Just as the Marshall Plan transformed Europe’s economic growth years ago, employing counterinsurgency techniques in Iraq and Afghanistan could become a watershed moment in military history. But the revolutionary techniques outlined in Counterinsurgency by David Kilcullen aren’t just useful on the battlefield, they can also be applied to improving your boardroom tactics and corporate governance.

Drawing on the work of David Galula, a classical theorist who analyzed France’s meddling in Algeria, and his namesake David Petraeus, the godfather of the 21st century fight in just about everywhere insurgents have left their mark, Kilcullen instills hard-earned wisdom in his second bestselling book that follows the success of his 2009 title The Accidental Guerrilla (Oxford University Press).

As one of Petraeus’s closest advisers in Iraq, Kilcullen’s ideas carried great weight in determining US policy for ‘boots on the ground,’ with an emphasis on troops integrating themselves within the community, winning over women and mobilizing locals. However, Counterinsurgency’s greatest strength lies in Kilcullen’s update of his ‘28 Articles,’ which were strenuously tested in peer reviews similar to those found in the tried-and-tested counterinsurgency Bible The US Army and US Marine Corps Field Manual 3–24.

These articles, so integral to waging an intelligent war, are also great tenets of business leadership. Brushing aside the military terminology, Kilcullen could do quite well in a three-piece suit heading an organization. In fact, the first four articles could very well be slides on a PowerPoint presentation in a company boardroom and could no doubt be applied to any number of situations your company will come up against.

Know your turf
Management should always be cognizant of their staff’s performance as well as their strengths and vision. Furthermore, should there be questions, there is bound to be someone who knows the answer or a team that can be put together to tackle the problem.

Diagnose the problem
“Discuss ideas, explore the problem, understand what you are facing and seek a consensus,” says Kilcullen. In every organization, problems are sure to arise, but mapping out a sound way forward means crises can be averted.

Organize for intelligence
This strategy places the most qualified individuals in positions where they are best suited, whether this is on the battlefield or in a cubicle.

Organize for interagency operations
It’s all about networking in the real world. Maintaining solid relationships between partners, customers and your community as a whole are invaluable.

Thinking proactively, gathering intelligence and having an exit plan are other great points that Kilcullen discusses. (A leader should provide copious amounts of data gleamed from operations “that keep your people alive.”)

Kilcullen’s book is the measure of qualitative and quantitative research at the highest levels of multinational operations among the world’s numerous hotspots. His ideas, which have been instituted for the coalition within Iraq and Afghanistan, illuminate how understanding the ‘art’ of counterinsurgency is essential for troops on the ground as well as your own employees to enter into situations with all the relevant details and preparedness possible. While these tips might not solve all your business woes, applying his tactics to your everyday problems could give you the necessary edge to head off competitors and empower your employees across the spectrum without losing sight of the corporation’s goals. bt