Follow Geoffrey Linkedin Facebook
Email Geoffrey Email
Legal Issues
Jan 1, 2016

Why Business Owners Should Read ‘A Message to Garcia’

Sponsored Content provided by Geoffrey Losee - Partner, Rountree Losee LLP

When the United States faced a war with Spain, the president was anxious for information. He realized that success meant that the soldiers of the republic must cooperate with the insurgent forces of Cuba. He understood that it was essential to obtain accurate intelligence about the opposing Spanish forces. The leader of the insurgents, Cuban General Calixto García, was somewhere in the mountains of Cuba, but no one knew where. President William McKinley asked his head of the Bureau of Military Intelligence, "Where can I find a man who will carry a message to Garcia?" The answer was in a young West Point graduate, lieutenant Andrew Summers Rowan.
 
When I was a plebe at the U.S. Naval Academy, the “inspirational essay” entitled “A Message to Garcia,” written in 1899 by Elbert Hubbard, was one of many items of my mandatory reading. That essay has been part of my learned “insights,” and seemed an apt source for an article under the banner of Insights.
 
What application does this have to the business reporting of the Greater Wilmington Business Journal? Everything!
 
“A Message to Garcia” is the author’s call to action for all persons who carry out an enterprise to concentrate on one thing and do it. In so doing, the author encourages independent action – to  identify the goal and object, think about it, formulate a plan and execute the plan (without the delay that attends asking numerous questions about subtasks). The entire text of “A Message to Garcia” is available here.
 
While (in my opinion) the essay contains sound guidance that any business person may use in the hiring and firing of employees, an exception to its message of independent action comes in the need to practice proper preparation to prevent particularly poor performance in business.
 
Operating a general practice law firm, we have always advised our clients that they are better off engaging professional services (be they legal, accountancy or otherwise) in the planning phase of any endeavor than to seek counsel after the fact. Even if counsel are engaged early for the sole purpose of education and issue spotting, and the principals of a business then carry on without further guidance, it is better to go into that enterprise with eyes wide open than to operate on a hunch.
 
To be sure, it is always more expensive to litigate a dispute than to engage counsel to assist in proper prior planning. That expense is measured not only in dollars, but in stress. I humbly encourage you all to read “A Message to Garcia,” and when implementing its philosophy in your business practices, to consider the cost savings from properly counseled prior preparation.
 
Geoff Losee can be reached by visiting www.rountreelosee.com, by email at [email protected] or by calling (910) 763-3404. Rountree Losee LLP has provided a full range of legal services to individuals, families and businesses in North Carolina for over 110 years. As well-recognized leaders in each of the areas in which they practice, the attorneys of Rountree Losee provide clients a wealth of knowledge and experience. In their commitment to provide the highest quality legal service, they handle a wide range of legal issues with creativity, sensitivity and foresight. 
 

Rountree insights blk
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Cfss headshots parker robert webversion 21422121214

The Latest Solar Scams and What You Can Do to Help Stop Them

Robert Parker - Cape Fear Solar Systems
Mcwhorter 0005

The Coastal Corridor is Helping Wilmington Startups With Connected Devices for Life Sciences Industry

Heather McWhorter - UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Jessiepowellheadshot webversion

5 Reasons to Build Custom Franchise Software

Jessie Powell - Wide Open Tech

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Berries, A Battlefield And More In Pender

The N.C. Blueberry Festival, founded in 2003, is one of several events in Pender County that have drawn more attention over the years....


Q&A: Andrews Reflects On Leadership

Pender County Manager David Andrews is slated to retire this summer after 33 years in local government....


Park Progress

The planning for Pender Commerce Park began in the early 2000s when the county wanted to create an economic driver on its largely rural west...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments