Compass Reads for 2012

Following is an abridged listing of our audience favorite reads for 2012: 

• Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail
• Preparation Precedes Performance
• The Sign of the Times: The Robots Trend is Here
• The Vending Machines Trend  
• Compass Trend (8): The Automated Trend Continues
• Compass Trend (10): Employing the Health-Perfect Employees...
• Our Compass Toolbox
• Understanding the Competition  
• Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare (Military Methods)  
• Jiang Tai Gong

Happy New Year.  ... 

--- The Compass360 Consulting Group.

Compass Trend #29: The Robotics Economy!

This is an old topic that we forgot to post.  When some of the jobs are going toward robotics, where would the rest of the jobs originated from?

That is one of the many macro causes of an economically challenged economy.   This is the effect

Machines 1  Human Race 0

Compass Trend #28: The Gaming Economy

The gaming economy is now a part of our mobile economy.   Its portability is a segment of its efficiency. The "commoditization" of this marketplace is inevitable due to its simplicity and the quality of the various competition. ... Some portions of the gaming evolution will be based on the user's experience. The next innovation would be the player becoming a "live" part of the game through the use of a mobile device.  The stakes might be pseudo-risky and the prizes could be small.  But the experience will be individually unique.

The Compass Tradition

Our friends at Cook Ding Kitchen reminded us to follow good pragmatic traditions.

During the winter season, some of the group are currently practicing this tradition and other unique strategic customs that will enables them to hone their skills as a strategist.  ... One of the following weekends, some of the group will be re-reading some of the following books:

• Against the Gods;
• Dao De Jing;
• The Protracted Game;
• The Tao of Deception;
• The Tao of Physics; 
• The Romance of the Three Kingdoms; and
• other unique strategic classics.

Here is an abridged list of the current "hot" books that we are reading:

• Anti-Fragile 
• The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail- but Some Don't 
• Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe

For those who are audio listeners, we recommended the following:

• Sawyer's Seven Military Classics of Ancient China

The rest of us will also be working on our Tangible Vision and our Compass Script.

Read, reflect and adjust.  That is the sequence of a good strategic thinker.

# 

# Updated on 12/29/2012

Compass360 Consulting Suggestion For Shoppers (Who are Strategic Thinkers)

For the novice strategist, we highly recommended Dr. Sawyer's Seven Military Classics of Ancient China and Dr. Roger Ames's Sun Tzu's The Art of the Warfare.

Those who are interested in ancient Chinese warfare, from the prehistoric period through the fifth century B.C.E.  Please check out this Dr. Ralph Sawyer's classic.   It has been rumored that his book on the Warring States will be published at an unscheduled date. 

His recent translation of Li Quan's strategy classic is quite interesting.

It has been rumored that Dr. Sawyer will be publishing new translations of various strategic topics quite soon.

For those who are living in disaster terrains or know people who are residing in those same terrains , we recommended C Crane radios.   They have been selling very sturdy radios and other interesting electronic products for a long time.

Gerald Weinberg's books are always a good read for the budding consultants and the wily strategic thinkers. 

The martial art strategists  who are looking for another view in the martial arts, check out Mr. Matz's of Cook Ding Kitchen's first book.  We give it a "double thumbs up."

Here is our previous list.

The Dao of the Unorthodox (Surprise) Approach or Play #6: The No-Huddle

The success of New England Patriots no-huddle offense can be based on Tom Brady the Pat's QB understanding of their competitor's tendencies in certain situations.  

Side note: We are presuming that this Belichick senior advisor who specializes in exotic strategic activities, is the "brain trust" behind that specific task.

Their no-huddle approach is based on the following steps

• Calls a specific formation (with a base set of tactical plays) from the line of scrimmage; 
• Reads the defensive reaction of the competition; and 
• Responds by adjusting the routes to the reaction.

Primary receivers run their designated route or the alternative route while secondary receivers either execute their "check and release" routes. Proper observation of the competitor's defensive alignment is the key to their adjustment.

This "read and respond" approach only works if the play caller's team have prepared themselves by mastering the entire set of relevant scenario adjustment plays for each formation.

Notes from the Compass Desk

The no-huddle approach has been used in the military and the other professional sports.  It is only a matter of time that certain business organizations utilize a similar approach to dominate their marketplace.

Knowing the objective and the approach for defeating a competitor is slightly easy.  The first step is knowing the tendencies of the competition.  Understanding the tendencies allows one to know the objective of one's competitor.  

Building the executable means that connected the modes to the approach is the other key to building one's strategic power.

You do know how to do both tasks.  Do you?

The Return of a Pragmatic Solution

Click here for a possible approach to countering the "insane shooting" dilemma.  ... It is not a guaranteed winner.  But this pragmatic solution offers the individual a defensive chance to survive.

There is no perfect tool or law that will protect the individual.  While situations do matter, the individual must be able to adjust to their given situation.

Assessing a Situation in a Chaotic Setting

Click here and here for a story where a person did not properly assess the situation from the field level.  Regardless of the reason and the outcome, it is helpful to know what to do in a chaotic situation.

