five hundred. This victory      made Alexander the master of Persia, at that time the greatest      empire in the world. He was twenty-five years old.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alexander was perhaps the greatest military commander in history,      a leader who was never defeated on the battlefield. One of the      reasons for his successes was his absolute clarity about the      objective to be achieved in each battle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Principle of the Objective\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Direct all efforts toward a clearly defined, decisive,        and attainable objective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The ultimate goal of war is the fulfillment of the policy for      which the war is being fought. The accomplishment of this goal      usually requires the defeat of the enemy's armed forces and of the      destruction of his means or will to resist. The principle of the      objective is applicable at all echelons. Goals of smaller units      are frequently altered in campaigns and wars, but seldom in the      midst of battle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Make It Clear and Simple\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When General Dwight D. Eisenhower was sent by General George C.      Marshall to take command of the Allied forces in London in World      War II, his orders and his objective were clear: \"Proceed to      London. Invade Europe. Defeat the Germans.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When General H. Norman Schwarzkopf was dispatched to command the      Allied forces against Iraq in the Gulf War in 1991, his orders      were also clear: \"Get the Iraqi army out of Kuwait.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The air forces that provided cover to the army in the Gulf had a      single objective with regard to the Iraqi air force: \"If it flies,      it dies.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In warfare, as in all areas of life, the objective must have five      qualities. It must be:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1.        Clear. The objective must be absolutely clear to all      those who are expected to be instrumental in attaining it. When      the goal is to seize a specific objective, each person responsible      must know what the objective is, where it is, and when it is to be      seized.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2.    Attainable. The objective should be realistic and within the      span of control of the unit to which it is assigned. The goal      should not require superhuman strengths or abilities, and it must      be attainable with the resources of the unit assigned to that      goal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 3.    Decisive. The objective must be significant and meaningful      and must make a worthwhile contribution to the achievement of      higher-order objectives. Lives should not be risked to attain an      objective that is not essential to the success of the overall      campaign.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 4.    Specific. The objective should be measurable; it should be      expressed in such a way that it is clear, even to a third party,      whether or not it has been accomplished or attained.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 5.    Time-bounded. There must be a specific deadline along with      timelines for the achievement of the objective. A specific date      and time must be given for the attainment of a clear, decisive,      and specific objective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Clear objectives, backed by detailed plans, vigorously executed      with boldness and persistence, lead to success time and time      again. Unclear or fuzzy objectives, often accompanied by confusing      or contradictory plans, lead to underachievement and defeat over      and over.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As I write this, some of the most controversial and contradictory      issues in American foreign policy have to do with the Iraq War,      the disagreements with Iran over their nuclear program, the rise      of ISIS, and the revolution and devastating civil war in Syria.      The confusion over goals and aims has led to widespread suffering,      a massive refugee crisis, and terrorist attacks in multiple      countries. Because there is no clarity or agreement about what is      to be done, and by whom, and when, and how, the situation seems      unresolvable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Principle of the Objective in Business\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The same principles that apply to the achievement of military      objectives also apply to the achievement of business goals in      competitive markets. You must know exactly how much of what      product or service is to be sold, by whom, at what price, to which      customer group, and how it is to be paid for, produced, and      delivered. In every case, the most important word is \"clarity.\"      The greater your clarity regarding exactly what it is you are      trying to accomplish, the greater the likelihood that you will      achieve your goals on schedule.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Strategic planning in warfare is analogous to strategic planning      in business and to personal strategic planning. Success in any      area of life is a direct result of knowing exactly what you want      and then determining the very best way to achieve it. When you      have a clear target to aim at, and you have carefully planned      every step of the way to your goal, you will accomplish vastly      more in a shorter period of time than if you started off without a      clear goal and plan. Almost everything we talk about in this book      can be used in every area of your life to increase your      effectiveness and to improve the quality and quantity of the      results that you accomplish.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Idealization\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Begin setting objectives for your business or your company's      business by projecting forward three to five years and imagining a      perfect future. Decide what is right before you decide what is      possible. If the business was perfect in every respect five years      from today, what would it look like?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Imagine that you could wave a magic wand and create the perfect      situation in every part of the company. Imagine that you have all      the money, manpower, and resources to do anything you want in your      organization. If the business was perfect in five years, what      would be its level of sales, profitability, and reputation in the      marketplace? How much would your company be earning, and what      would your personal income be?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e All business planning begins with an ideal vision of the future.      Clarifying and sharing this vision is a key responsibility of      leadership. As the Bible says, \"Where there is no vision, the      people perish.\" Where there is no vision in a company, people are      eventually reduced to simply going through the motions, operating      from day to day, with no idea of the kind of future they are      supposed to be creating.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Company Objectives\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The purpose of a business strategy is to provide a plan to      organize and deploy the resources of the business in such a way as      to increase the return on equity invested in the business. This is      the amount of money that the owners of the business have put at      risk to earn a profit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The second aim of business strategy is to decrease costs by      finding better, faster, cheaper ways to produce the same products      or services and accomplish the same results.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The third objective of business strategy is to identify and      exploit the opportunities of tomorrow while simultaneously      reducing the risks of today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There are four key questions with regard to setting objectives      that you should ask and answer continually, especially when you      are experiencing resistance or frustration of any kind in the      accomplishment of your goals. These questions are:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1.        What are we trying to do? What exactly are your goals?      Are they written down, clear, specific, time-bounded, and      measurable? Lack of clarity with regard to goals leads to lack of      accomplishment, both in the short term and in the long term.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2.    How are we trying to do it? Always remain open to the      possibility that there could be a different or better way to      accomplish the same objective-with lower costs, lower risks, and      greater certainty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 3.    What are our assumptions? What are you assuming about your      current situation that may not be true at all? Every decision is      made on the basis of certain assumptions, either clear or unclear.      As Alec Mackenzie, author of The Time Trap, wrote, \"Errant      assumptions lie at the root of every failure.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In World War II, the fortress of Singapore was supposedly      impregnable, but the British defenders assumed that any attack on      Singapore would come from the sea. When the Japanese instead      attacked from the landward side to the north, the British were      quickly overwhelmed and surrendered a garrison of sixty-two      thousand men on February 15, 1942. Winston Churchill described it      as \"The worst disaster and largest capitulation in British      history.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 4.        What if our assumptions are wrong? What if you are      taking actions today that would be completely inappropriate for      achieving your objectives if certain assumptions were wrong?      Always be open to the possibility that you are dead wrong in your      beliefs and assumptions. If you were wrong, what changes would you      have to make immediately to survive and thrive in your current      market?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The GOSPA Model of Strategic Planning\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There is a simple five-step formula that you can use for      establishing clear objectives and for strategic planning for the      rest of your career. As regularly as breathing in and breathing      out, you should practice these five principles in every part of      your business.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1.        Clear Goals\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The first letter, G, stands for \"goals.\" Goals in business      represent the final financial results that you want to achieve.      All business goals can be defined in financial terms. Your goals      must be clear, written, and specific. They must be measurable and      exact. They must be time-bounded with deadlines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some examples of financial goals are sales volume, net profit,      return on equity, return on investment, return on sales, growth      rate, market share, and profit per customer. Whichever numbers you      choose to focus on largely determine how you will organize and      deploy people and resources in your business.","brand":"Tarcher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300680552677,"sku":"NP9780399183867","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780399183867.jpg?v=1767743440","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/victory-isbn-9780399183867","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}