The Best Plan? No plan
Planning – the art of thinking ahead or the illusion of control?
In France in the 1930s, there was no shortage of far-sighted politicians. They knew that Nazi Germany was a dangerous neighbor and foresaw the possibility of invasion. France remembered the recent World War I well and was determined to learn its lessons.
The French minister of war, André Maginot, didn’t sit idly by. He began constructing the Maginot Line, a line of mighty fortifications along the border with Germany. The construction was based on thorough and complex mathematical calculations, which took into account the speed of troop movements, road capacity, and many other factors.
But Germans didn’t test the line for its strength. They simply bypassed it from the north and attacked France through Belgium. The meticulous calculations turned out to be useless. A significant part of France was occupied.
An unpredictable rival is more dangerous than a strong one.
And sometimes, having no plan beats the perfect plan.
The high costs of planning
Let’s take a look at…