Grand Strategy and more

‘Alexander the Great’s maneuvers bewildered his staff: they seemed to have no logic, no consistency. Only later could the Greeks look back and really see his magnificent achievement. The reason they could not understand him was that Alexander had invented a whole new way of thinking and acing in the world: the art of Grand Strategy.

In grand strategy you look beyond the moment, beyond your immediate battles and concerns. You concentrate instead on what you want to achieve down the line. Controlling the temptation to react to events as they happen, you determine each of your actions according to your ultimate goals. You think in terms not of individual battles but of a campaign.

Alexander owed his novel style of strategizing to his mother and to Aristotle. His mother had given him a sense of destiny and a goal: to rule the known world. From the age of three he could see in his mind’s eye the role he would play when he was thirty. From Aristotle he learned the power of controlling his emotions, seeing things dispassionately, thinking ahead to the consequences of his actions.’

‘The battle referred to above occurred in 334 BC. ‘ Alexander led a united army of 35,000 Greeks across the Dardanelle Straits and into Asia Minor. In their first encounter with the enemy, at the Battle of the Granicus, the Greeks routed the Persians, Alexander’s generals could only admire his boldness: he seemed poised to conquer Persia fulfilling his mother’s prophecy in record time.’

From ‘The 33 Strategies of War’ by Robert Greene – p. 149 - 150

Not only does this piece discuss the importance of strategy but also the importance of vision, leadership, parental involvement and a mentor. It is no accident that Alexander the Great was one of the ‘greatest Greek warrior kings’ and one of the greatest warriors and rulers in history.