Note to reader: You may wonder what this post has to do with business blogs.
I haven’t got a clue.Next week I’ll try to explain, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts? Do you see a connection?
In 480 B.C., King Xerxes of Persia crossed the Hellespont and invaded Greece with an overwhelming land force of 250,000 men. A panicked delegation of Greeks rushed south to Sparta, home of the finest warriors in all of Greece, to beg King Leonidas for help. Sensitive to their plight, Leonidas suggested he lead 300 of his best troops into the narrow pass of Thermopylae, where they might be able to hold off the Persians long enough for Athens to mount a decisive naval offensive.
The delegates were outraged. Here was the King, known as much for his stinginess as his bravery, conserving resources even in the face of a crisis. The King’s court was perturbed as well, taking this crackpot scheme as evidence the old man had finally lost his Elgin marbles. Taking note of these various rumblings, Leonidas decided to send the matter to a subcommittee for further review and discussion.
A month or two later, as the subcommittee was putting the finishing touches on its report, Leonidas received an urgent message from Athenian statesman and military commander Themistocles. It read –
Most Noble King Leonidas:
Persian forces have overrun Athens and burned it to the ground. Citizens who ignored my pleas to evacuate were either killed (in a most horrible manner) or sold into slavery. What is left of our army is retreating to Peloponnesia, hoping to join forces with you for a final stand at Argos. Even worse, Great King, our entire fleet, 380 vessels, was destroyed this morning by a surprise attack off the coast of Salamis. Disaster! In another week we could have routed them in the strait, cutting off every supply line and escape route for their bloated and disorderly conglomeration of troops. Let us pray to the Gods we live to fight another day.
Your faithful ally,
Themistocles
After pondering this news for some time, Leonidas finally took decisive action and demanded the subcommittee’s report by the end of the week. As he read it, the Persian army descended like locusts upon Sparta, killing Leonidas along with every male citizen and most of the Helots.
This concludes the short history of Western civilization.
Another note to reader:
Every dayFriday is fun day at Word Sell. Do you like it, or do you prefer serious? Today my use of the strikethrough is ashameless imitation ofhomage to Robert Hruzek. Read this for an explanation of the image used on this post, something SEO guru George Ajazi and I whipped up a while back.
Proof that the committee method works! Next time you want to defeat your enemies, make sure you teach them how to do the “latest thing” first, making sure to demonstrate how it’s the greatest thing since Helen of Troy. Given time, they’ll have spent so many resources on it that a hostile takeover should be easy!
Hey, you’re finally getting the hang of the strikethrough thing! Way to go, Brad! Funny, I didn’t realize they had Gladiator sponsorships back then (I can see the strategically placed “shorr.com” sign on the arena wall).
Hi Robert, your interpretation of the story is better than what I had in mind. Back to the drawing board. Thanks for the positive strikethrough feedback. From you, high praise indeed!