The WAY to WOW Shows
Decisive Action, Smart Restraint
December 16, 2025
Automatically generated from YouTube captions; names and wording may contain errors.

[0:02] What do you want?

[0:10] >> Hello and welcome to Business Lessons from the Military. I'm your host, Kevin Bemmel, and I'm here almost every almost every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Uh, I was off last week because I was sick and you can probably still hear a little bit of it hanging on. Uh but but nonetheless, [laughter] it's a you know, in in in the interest of strict honesty, it's an almost weekly show. So, uh [clears throat] I I listen I don't know about you, I listen to a lot of podcasts. I never thought I would say that. Uh and and um some of the biggest

[0:47] ones don't broadcast literally every week or every day the way they're scheduled. So I take heart that you know I'm I'm not letting the side down as the English say. So uh our uh you know the purpose of this show is to look at military history doctrine and leadership practices and apply them to our businesses and professional practices. And as as I've mentioned from time to time on this show, this is my way of giving back to you, my fellow citizens

[1:23] or my fellow, you know, comrades in arms, uh, for the support that you gave me during the 16 years uh, I was in the United States Navy. And uh the the US military spends literally billions of dollars uh training us, indoctrinating us and and so you know you you should recoup a little bit of that investment, right? So so here we are. So today, [clears throat] pardon me. Um the the the show is called uh oh I lost it.

[1:59] um decisive action, smart restraint, and I'm going to be talking about at least from a from a Jewish perspective uh which you know I am right uh one of the legendary military figures uh certainly of my boyhood and that is uh Mosha Diane. So, if you've ever seen a picture of uh an is an an Israeli soldier with an eye patch over his eye, uh that that is the

[2:36] iconic uh figure of of Mosha Diane. So, I'm going to, as I oftenimes do, um, with with these shows, give you a little bit of background of either the battle or in this case, the individual, and then talk about [clears throat] what we can learn uh, in this case, it'll be from this person's philosophy as as a as a fighting man. So, uh, Mosha Diane was born in 1915.

[3:07] >> [snorts]

[3:08] >> uh you know during World War I and um he he died in 1981. So he was uh what about uh [clears throat] I want to say 66 years old uh when he died. Uh as I mentioned a moment ago, he was instantly recognizable because of the black eye patch he wore after being wounded in battle. Uh he was born on kibutz. Um I'm going to have to read the name of it here because otherwise I'll mangle it even though I uh speak or I

[3:45] know biblical Hebrew. um De Ga Alf near the Sea of Galilee [clears throat] where he grew up in early Zionist agricultural culture in in a and and then the settlement movement um that was going on during the uh the the time of the British mandate in Palestine and it deeply shaped his world view which was pragmatic, austere self-reliant and tied to the land. So the early um uh Jewish

[4:25] um kabut well they were called kabutsnik people who lived on kibbutim the the plural uh the these were um pioneers in many ways and they had much of the pioneer spirit that I think um Americans had when they you know journeyed west from the original Atlantic seaborn seabboard colonies uh e ever farther into the interior of the United States. So um Mosha Diane joined the Hagana

[5:02] which was the pre-state of Israel defense organization at the age of 14. Right now today we look at that and we how could you know how could that possibly be? But um [clears throat] you know in the 19th century that was not at all unusual for such a young man to join to join the military. Uh midshipmen on square rigged sailing ships uh were often younger than that as were cabin boys. Uh and so uh you know

[5:41] th this was this was not particularly astonishing uh from from Dian's standpoint. Um he became involved in special reconnaissance units under British command uh during World War II. Right. So at at when World War II began, at least in Europe, uh he was uh 24 years old in 1939 thereabouts. And [clears throat] and while we rarely, I think about the Middle East as a theater of war during

[6:18] World War II, indeed it was. Um, and it w it was of a particular concern to Winston Churchill um, and the British. In 1941, he lost his left eye to a vishy French sniper while operating with allied forces in Syria. So just a little bit of background after the uh Nazi invasion of France, France was essentially partitioned into two countries or one country with two parts, however you want

