Resources are often first thought of as “things” — minerals in the ground, oil, a stand of timber, land. It is accepted that resources can also include things that are less tangible: time, ideas, knowledge, intellectual property, even relationships. And possibly even more importantly, resources can encompass things that are very intangible — mental energy, willpower, attention, the ability to focus, determination, self-discipline, resolve, and commitment.
As an example, Nazi Germany lost the Battle of Britain almost by an accident, a whim, . . . or maybe even a tantrum.
After overrunning Europe to the English Channel, the intention was to invade Britain. This would remove the potential threat of an enemy, a front, to the west. The next closest possible base for the Allies would be Iceland, a long way across the stormy North Atlantic.
Before it would be possible to prepare and launch an invasion fleet, Germany had to ensure that their ships could not be attacked from the air. They needed to have control of the sky above their troops — not just “air superiority,” but mastery. Otherwise, a single Allied aircraft might sink a ship carrying a thousand troops. That potential leverage had to be eliminated.
So, the plan was to use Germany’s great advantage in numbers of aircraft and aircrews to exhaust and eliminate the Royal Air Force. Thus began the “Battle of Britain” — perhaps the greatest battle fought solely in the air.
Repeatedly, on every flyable day, the German air force, the Luftwaffe, attacked every air base within range. And every day — sometimes several times every day — weary RAF pilots would climb into their Hurricanes and Spitfires and rise to meet them . . . in dwindling numbers. Every loss was almost irreplaceable. Replacement pilots could not be trained to combat standards in such a short time. Factories couldn’t keep up with the losses of aircraft. The end of the RAF was near-inevitable.
In terms of tangible resources, the RAF was running on empty.
Here’s where the human, or even spiritual, component comes in.
A squadron of German bombers got a bit “lost” above cloudy England and dropped their bombs, not on an RAF airbase, but on a populated area. There was some loss of life and the tragedy was a sufficient shock to the public that it was felt that a response was required.
Britain had very little ability to mount a meaningful response, but a small squadron of arguably obsolete British bombers were sent to retaliate and bomb Berlin. Few made it there. Fewer made it home. They did very little damage. A futile effort. It was mostly a “political” response.
Or maybe not.
Hitler had sworn to the people of Germany that no bombs would ever fall on them. But here they were. So, again, a political response seemed to be required. Enraged, Hitler ordered a retaliatory bombings of London. German squadrons were diverted from attacking air bases to attacking cities. And tragic as that was, it was also a blessing to the RAF. Every day that there were fewer raids on airbases was a day of repair and rebuilding. And the Luftwaffe was losing aircraft without progressing toward the original goal. Although the outcome still hung in the balance for some time, defeat was no longer inevitable. With enough such days it became possible to replace the losses and hold on.
By being distracted from the single goal of eliminating the RAF as an effective force, Germany’s resources were not as focused — attention, focus, and commitment. By taking their attention away from their most important goal, the moment was lost. And a few months later, so was the Battle of Britain. The RAF regained superiority over Britain and eventually the English Channel. The invasion ships were never launched.
Attention and focus are, ultimately, a limited resource. Keeping this in mind has application in all aspects of life.
Magicians (and pickpockets!) make a living taking advantage of this. They distract you with one hand while the other performs the legerdemain that will appear as “magic.”
Our attention, our focus, our ability to keep “our eye on the ball,” to not lose track of what is important in any situation, may be the resource most essential to success in anything. It can be as simple as not letting supper burn in the oven while you answer the phone.
And other resources — time, energy, materials — tend to follow our attention.
You can see this in sports, where mental focus can be everything. Bruce Lee. Tiger Woods. Wayne Gretzky.
This idea of attention being a limited resource is frequently used in politics. Announcements of unpopular policies can be released at the end of the day on Friday afternoons, when many people’s attentions have turned to the weekend and relaxation. Or even better, announced in the middle of some big event or natural disaster. The worst moments of the COVID pandemic provided politicians and even countries with something of a smoke screen under which to act while an adversary’s attention might be distracted. What a good time to push forward with a proposed highway that will benefit your cronies, or invade and reclaim what you consider to be a “breakaway” province.
In our everyday lives, even when we are not consciously using strategy, we can be aware of when it is being used around us or against us.
“Go ahead! Put all your eggs in one basket! But keep your eyes on the basket!”
— Mark Twain