Value of Strategy

One of the most important themes of the book is the value of strategy and planning. Alexander's three years of studying with Aristotle gave him a keen and analytical mind. Alexander was a brilliant strategist. His success in battle was due to his superior planning. Because of this, he very rarely lost a battle. He always did the unexpected, even if it was harder on his men. His enemies could rarely predict his actions. If they expected him to take the troops through the low pass, he would go through the high pass. When they expected him to travel along the sea coast, he would go through the mountains. His superior planning allowed him to develop the phalanx. Instead of leading his troops into battle in a horizontal line, he angled the line. This tactic forced the enemies line to break in the middle and Alexander's...