If you were to find yourself in the times of old, and you happened to be riding on a horse, and then without warning, a bolt out of the blue were to strike you with such force that it would knock you off your horse - well, you might just have experienced a coup d'oeil.
Napoleon's Glance, by William R. Duggan, is a book which talks of characters that got knocked off horses in such a manner. Well, not quite, but the sudden inspiration, the striking of the idea, the flash of brilliance resulting in knowing what to do exactly at the right time is what the book is all about.
Strategy - what exactly works and what doesnt.
It starts off with Napoleon, conqueror of most of Europe, who is credited with having had a coup d'oeil, literally strike of the eye, hence Napoleon's Glance. This sudden insight into things based on the deep study of past experiences of others and the ability to apply this insight in the present circumstances, forms the basis of the book. The author applies this to a bunch of characters that include St. Paul, General George S. Patton, Pablo Piccasso, Joan of Arc and the founder of the Kingdom of Mali. He draws a distinction between the two approaches to strategy, one in which the entire campaign is planned out in advance and then played out according to the plan, and the other in which a deep study of past campaigns is what allows sudden flashes of brilliance lead the way. So in one you try to make the circumstances fit the plan, and in the other the circumstances allow you to come up with the plan.
Interesting read.
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