In 2006, Marlys opened a weeklong Fox Associates fall sales meeting with a rousing speech. She compared the team to warriors, fighting not in the lethal realm of guns and tanks, but instead, in the battles of business. We recently came across that 20-year-old speech. It remains relevant and compelling, an exercise in making important points through humor and metaphor. It also served as a perfect opening presentation for a sales meeting. It’s well worth sharing here. So we now take you back to Fox Associates, circa 2006.
“Let’s see, where were we last month? Oh yeah. And you know a trip will generate analogies, cliches, parables and proverbs. So, as a salute to Italy:
FRIENDS, ROMANS, COUNTRYMEN, FOXES, LEND ME YOUR EARS!!!
Very funny, right? But Foxes, come and reclaim your ears because you’re going to need them this week and forever after.
Consider: The Holy Roman Empire thrived for years a long time ago, and the major reason was its army—its WARRIORS. We’re going to be drawing some lessons from that army this week. Further, we’ll study some lessons of Sun Tzu, the Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer, who lived around 544-491 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War.
We’ll have a look at Indian warriors—the Dog Soldier, a society of top tribal warriors. And we’ll study the laws of the ancient Vikings.
The major points are these:
- Business is tantamount to war.
- The businesses who succeed have great warriors.
- We have to approach our business from now on like the warriors we are, with the objective of winning the battles and then winning the war.
Do I have to convince anyone that the premise is correct? We may not be the doctors our mothers wanted us to be. We are the white collar executives that we tell our spouses and family we are. But when it gets right down to the nitty-gritty, we are warriors.
And that means you need to be armed. You need to have a strong leader. You need to be surrounded with professional soldiers you can bond with. You need to have your supply lines from the base camp right up to the front lines. You need war strategists. And you need to have money. After all, a well-fed army is a good army, so to speak.
So let’s dig into some of those major points:
- The Romans. The leader of the Romans wielded a very big stick. More like a club. But his soldiers were the best because of it.
- Strong leadership. An army needs a strong leader. An army needs an involved leader. An army needs someone like George Patton, who was at the head of his troops. I saw his burial spot in Luxembourg. His is the lone cross at the top of a field of many, many crosses and Stars of David. The inscription says: “George Patton, still leading his troops.” Yet Patton suffered mightily when he was stripped of his assignment for slapping a soldier. No one denied that the soldier, a cowardly little guy, needed a swat. But good leaders need to be strong enough to be gentle. You can’t give in to your base emotions. We have a national sales director who spars with me on a regular basis. It’s kind of the old adage: “You put a knife against a grinding wheel and it will make a lot of sparks—but the knife gets sharper!” Just last week, one of her repartees was, “Well, if I had a t-shirt with ‘Head Bitch’ on it, I’d wear it.” My usual rejoinder to stuff like that: “Is that a threat, or is that a promise?”I forget how she answered. But the fact is, I always take a dare. Let’s see if she will. Anyhow, we sometimes say about certain kinds of people, like several of us: “She may be a bitch, but she’s our bitch!” (Substitute the b word here for bastard for the boys!)
I will now show that sweet side of me that you always know is there, right? Sharon, remember when I hauled my great husband’s tuchus all over London, walking all the way to Kensington Palace, where Princess Di had hung out—and where I had bought a great pair of shoes for myself quite a few years ago, and wanted to buy a pair just like it for you. It was not to be. They just didn’t have them. So Sharon, I’m giving you mine. They’re pristine, been in a glass cabinet, along with other treasures.
Marlys Fox.
So, back to our topic: The Roman soldiers wore sandals that laced all the way up their calves, remember? And today’s soldiers wear sturdy combat boots. And you, Sharon? You manage to go into battle with really great high-heeled shoes.
To those who would walk a mile in Sharon’s shoes, I say get thee to the shoestore. If you’re going into battle the Sharon way, you need to be equipped. Yes, some of you will look pretty funny, but you will gain attention and be remembered, and that’s important in the war business. And the sales business.
