EVERYONE IS MORTAL

In deciding to go after Robert E. Lee in 1864, Ulysses S. Grant knew that he would be taking on the most admired commander of the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee's praises were not only sun by the Southern press but by many Northern newspapers. Some Union officers were so afraid of him that in spite of Grant's successes in the West, it was not uncommon for officers in the Army of the Potomic to remind Grant's staff that Grant had yet to meet Bobby Lee.

"The natural disposition of most people is to clothe a commander of a large army whom they do not know, with almost superhuman abilities. A large part of the National [Union] army....and most of the press of the country, clothed General Lee with just such qualities, but I had known him personally, and knew that he was mortal; and it was just as well that I felt this." --- Ulysses S. Grant

LESSON: Cultivate a healthy respect for your competitors, but bear in mind that they too put their pants on one leg at a time. Try not to overestimate or underestimate them, and never forget that no matter how highly one or more of them may be regarded, if you make the mistake of holding them in awe, you will lack the will to beat them.