[6:53] to describe it. The northern part was occupied France. It was occupied by the Nazis. The southern part of France bec um which uh convened a government at Vichy was known as Vichy France and Marshall Patan the great hero of World War I uh became the leader of Vichy France. It's it's it there there's a continues to this day the the you know collaborationist uh aspects of Vishy France versus

[7:31] um the um resistance aspects of it. That's a topic for a different show. Uh but um there there wasn't a whole lot of love lost uh between the British and and V vichy France. um es especially after the um [clears throat and cough] the the RAF decided that they needed to uh sink uh the the the parts of the French Navy that remained under Vishi's control um to prevent it from coming under Nazi control. So, uh, post World

[8:09] War II, um, [clears throat] the independence movement for, pardon me, Israel, uh, gained considerable traction in the wake of, uh, the Showa, better known as the Holocaust. uh as uh many countries in the world recognize that in in order to avoid a future holocaust um the Jewish people needed its its own country uh and and in the event it was um what became known as

[8:44] Israel in in the Middle East. So, [clears throat] um, during the 1948 War of Independence, uh, Diane quickly became known for daring reconnaissance, uh, uh, raids and, um, [snorts] pardon me, rapid maneuver operations and the sort of decentralized command um, that is inherent in those types of operations. And of course, in the event um Israel did win its independence, um President Harry Truman

[9:21] was uh the first country to recognize Israeli independence when it was declared. Um Diane commanded forces um around Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley. and his he had a a a rather unconventional leadership style that earned him a reputation as as an improviser and as a a bold commander. So uh from uh 1953 through 1958

[9:56] um at that point the what's known as the IDF the Israeli Defense Forces had been formed. uh th this is to this day uh the military um in in the modern state of Israel there's there's there's an IDF army navy and air force um and uh from 1953 to 1958 um Diane served as chief of staff to the IDF. This is uh essentially equivalent,

[10:32] [clears throat] excuse me, to the Army Chief of Staff here in the United States, except for he had cognizance over all the aspects of the IDF, air, land, and and sea. Um he oversaw Israel's um military modernization, emphasizing mobility, armor, and rapid reaction forces. In the 1956 Suez crisis, under his command, Israeli forces captured the Sinai Peninsula in just 100 hours. Okay, so that's a little

[11:09] over four days, [clears throat] much to the astonishment of the world, especially Egypt, who uh from whom the the Sinai Peninsula was was taken. Uh it was uh a daring feat of uh speed and initiative. Uh in 1967 as minister of defense. Now uh he had been appointed to that position just weeks before the war started. Um Diane became the face of Israel's overwhelming

[11:44] victory against uh Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. And whereas the 1956 Sinai campaign sort of started the process of the world taking note that uh it Israel was strong militarily. uh the 195 the 1967 6- day war in which three the the the militaries of three countries that were were thought to be able to each individually

[12:19] um over overrun Israel um to for them to be defeated in in in such a short period of time demonstrated to uh especially the countries that were most supportive of Israel at that time which included the United States of course um but also France from whom uh Israel bought dissol um fighter jets. It um uh you know really caused them to uh take take seriously this this tiny country in in

[12:54] the Middle East. So Israel captured the uh really recaptured the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip. um what's what's thereafter known as the West Bank of Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. So um Diane became a a a global symbol of uh Israeli military resolve and and competence. um several years later in 1973

[13:30] uh during the Yam Kipur war. So um Diane was caught off guard by Egypt's and Syria's uh surprise attack. Um and although uh Israel um eventually uh reversed its losses, um Diane was criticized for strategic complacency and flawed assumptions, not unlike the criticism that was leveled at the Israeli military in the wake of the October 7th uh attacks um by by Hamas.

