The other side of the hill
From the Preface to the book ‘The Other Side of the Hill’ by B.H. Liddell Hart:
“The story is told in Croker’s ‘Correspondence and Diaries’ how, on a journey with Wellington, he and the Duke passed the time by guessing what kind of country they would find on the other side of each hill on the way. When Croker expressed surprise at Wellington’s success in forecasting it, the later replied: “Why, I have spent all my life in trying to guess what was at the other side of the hill.”
Wellington’s remark was subsequently extended into a definition of the imaginative requirement in generalship, in the wider sense of guessing what was happening “at the other side of the hill” – behond the opposing front and in the opponents mind.
How do you engage your team to imagine and finally understand "the other side of the hill"?
It is not just about understanding and perfecting your product, your service. It is as much about understanding the ecosystem where you operate...your competition, your partners, your customers.
It is about anticipating. It is about flexibility in approach, and openness in how you perceive your operating environment.
It is not about looking inwards. While understanding your competencies and the sandbox you play in is important, take the time to create processes and mindsets that imagine the other side of the hill!
“The story is told in Croker’s ‘Correspondence and Diaries’ how, on a journey with Wellington, he and the Duke passed the time by guessing what kind of country they would find on the other side of each hill on the way. When Croker expressed surprise at Wellington’s success in forecasting it, the later replied: “Why, I have spent all my life in trying to guess what was at the other side of the hill.”
Wellington’s remark was subsequently extended into a definition of the imaginative requirement in generalship, in the wider sense of guessing what was happening “at the other side of the hill” – behond the opposing front and in the opponents mind.
How do you engage your team to imagine and finally understand "the other side of the hill"?
It is not just about understanding and perfecting your product, your service. It is as much about understanding the ecosystem where you operate...your competition, your partners, your customers.
It is about anticipating. It is about flexibility in approach, and openness in how you perceive your operating environment.
It is not about looking inwards. While understanding your competencies and the sandbox you play in is important, take the time to create processes and mindsets that imagine the other side of the hill!
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