Thursday, January 29, 2004

Vincent Martino's new book aims to guide business leaders to success in today's dog-eat-dog market by using maneuver warfare -- the combat philosophy of the Marine Corps.

A 1990 graduate of Hunterdon Central High School, he grew up in Whitehouse Station. His mother, Christine Lewis, lives in Neshanic Station.

Martino co-authored The Marine Corps Way: Using Maneuver Warfare to Lead a Winning Organization (McGraw-Hill Trade, $22.95).

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, attained the rank of captain in the Marines, and then earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia. There he met co-authors Jason Santamaria, also a Marine, and Professor Eric Clemons.

He's gone on to become a successful businessman, first with an Internet start-up company, now as a senior analyst with Capital One Financial in Boise, Idaho.

As in battle, the business world is characterized by permanent disruption and constant change, said Martino. Staying a few steps ahead of the competition is essential to success. The best way to accomplish this is by forcing your enemy to waste time and resources reacting to your last move, while you implement the next series of innovations, he explained.

He compared this to a battle in which the Confederate forces of Gen. Stonewall Jackson were victorious despite being out-manned three-to-one by the Union army. Using small forces of shock troops to attack Union forces, Jackson hit his enemy at one point, retreated quickly, then struck again at another. This forced northern generals to react always to his last attack, leaving them unprepared for the next one.

After writing the book, Martino said he went to work for Capital One because they use similar tactics to achieve success. "The company went public in 1995. Now it's the fifth largest company of it's kind because it focuses its resources in a very efficient manner and continually innovates its product."

Cisco Systems is another company that rocketed to success using battlefield tactics, Martino said: "Cisco embraced a culture of change and uncertainty. They put decision making power in the hands of front-line engineers and developed a much quicker product line."

Within several, manic-paced years, they surpassed their rivals, becoming the world-wide leader in providing equipment and services that form the technological foundation of the Internet.

Martino said Gen. George Patton used a similar strategy when invading Nazi-occupied France during World War II. He split his men into three advancing forces and allowed officers to make on-the-spot tactical decisions, rather than requiring them to check every move with his central command. This vastly increased the invasion's speed and facilitated the operation's success, said Martino. Telling a man what to do and letting him surprise you with his ingenuity, as the general ordered, is a sound business tactic for today, he added.

But make no mistake: Strong, efficient leadership is at the heart of a successful business. The Marine Corps' three pillars of leadership apply to companies too, said Martino. "You have to take care of your people, lead by example, and invest in developing your people. That's the backbone of a successful strategy, whether it's business or military."

For more information about the book, go to www.marinecorpsway.com.