[14:08] So in 1974 um he resigned as um defense minister although he later served as foreign minister from 1977 to 1979 playing a key role um in the uh is Israel Egypt peace treaty that stands uh to this day. Um and then you know shortly, well not shortly but a couple years after um leaving um or or stepping down as minister of events um um uh

[14:44] Mosha Diane died. Um he he leaves a a mixed u uh legacy. He's on the one hand celebrated as one of Israel's greatest warriors, [clears throat] one who really established Israel as a military power um in the Middle East. Um but he is you know continues to be criticized uh for strategic blind spots and for uh

[15:19] controversial um decisions uh political decisions um of which he was a part. Um it it would seem like you know that for example the treaty between Israel and Egypt is an unmitigated good. Um but there are and and have been since its negotiation uh dissenters from from that uh you know perspective and and and so uh you know the reality is [clears throat] uh if if we look at great American uh

[15:54] military leaders whether it's um my favorite George Patton whether it's MacArthur whether it's uh even Eisenhower who probably is the most teflon American commander with possibly the exception of of George Washington. Um we can we see in them uh both greatness and and flaws. Um Eisenhower um saw as his main um his main goal was keeping the Allied coalition together.

[16:30] um often at what seems to be at times um a willingness to extend the war in order to take steps that he felt would hold the coalition together. Um, George Patton could could be uh um shall we say George Patton um I think you know failed at times to understand that war is not just fighting. There's a political dimension to war um as it appears to the public that he was not

[17:08] shall we say sufficiently of which he was not sufficiently mindful. So I think in that regard um Mosha Diane stands as a great military leader um and despite the criticisms despite the criticisms that attach to any great military leader they are after all human beings and so have their flaws and have their blind spots. So [clears throat] Mosha Diane did not leave a codified treatise on military doctrine but he he

[17:45] he wrote he gave speeches and one can also look at his actions and from them I distilled four lessons that I'm going to share with you after the break. [clears throat and cough] Probate and Trust TV, your curated source for the most useful and insightful content on estate planning and trust and probate administration, featuring standout professionals like Bill Gross, Paul Bralet, James Cunningham, and yours truly. Whether

[18:20] you're a lawyer, accountant, real estate professional, or working on your own succession plan, this channel helps you quickly find the clearest, most practical content YouTube has to offer. Subscribe now to Probate and Trust TV. Spend more time learning, less time searching. and I played the wrong spot, but I I'm not going to take up your time to uh to to play another one. So, okay. So, like I said, I I I I came up with uh four

[18:56] ideas that I think reflect that that you know, if if if Mosha Dia were were here with me, [laughter] right? um that I think he would agree are uh a part of his uh philosophy of of war and battle. Um and the first one has to do with speed, initiative, and surprise. So, uh Diane believed that Israel's survival depended on Israel staying on the

[19:31] offensive. uh in in that regard he was very much like Patton. Patton always wanted to be on the offensive. He did not uh pause and and take time to regroup. He the way he he fought as a commander was to always be pushing forward and his staff was responsible for making sure that the planning and the logistics were all in place so that his army could continually be on the move. So he recognized that

[20:08] that Israel's small size meant that wars had to be short and they had to be decisive. Uh in at the time, Israel's biggest enemies were um the various various Arab uh countries that surrounded it. And so for for um Israel to get into a protracted war with Egypt or Jordan or Syria or for that matter Saudi Arabia um would not have been something that it it that Israel could win. So um he as a

[20:47] result because he believed that that that wars or battles had to be short and decisive. So he he prioritized preeemption, rapid mobilization and seizing the initiative. And so um and this was one of I think it was because he did not follow this doctrine during the Yom Kipur war of 1973 um that that's where the criticism of Diane uh essentially started. So um he

[21:24] you know his core idea was essentially that Israel could not afford to lose uh a single war and therefore battles had to be won quickly and overwhelmingly. And so I I think too especially for those of us who have small businesses, small practices, right? we cannot uh sustain long-term competitive battles against larger uh better capitalized competitors. So we have to look for a market niche in

[22:03] which we can be uh we can let me take a step back. We need to find a market niche that we can move to quickly. That's kind of the rapid mobilization part. And that we can dominate uh because we can move more quickly, more more uh rapidly, not it's not exactly the same thing and and more nimly, right? And so we need to use our

