The adrenaline flow was so strong that I used to pen articles on anti-terrorism that got quoted in pro-LTTE websites and subsequently a blanket death threat surfaced. Even this did not deter any of us in our efforts at work as we believed in the motto ‘Country before self’. The fact of the matter was that the LTTE is a banned terrorist organization in over thirty five countries in the world and is branded as the most ruthless and brutal force that invented the worlds 1st human suicide bomb. Beating this organization by the Sri Lankan security forces on their own turf, can give many powerful lessons to the world. I felt it my duty to capture some of them and I will be using the data that has been published in interviews and my own analysis.

Lesson 1 – Stay in the game on ground

The Defense Secretary and the Army Commander are proven battle hardy soldiers. Both had survived a suicide attack by the LTTE. The Army commander has been wounded twice in the field which explains the experience he has to direct the troops if required. For instance when the forces were up against earth bunds that the LTTE had erected, he personally instructed the ground forces where to breach it and how to hold territory there after. This earned him the respect to lead not only at the strategic end but operationally too.

The implication to business is that a CEO of today must be in constant contact with those on the field whilst managing the financial aspects like working capital management and new product development. Especially in todays economic down turn, a CEO must keep moving down to the field level for decision making whilst working at the top on strategy. This is a new dual skill which I believe is required to survive in today’s environment. I know of a particular CEO of a large apparel company where the top six accounts are personally managed by the CEO. This, to my mind is a new age CEO of the world.

Lesson 2 – Attack the strengths

The great Tsun Tszu advocates ‘attack the vulnerable points’, however Sri Lanka’s strategy was to attack the most difficult points. For instance it took the Army 8 months to take Thambapanni which was just 4 km from the front lines and many were wondering at that time if the Army can actually win an unconventional war that the LTTE was waging. The Army leadership did not change course but kept its focus on the bigger plan. The troops finally broke through the lines and created a psychological advantage. The enemy on the other hand became weaker due to this strategic loss.

The implication to business is that if you declare war on a competitor, then attack the key strengths but ensure sure you have the adequate resources. I yet remember when Cloguard toothpaste challenged ‘Signal’ that red and white stripes has no link to the fluoride that a toothpaste has, was one such instance that war was declared on a competitors strengths and the challenger brand went on to capture almost a thirty percent plus market share.

Lesson 3 – Manage the different actors

Whilst the war on the LTTE was in progress in absolute focus and the nation as a whole behind the efforts, the President personally managed the key stakeholders such as India, China and Japan so that global support was garnered. This, to my mind was the key pivot to the overall victory as between 1987-1990 twice, the Sri Lanka Army was just closing its net on the LTTE head when their was foreign intervention and the LTTE got away.

The lesson for business is that whilst the aggressive thrust on the sales front is in play, the key stakeholders like lobby groups, internal public, the government and the media has to be managed. If this is not done it can lead to many issues like when a story leaked some time back that a particular brand of Milk Powder had been exposed to radio activity and it was not fit for consumption. I was working on the field at that time and there was chaos at the retail end. Different actors need to be managed very carefully.

Lesson 4 – Pick your men, though unpopular

When the Army commander was recently asked by a reporter what was the key to the success on ground his answer was, “I selected the task force and Brigade commander’s not on seniority but on past capabilities on the battle field because when I was at the battle front I had the opportunity to observe the performances of the officers. I also selected those officers who had confidence in me.:

The business implication is the same. Pick your team on merit and culture fit. DO NOT LET GO OF A GOOD MAN which is where the problem is when it comes to Voluntary retirement schemes(VRS)- the best people leave. A company must be careful when announcing VRS schemes in today’s environment.

Lesson 5 – Single command concept

The Army leadership practiced a clear single command leadership of all Divisions and Task Forces that was created so that there was synergy. Separately it was mentioned by the leadership that ‘No Brigade, Battalion or a Divison can win a war in isolation and the back up facilities were carefully planned under one leadership.

The implication to business is that total leadership must be on the mantle of a CEO. Especially in today’s business environment, where chaos is the order of the day, even a ‘Demand Forecast’ must be personally checked by a CEO. This is a best practice coming from successful companies today. Having a charged up sales force is not enough if the other departments are equally not charged.

Lesson 6 – Ruthless power

In 1983 Prabhakaran apparently had only 12 cadres with just twenty shot guns but by 2006 the LTTE had air crafts, tanks, submarines, missiles and a brigade of more than 20,000. In 2006 after the Marvil Aru anicut issue which the LTTE created, the government decided to go after the LTTE and eradicate the menace of terrorism from the face of the country. The army first sharpened its human capital, bolstered the necessary machine power and developed an effective supply chain efficiency that helped outsmart the enemy on all fronts.

