The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho

Darin Oswald / The Idaho Statesman

Eagle resident Vincent Martino, a former Marine, has co-authored a business book called “The Marine Corps Way: Using maneuver warfare to lead a winning organization.”

• The Marine Corps Way

Julie Howard
The Idaho Statesman

Has your office turned into a war zone?

Vincent Martino would contend that´s a good thing.

The Eagle resident and former U.S. Marine co-authored a business book that takes military strategies into the boardroom and across management. “The Marine Corps Way — Using maneuver warfare to lead a winning organization” (2004 McGraw-Hill, $22.95) was released this week and already has sold out its initial run of 20,000 to wholesalers, said Martino. The book is now being translated into Chinese for distribution in China.

Using speed, surprise and concentrated force efficiently are strategies that create success on the battlefield and in a corporate organization, according to the new book. Martino joined another former Marine, Jason Santamaria, and Wharton School of Business professor Eric Clemons in researching cases from wars through the centuries and business successes to illustrate commonalities.

“The surprising thing is we´re getting a military history audience as well,” said Martino, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Wharton School of Business, who served in the Marines for five years until 2000. He spent six months in Kuwait during the Desert Thunder operation in the late ´90s.

Martino´s expertise and influence in the book are seen in research and discussions of battles and war, since he describes himself as a war-history buff. The focus, obviously, is on what business people can learn from the Marines´ approach to warfare. The book examines real-life business examples that range from AT&T to Jenny Craig to Hewlett-Packard, and real-war situations from Genghis Khan to Operation Desert Storm.

Also prominent in the book are management philosophies implemented by Capital One Financial, Martino´s current employer in Boise, where he works as a senior business analyst.

The book deal came out of a hands-on business course Martino and Santamaria developed while attending Wharton. The two, recognizing the value of their military training, put together a two-day course based on the Marines´ 90-day boot camp. Participants work their way through a series of obstacle courses that require teamwork and critical thinking to solve.

“The first year, we had 80 seats and 600 applicants,” said Martino, adding that the program is still running and is held at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., where the FBI Academy also is located. “A lot of what was included was decision-making under uncertainty. The course fosters the sense that there´s always uncertainty and you can turn that into a competitive advantage.”

A representative from McGraw-Hill heard about the popular course and approached them with a book offer.

“The Marine Corps brings a reputation of ferocity, but I think the main thing I learned there was compassion and taking care of people,” said Martino, 31. “The Marines are a small force and need to be efficient, so you become very aware of the resources you have. They put a lot of time into mentoring and leadership development.” The book is sold at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Buy.com.

To offer story ideas or comments, contact Julie Howard
jhoward@idahostatesman.com or 373-6618

Edition Date: 02-06-2004