[22:38] small size to take advantage of the larger, less mobile, less nimble size of our larger competitors, right? And so we need and we need to build this into our our businesses, right? So I'll give you an example from my own practice. Uh about a month ago, I was asked to uh take on the uh conser take on a

[23:13] conservatorship. Uh which is not something that that I do or that I wanted to do. Um a conservatorship. So for those of you who are not familiar with with my uh my core professional activities, I I administer I administrate uh probates and trusts. I'm an independent trustee and probate administrator. Right? So the license I have here in California uh permits me to also be a conservator and a guardian. Now the difference between the two is with probates and

[23:48] trusts I'm handling financial affairs something with which I've been involved for you know literally decades. In a conservatorship or guardian there there is sometimes a financial aspect to them. Something called uh conservator conservator of the estate meaning someone who's conserving the person's uh money wealth etc. But there's another part called conservator of the person who who is responsible for the welfare of that human being that I do not have

[24:27] you know any kind of skill or background or knowledge or experience doing. uh however I was introduced to uh someone uh through uh one of the attorneys with whom I'm work with whom I work who has a long background doing that and within [clears throat] a month's within really just a few weeks I guess in the end about a month of meeting this person we created an alliance whereby he because he has the knowledge to be a

[25:03] conservator of the person. We would um work together um where he would be conservator of the person because he has that body of knowledge and I would be conservator of the estate. He doesn't have that knowledge I do. So we complement each other and we saw that there would be a great deal of value in working together. So this is a way because we're both essentially sole practitioners, we can move very quickly. We can, you know, assess each other very

[25:39] rapidly. We have, you know, we don't have boards of directors or supervisors or layers of management through whom we have to go in order to make a decision about our businesses. We can we can do so rapidly. So we can use speed and initiative. Maybe not surprise per se, but speed and we can use speed and initiative to our competitive advantage. So that that's number one. Number two, uh psychological dominance. So So Diane

[26:15] uh saw psychological pressure as a legitimate and essential tool in battle. So [clears throat] his demonstrations of strength were were meant not just to win the current battle, but they were meant to deter further attacks. And he believed in shaping the enemy's perceptions through bold action. So, uh he reflected this this um this idea

[26:52] um that that uh creates this image of Israel as a strong military power um and and thereby reducing the possibility of pro prolonged conflict in the future. Right? So, how do we translate this to our businesses then? Well, we need wi with our businesses, we don't need just to be nimble, for example, or to be able to um act

[27:27] quickly. We need to create the perception that that is how we will act, that we're going to outmaneuver other competitors. Okay? And that's today we may call that branding. Uh in former times it was called developing a reputation. So [clears throat] we need to take the steps that will convince even our larger competitors that within our niche we're

[28:05] formidable. so that when they if if we have to go up against them, they they they they do so with at least a little bit of trepidation. Okay. So, how whatever competitive advantages we have, maybe it's our size, maybe it's our ability to adapt more quickly, maybe it's our ability to tailor our services or our products to specific customers um more rapidly and more finely than a larger company can.

[28:40] Okay? All of those have to become part of our marketing, our branding so that um we can if not literally dominate our competitors psychologically, we can put psychological pressure on them. Okay? And and and get them to sort of abandon the field, so to speak. Okay? So again, I'll give you an example from from from my own, you know, practice. Um, I was

[29:17] asked to be to administrate a particular probate and uh there was u it was a contested situation. So the the heirs had formed into two camps. This is not at all unusual in probate when someone dies without a will. Uh when in probate when someone dies without a will, i.e. they died in testate. Meaning there's nothing to look to to get direction about how the deedent wanted his affairs handled after he died. So you often times see the heirs break into two or even more

[29:54] sort of waring camps. uh the the you know combat uh metaphors you know notwithstanding and [clears throat] showed up in court for the initial hearing and the lawyer representing the other side I I he must have known me by reputation because to the best of my knowledge I'd never um met him let alone spoken to him before and uh we We held there was a preliminary hearing or an initial hearing I should