The lesson for business is that before engaging competition check your resources as against that of the competitors. The best case in point was when ‘Walls’ ice cream was launched in Sri Lanka, I remember Elephant House went off media and allowed the bombardment to finish. Then it attacked strategically with ruthless fire power on media and below the line activity focusing on the ‘home consumption’ segment. Within two years ‘Walls’ ice cream was ‘history’ in the business landscape.

Lesson 7 – Get the media behind you

When the war became intense with the LTTE, we saw the strategic move of where all media rallied round the security forces and got the nations support. It’s called building a visionary community that came from the President downwards.

The implication to business in my view is that the conventional advertising will not get you anywhere when you are in war with a competitor unless you mobilise Public Relations. If strong PR can be generated to in addition to, the formal communication like what Sri Lanka saw in the ‘Api Wenuven Api’ campaign, you cannot actually make an impact on the consumer. In the business world when the mosquito brand Ninja launched the first ‘10 hour mosquito coil’, Sri Lanka saw how PR was used strategically to create a new wave in communication.

Lesson 8 - Strong Intelligence gathering

It is a fact that one of the key pivots of success in the war was the accurate intelligence that the key decisions makers received. The Navy was able to sink almost 10 LTTE arms ships due to the information provided by the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI). The aerial attack by the Sri Lanka Air Force that killed S.P. Thamilselvan is another classic example of the importance of intelligence.

The business implication is that an effective intelligence mechanism must be in operation with the sales force at its core. Separately the department for registration, price lists of competitors and the printer used by the competitor can also be a source of getting solid insights to competitor activity.

Lesson 9 – Finish to the kill

The final battle started in Villamulvaikkal at 2.57am with 250 LTTE cadres who had formed a ring around prabhakaran and its top LTTE leaders. The Sri Lankan troops completed its task during that day and completed an initiative that started 2 years and 10 months back.

The lesson for business is that if you decide to fight competition then fight to the end. It has to be fought at the sales end, advertising end and at the Managing Directors table too. One such initiative that I personally know of is Munchee. The company engaged war at all ends and today it is the market leader even though the competitor resorted to many negotiations just like what the LTTE did in the last day of battle.

Lesson 10 – Lead a simple Life

At a recent interview General, Fonseka said that in the last 3 years he has been in the same place where he was and the only satisfaction was the duties he performed. He was not into eating in five star hotels or living in large houses and he wants to continue to live life like he did three years back.

The implication to business to my mind is that its not the cufflinks one wears or the flashy car one drives but it’s the sheer performance in what you are committed to do that counts. Especially in todays environment where there is an economic downturn and cost cutting is mandatory.

Lesson 11 – Get the top behind

In my view one of the key reasons to defeating the LTTE was that the security force commanders had the backing of the head of state and the defense secretary with a strong common understanding. This was the edge that tilted the coin, and the whole nation coming together. It was one voice from the top.

The implication to business is that it is very important to get the Chairman and the Senior Management on your side not only in trust but in a deep understanding of what one is doing to beat the competitor. Mistakes will be made and if the top does not understand that there can be a loss of confidence that ultimately affects your performance in the future, especially when it comes to mobilising funding.

Lesson 12 – Political stability

Another pivot that helped the country achieve freedom from terrorism is the management of political stability when there was so much pressure externally. This was very cleverly managed by the President so that it will not have an impact of the thrust by the security forces.

The implication to business is that in reality all organisations be it small or big have politicking and this has to be managed. If the CEO of today does not do that, you cannot get the best off ones employees and separately drive aggressive business strategies which are required especially in an economic down turn where the pie is getting smaller.

Conclusion

Hence we see that there are many lessons for the corporate world from the war against terrorism. Since the war has come to a close in Sri Lanka now the challenge is how we can make each company that we work for competitive so that as nation we become strong. After all eighty percent of Sri Lanka’s economy is driven by the private sector.

On the other hand the public sector must focus on developing the North and East for livelihood development than just Infrastructure development so that in 3-4 years a day will dawn where some one can conceptualize the 12 lessons that Sri Lanka taught the world on how an economy can be build post a conflict!

(Rohantha Athukorala is the Economics Director of the Secretariat for co-ordinating the peace process (SCOPP).The opinions expressed are those of the author, and does not reflect the positions he held in the Public or Private sector.)