Late in 1942 the Battle of Stalingrad had ground to a halt, the city itself little more than rubble and ruins. The Russians had been planning a massive offensive under the cover of secrecy- only the front commanders knew of the size, scope and timing of the attack. The plan was simple, dramatic; to encircle the entire German army with a pincer movement from north and south. Once the attack was under away timing was critical, with tank commanders waiting for the precise moment to attack- too soon and they would be wiped-out by their own artillery, too late and they would give the enemy time to prepare an effective defensive.

We're trying to move forward on our projects, to make dramatic changes. Maybe you have a breakthrough idea, a concept not yet tried in the current context. Sometimes the way to gain acceptance and ultimately success is to carefully plan when you introduce the idea. Timing can be everything.

There's something powerful about observing the reality of the situation. Whether you're a manager or a team member, making plans without clear understanding of where things really is misguided at best. To be able to quietly observe and disassemble the issues at hand will enable you to execute plans and achieve success.

I am organising a research trip to Volgograd, Russia in April 2008. The idea of this trip is to workshop the key lessons from the Battle of Stalingrad by visiting key sites. Each person that attends this battle tour will get a free copy of the Lessons from Stalingrad book!

Let me know if you're interested in coming along - places are filling-up fast and are limited. The tour will begin from Moscow where we will travel by overnight to Volgograd.

Hitler and his generals were thousands of kilometers from Stalingrad, directing the battle based on their percieved understanding of the situaion.

Not one step back. The Soviets had been retreating across thousands of kilometers of steppe, literarily disappearing from the advancing Germans. At the Volga this was to be the end of this retreat. The Soviet's treated Stalin's statement - "not one step back", as an absolute. Ultimately their refusal to fall back any further even when they only held 10% of the city of Stalingrad was a huge factor in their victory.

In an age where relativism is so popular, why not take stand on your next project? Find a value or principle and stick to it: no matter what.

Learning lessons from Stalingrad? How can we extract lessons from such a waste of human life? Suffering and desperation was never seen on such a scale before. But in the midst of it all individuals were creating their own small slice of history. For me Stalingrad is also about the nameless individuals who committed acts of bravery that will never be known.

Here's my first lesson - realise that the acts of greatness on a large scale are made-up of of many small acts. What act of greatness did you do today?

Welcome to the news section of this site. Keep informed on progress in the book, our travel itinerary and estimated launch date.