[30:30] say. Um oftentimes nothing is settled then. Uh but uh after that hearing um my lawyer and this other lawyer met and conferred. That's a a step that the probate court will typically require. Um and and as a result of that, the lawyer decided, you know what, it it's not worth fighting this battle. Kevin's a professional. He he he's he's widely known to handle things well. Let's just let's just stipulate to to Kevin administrating the estate and and move on with the administration rather than

[31:06] fighting. Right? So, um, I don't want to say that I psychologically dominated this person in the sense that that Mosha Diane might have used that idea, but I I was fortunate that he was aware of my reputation and that that reputation was good enough or it was good and strong enough, I I think a better way to put it that he concluded it was better just to go ahead and let me be appointed rather than to try and uh get someone who wasn't a professional uh appointed.

[31:42] Okay. All right. Next, [clears throat] intelligence as a foundation of operations. So, uh Diane viewed intelligence, especially human intelligence and reconnaissance of which he had been involved from the almost earliest part of his career. they he viewed these types of intelligence as the cornerstone of effective warfare. Now we have talked about the idea of of intelligence uh translating intelligence from a

[32:17] military perspective to a market perspective at various times on on these shows and but I don't think that this idea can be raised uh too often. Um so in Dian's case he looked at meticulous mapping observations and infiltrate even infiltration of the enemy. They were they were key components of his planning and the development of his thinking and his strategy. So [clears throat] his own career as a scout deeply

[32:54] informed this belief as as well one might imagine. And so, you know, translating this into the into the business side of things, you know, again, what we see is one way to it's almost enlarged as a competitor is to be more efficient and more thorough in gathering data. Right? So, we need to know as much as we can about as many of

[33:30] our competitors as we can so that uh we don't necessarily need to to denigrate our competitors. I'm not I'm not a big fan of that. uh what we do need to know is what are their weaknesses so that we can emphasize our strengths in those areas where they're weak. Okay. Now, are we always going to win a bin a you know um an a a customer or a client as a

[34:06] result? No, of course not. Right? But for those people who choose our competitors and then find out that indeed where we were saying we're the strongest, they find out, oh, they ch they chose this other they chose one of our competitors and they found, wow, they're really weak in this area where, you know, Kevin is saying he's strong. [snorts] Maybe maybe I should choose Kevin next time, right? Whether it's a product, whether it's a service, I I don't think it really matters. Okay. What we need to

[34:41] know is how can we how do we outperform our competitors and that's a and that's a largely a matter of intelligence gathering. Okay, we may need to buy our competitor's products and take a look at them and test them and see where do they stand up, where do they fail. We may need to uh you know talk to uh former clients of our competitors to find out how did they do, what did you

[35:17] like about what they did, what didn't you like about what they did or how they handled your your matter, your business affairs, whatever. Okay? And and in doing so, [clears throat] we can take that intelligence and we can sort of map out the competition and figure out how then do we get through that maze more successfully or successfully more often. Okay. So intelligence is a foundation of operations.

[35:52] And then finally um war as statecraft and its limits. So this really goes back to uh SunSu um the the great Chinese uh philosoph philosopher and milit military doctrine doc not doctrinire um some person who puts forth doctrine.

[36:17] >> [laughter]

[36:17] >> Okay, I can't think of what the correct word is, but um [clears throat] Sun Sue Diane like Suns Sue saw war or military action as an extension of politics or for or state craft. Politics by another name, right? Politics between countries used to be called statecraftraft. So [clears throat] it was a um you know a military or a military force was a is a practical tool

[36:52] for obtaining political objectives um rather than an expression of ideology, right? And so uh for examp so he you know in the latter part of his career as minister of foreign affairs uh Diane found ways to to make pragmatic compromises uh to advance Israel's security most notably in being a part of creating a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

[37:31] One of the best ways to win a war is to not have to fight it to begin with. And I think this is this is something that um people who have not been in the military sometimes get get wrong about those of us who have served. Uh, and I don't mean this as poratively as it sounds, but I think a lot of people they they they they [clears throat] think everyone who served in the military is is like, you know, General Patton who who truly loved being in battle in the heat of battle.

