Theory of Incremental Advantage

Determination Paid Off for Albert Einstein

Despite his genius and unflagging attempts to secure a teaching position, Albert Einstein did not gain a full professorship until four years after he revolutionized physics. The proposed salary was less than he was earning from the Swiss Patent office.

For several years, Albert Einstein could not get an assistant teaching position in all of Europe. He applied to nearly every university from the tip of Norway to the heal of Italy. He even resorted to buying postage prepaid postcards to elicit a response. Most professors did not even show him the respect to return their prepaid postcards. Einstein was especially interested in obtaining an assistant teaching position under Dr. Wilhelm Ostwald from the University of Leipzig. No response despite repeated attempts by Albert. Albert’s father, Hermann, even resorted to writing Dr. Ostwald directly to plead his son’s case. Still no response. Hermann indicated that he would even be grateful if the respected physicist would just write Albert a few encouraging words. No response. However, nine years later Dr. Ostwald was the first to nominate Albert Einstein to receive the Nobel Prize.

Martin Luther King Persevered Despite Fatal Risks

Dr. Martin Luther King was relentless in pursuing civil rights despite having faced a barrage of attacks before he was assassinated. Dr. King was stabbed by a deranged black woman, beaten on an airplane flight by an enraged white passenger, and pummeled at a newly integrated hotel in Selma, Alabama. He also was attacked by a Nazi Party member in Birmingham.

Determination is More Important that Material

Napoleon had compared the material with the will to fight - and concluded that the will in war was ten times as important as the material supplied.

When Burning Bridges is a Good Idea

We have all heard the advice, "Don't burn your bridges." However, when confronted with a major challenge that is absolutely imperative that you win, burning your bridges can be a powerful motivator.

When you have no avenue of retreat you simply must prevail. A case in point goes back to 1519 when Spanish adventurer Hernando Cortes landed near Veracruz and burned his ships, effectively cutting off his tiny army's escape route. The result was that Cortes's army of roughly 500 Spanish soldiers dominated the Aztec Empire in Central America which was comprised of several million people.

Much of the credit for Cortes's success has been attributed to the use of horses by his soldiers and to their Toledo steel swords and firearms. While these were significant psychological factors, Cortes only had 15 horses and the Spaniard's weapons were extremely unreliable.

What gave Cortes an incremental advantage in his quest to dominate the Aztec Empire was that the year 1519 happened to coincide with a period in the Aztec calendar when the g-d Quetzalcoatl was predicted to return over the sea from exile. In ancient paintings, Quetzalcoatl was depicted as having fair skin and a beard as did Cortes. Thus, Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, was reluctant to bring all of the strength of the Aztec empire to bear in fighting the Spaniards.

Similarly, during the Vietnam War, General William Westmoreland is reported to have required his officers to write their own obituaries before the Tet Offensive began. This recognition that failure would result in death is said to have put the officers more at ease.