Some more major points:
- Our Base Camp is held down by Steve [Schwanz], and his soldiers are a very important part of our army of warriors. He will be telling you about them this week. Let the base camp be among your best friends. It will make your way to the front line that much easier.
- Back in Rome—and remember that All Roads Lead to Rome—sits the Emperor and the Queen. Yes, I know. I’ve carried this to ad nauseum. But the point is made and the parable is “When in Rome, do as the Romans Do!” Make it easy on yourself and your comrades. The enemy is out there. The world is there to conquer. Don’t waste your ammo on shooting up the streets in Rome. You’ll run out of ammo. The supply lines don’t cover the Empire’s home base. Ultimately someone else always has the power, and someone else’s power often trumps the power we have. So don’t fight the system. it’s counter-productive. Or, as it’s sometimes put: Gold Rules! It’s a fact of life, but keep trying to make your gold. It will come to those who are deserving.
- Remember that Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day! For every business, there is progress, there are setbacks. And occasionally, Mt. Vesuvius can erupt, and there are always casualties. But the secret is to persist, and you can build and rebuild a great empire.
- Fellow Fox Associates warriors, you need to participate in formulating great battle plans. You need to keep your armor shiny and your ammo dry. You need to be brave and strong. Warriors: You need to be closely bonded. In war, your life depends on the actions of your comrades. In business, your future is heavily dependent on the support of your teammates. Betrayal hurts everyone. It can bring a mighty army down. We must be constantly vigilant so that no one, externally or internally, destroys us from without or within.
- Fight for promotion, fight for recognition, but always fight together in the battles that occupy us all.
- Know that in all armies’ thrusts into the front lines, when they’re facing opposing forces, they always have a clear path BACK to the home base. This is not defeat, this is not retreat; it’s a strategy that assures you safe haven back in base camp, and that it nourishes you and gets you into shape to fight another day.
- Now we turn briefly to Sun Tzu, the Chinese military strategist. He wrote this in 500 BC: “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting!” Remember that, my warriors—there is no need to fight to the death if you can find another way to win! We’ll be discussing all these things this week, so get in the spirit.
- The Fall of the Roman Empire. This happened in 476 AD, after 1,000 years of ruling Europe and parts of Africa. The empire was over-extended, which happens when you have ground to cover, when winter’s coming. It makes you need to march faster and longer. And we at Fox Associates must be on guard of that. We are aware of the danger, and are working to correct it. The Romans also fell because back in Rome, they engaged in Roman Orgies—Bacchanalian over-excesses. We’ll try to salute that memory this week, with lots of food and wine. The rest is up to you. But we always remember that we must be up and back at our posts the next day.
- Remember, too, “In Vino Veritas,” which means, “In wine there is truth.” So watch your mouth. The truth will be revealed, and others are watching and listening!
- Remember that this is always the best time for the opposing armies to attack, when we are fat and satisfied. When we are not fit for battle, when we have lost our will to fight because we gorged with the gains of war. We must stay alert! This army, our army, is a strong army. It has lost a few battles in its day, and right now the enemy is shooting some nasty new ammunition. Some of the Rules of War, rules that guide civilized men and women, are not being observed. But our army will never be defeated! Never! We pick ourselves up and live to fight another day.
Closing thoughts: My most serious message to you, my warriors, is that I want you to toughen up. Be stronger, bolder. This modern warrior army has room for all kinds of diversity, all kinds of battle plans. But there is an underlying need in all that we will explore this week. and that is that you must have a strong constitution to survive, you must make strong, incisive slashes into the enemy, you must know your fellow warrior has your back. You must be brave to fight in this arena. You are not gladiators, but you are professional warriors. Most of all, you must have the cojones for the battle.You must have nerve, and courage. So I shall end this as I began—but with a slight twist:
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Foxes: Show me your balls!
(No, don’t throw them at me. You’re gonna need them, believe it!)”