[38:07] Now, um, that doesn't I I I wouldn't frank I wouldn't count uh George Patton as a wararmonger in that sense. Uh but most people I've met in the military um they despise war um because they know what it means is um colleagues are going to be killed. They're going to face danger. They might have to face death. They might have to face the reality of having to kill other human beings. And and the fact of the

[38:42] matter is they'd rather not do it. Okay. So the best war is again the war that does not have to be fought. And [clears throat] one way to secure the safety of a country is to enter into peace treaties with its former enemies thereby if not eliminating reducing the chances that the country will have to fight a war. So um so despite um Dian's, uh reputation on the battlefield, he understood the moral and strategic limits of using

[39:19] force. Um, and [clears throat] this this also um I think this was this this also could contribute a little bit to the blind spot of which he was accused where sort of hope overrode reality um and he and resulting in him being unprepared for the Yum Kipur war. Um however after the Yom Kipur war uh you know Diane having recognized I think his mistakes so he warned against

[39:55] overconfidence and he emphasized the need um for uh diplom diplomatic solutions or to the he he recognized that diplomacy needed to be used uh once deterrence was established in order to um um create a secure Israel um that didn't have to fight um as much. And so I think too with with our businesses

[40:30] um we we we think of competition often times in a warlike context. I I find that um disturbing. uh e even more so when people um use war and battle metaphors in in interactions between human beings who who differ in their views on things like politics and such. uh what I think it's it's better to think of uh business as competition

[41:06] not war number one and number two to the extent that we can find opportunities to work together uh for the greater good of what of of of a former competitor that that is the ideal solution. Okay. So, uh you know, as as as I look around, so when I when I I'll go back to my example of this uh this fellow I was mentioning who uh um is is a conservator of the

[41:42] person. So when when we first met and we were talking about what we do and I said, "I'm a professional fiduciary." He said, "Oh." He said, "Yeah, I'm I'm actually getting into that field myself." And my my first instinct was, "Oh no, another competitor." Right? Uh but but in reality, by stepping back from that initial impulse and digging into what is it he really wanted to do, what I found was instead of a competitor, I had an ideal colleague. Right? And so I think this is

[42:18] where it's most important to really talk things through with people and not assume that merely because they're in the same field as we are that they are in fact a competitor. They may be in which case hey you know let the best firm win. Um but they we there may be significant differences in the emphasis or focus of a practice or a business. And so it may be that there there are complements that would allow otherwise

[42:57] what would be otherwise be competitors to work together for their mutual benefit. So I think that um these are uh some of the uh ideas that we can learn from um the great Israeli general Mosha Diane. Uh I I will tell you that uh in the 1960s and early 1970s I was a boy and a teenager and and I would hear um on the news reports about the things that Mosha Diane had accomplished and and for me it

[43:33] was a source of of tremendous pride. And uh so I I talk about a lot of military figures. This is one that while I never knew him personally, it it's someone for whom I was I was alive during the the the time of his successes. And so it has a different context than for example when I talk about uh George Patton. So Mosha Diane's life and philosophy combined audacious rapid offensive operations, flexibility and initiative

[44:09] at every level. something we can certainly uh build into our businesses. Deterrence through visible strength, intelligency after military advantage has been established. So, I think I I showed you some ways to translate those into good business practices. And I hope that you will think about these and and perhaps you'll uh adopt and adapt one of them, one or more of them into your business.

[44:47] So, I thank you very much for joining me today. It's always great to see live viewers uh out there. And let's see, tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. is my show, People Making Money. And then on Thursday at 5:00 PM Pacific time is my show, Jiggers's Place. We'll have a cocktail and a smoo as we head toward the end of the week. So, I thank you very much for joining me, wishing you a wonderful rest of the day and signing off as I always do. Marie Darling, you are my bell.