#447: On Grand Strategy

#447: On Grand Strategy

The ancient Greek poet Archilochus said, "A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing."

The original meaning of the quote has been lost to the mists of time, but my guest today argues that it's a great metaphor for classifying two types of leadership strategies.

His name is John Lewis Gaddis and he's a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, an expert on the Cold War, and a professor of military history at Yale University. Today, Professor Gaddis and I talk about his book, On Grand Strategy, in which he distills insights about strategy from political and military history going all the way back to antiquity.

We begin our conversation discussing what strategy is and what it means to have grand strategy. John then shares the analogy of the fox and the hedgehog, and the benefits and downsides to each approach to thinking and acting. We then discuss why the best strategists combine fox-like and hedgehog-like mindsets, examples from history of great leaders who had both, and how he helps his students see the relationship between principle and practice.

Get the show notes at aom.is/grandstrategy.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Avsnitt(1159)

A Guide to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

A Guide to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. It's a peculiar book, especially for a bestseller. Not a lot of it is ac...

29 Maj 202453min

Tactics and Mindset Shifts for Making the Most of Life

Tactics and Mindset Shifts for Making the Most of Life

Note: This is a rebroadcast.Matthew Dicks wears a lot of hats. Among other things, he’s a storyteller, communications consultant, writer, and schoolteacher. In order to excel in his professional life,...

27 Maj 202455min

The Shadows Over Men's Hearts and How to Fight Them

The Shadows Over Men's Hearts and How to Fight Them

There are a lot of unspoken challenges and hidden battles that men face in modern society. They often manifest themselves in a uniquely male malaise where a man feels apathetic, frustrated, cynical, a...

22 Maj 202458min

Patton and the Bulge: Blood, Guts, and Prayer

Patton and the Bulge: Blood, Guts, and Prayer

General George S. Patton is known for his aggressive, action-oriented tactical brilliance.His character was also marked by a lesser-known but equally fundamental mystic piety.Those two qualities would...

20 Maj 202447min

Embracing the Strive State

Embracing the Strive State

We often think happiness will be found in the completion of a goal. We often think happiness will be found in ease and comfort. My guest says real joy is found in the journey rather than the destinati...

15 Maj 202447min

The Dude's Guide to Laundry: How to Save Time, Money, and Your Wardrobe

The Dude's Guide to Laundry: How to Save Time, Money, and Your Wardrobe

If you didn’t grow up doing your own laundry, once you headed out on your own, you probably just figured things out on the fly, hoped for the best, and have been doing things the same way ever since. ...

13 Maj 202448min

How to Get Better at Anything

How to Get Better at Anything

Life revolves around learning—in school, at our jobs, even in the things we do for fun. But we often don’t progress in any of these areas at the rate we’d like. Consequently, and unfortunately, we oft...

8 Maj 202446min

Of Strength and Soul — Exploring the Philosophy of Physical Fitness

Of Strength and Soul — Exploring the Philosophy of Physical Fitness

When you’re lifting weights, you might be thinking about setting a new PR or doing your curls for the girls.But throughout history, philosophers have thought about physical fitness on a deeper level a...

6 Maj 202457min

Populärt inom Utbildning

historiepodden-se
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
det-skaver
alska-oss
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
nu-blir-det-historia
johannes-hansen-podcast
sektledare
roda-vita-rosen
rss-viktmedicinpodden
not-fanny-anymore
allt-du-velat-veta
rss-foraldramotet-bring-lagercrantz
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
sa-in-i-sjalen
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
rss-basta-livet
rss-traningsklubben