Analysis Across Examples

Taken as a whole, the examples raised to illustrate this first guiding principle of maneuver warfare offer several key insights. First, the two military examples, Rommel at Isonzo and the Battle of Petersburg, show that the process of targeting critical vulnerabilities is not only top-down but also bottom-up: in both instances subordinates led commanders to the opponent s critical vulnerability. Second, Rommel s use of the path of least resistance to reach the mountain pass shows that gaps in an opponent s defense often lead to critical vulnerabilities. Third, the Union s hesitation at Petersburg suggests that without action and, indeed, rapid action, the identification of an opponent s critical vulnerability is wasted brilliance. Fourth, Shell s success suggests that scenario planning can be an excellent technique to emulate Lowe s clairvoyance ”targeting critical vulnerabilities before opponents become aware of them and take corrective action. Finally, Rommel s decision to attack around the ambush his force walked into, and Lowe s success against Home Depot after initial failure, emphasize the importance of persistence: when they hit a wall, they went around it.