Following is our abridged list of pointers:

• Never position yourself between the platform edge and the other people. Always stay back. People with malicious intent or no impulse control can terminate your life instantly and with minimum effort.
• Always keep one hand free and never put your hands in the pockets of your coat or your jacket.
• Wear a head set when utilizing your mobile phone.  Conceal the phone in some situations.
• Always take the station entrance that immediately leads to the section of the platform that has a significant number of riders who is waiting for the train. 
• While waiting at the front section of the line, never be #1.  Position yourself a few people ahead of you. 
• Always stand sideways. Scan the observable terrain while be mindfully aware of your settings.
• While waiting at the end of the line, stand against the wall if possible. The wall is your friend.   (However, do not get surrounded by the wrong people.  ...)
• Do not rely on the transit police to save the day.  (Cavalry rescue usually cost money.   ...   The transit police usually arrive after the incident has occurred.) 
• Always  avoid any direct confrontation. Be prepared for a worst case scenario.

Utilizing all of these pointers in three seconds or less should be as easy as breathing.  You do breathe.  ... Don't you?   ...  All you have to do is assess, position and influence.   ... Observe, Orient, Decide and Act (OODA) is a process that takes too much time.

The Compass Desk

The above pointers are only valid in a general situation.   Having the "skill" to read and recognize a situation under duress is a different story.  ... Knowing what exceptions are in play requires good mindful awareness.  You do pay attention to your setting. Do you?   ... 

The Compass Solution
In that situation, assess the configuration of the situation.  Position oneself in a setting of no relevance. Influence the other person to do any activity else indirectly. 

By assessing properly, one could position oneself two steps ahead of the weird. 

Our friend from Cook Ding's Kitchen recommends the same approach and refers it as "Ting Jing. Dong Jing. Fa Jing" solution.

In planning, never a useless move.  
In strategy, no useless move in vain.  -Chen Hao

Intermittently. we usually recommend to most people (with minimum awareness skill) to play it safe.  Focus on low risk and high safety moves, especially in a chaotic situation.   Do not execute any thoughtless moves. 

Do not be a 10 o clock news item or an anecdote in a post martial art training session.   ...  It is not a good idea.

Pragmatic Practice (8): Armchair Strategists

Our associate from Cook Ding's Kitchen suggested the practice of sitting like the above picture.  

There are hidden specifics behind these two pictures.

Do you know how does this sitting posture improves one's focus?  ... It does work for some situations.  ...  Try it and tell us what happens.  

Personally, I preferred to stand.

Compass Trend # 27: The "Efficient Algorithm" Society

In the "efficient algorithm" economy, almost everyone is being scored and ranked . To get ahead, it helps to know the hidden situational rules of the "information economy" game.

Compass360 Consulting Recommendation

To understand the configuration of the Big Tangible Picture, we recommended the reading of Jiang Tai Gong  (JTG)and his Six Secret Teachings book.   

In the Chinese strategy game, he is considered to be "The Father of Strategic Studies."  Military generals and professional strategic implementers usually read his essay for a grandier view of strategy while the solders, the amateur thinkers and field specialists studied the Art of War.

Six Secret Teachings
This book is a great book for "newbies" who are interested in strategic consulting and advising. It consists of six chapters that guide the readers in the art and science of effective strategy and leadership from a top-down mode.

Here is a brief description of Jiang's concepts in a contemporary sense.

The first two "chapters" deal with the duties of the organization and the natural transition of power to the principal rival if the organization fails. This scenario can be described as a "respective" interplay of "yin and yang."

The Civil Strategic Secret
The first chapter stresses the importance of recruiting talent, managing the organization, and valuing developing a proper relationship with your client and your own organization. Once the bond of absolute trust is established, they will intensively listen to you.

The Military Strategic Secret 
The second chapter accentuates the importance of how to prevail over the competition and how to build a territorial domain by the following actions: Cultivating yourself and organizing your own group in order to govern your external settings and pacify the world. The concept of "conquering without a single tactical battle" is also greatly emphasized. (It is similar to Sunzi's concept of "winning a war without a battle.")

The Dragon Strategic Secret 
The emphasis is on how to lead wisely through various situations by understanding and development operational command, order, and liaison.

The Tiger Strategic Secret 
The emphasis is on the tactical essentials, that include matters related to logistics and operations for certain scenarios.

The Leopard Strategic Secret 
This chapter focuses on the tactical specifics for finding the critical path toward completing the objective

The Dog Strategic Secret 
This final chapter focuses on the tactical specifics of trapping the target (i.e., chasing, encircling and intercepting). There are also good points on selecting and training the desired professionals and coordinating the personnel's and resources toward the target.

Other Notes
Understanding and mastering the content from Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (civil secret teachings and martial secret teachings) is the key to being a good consulting adviser.
These two chapters  indirectly outline the various ways of "suggesting" ideas and perspectives to the principal client for the purpose of gaining the client's trust. .

Our "Cardinal" associate has described the comparison of the concepts behind Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 to  that of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, but with a Daoist perspective.  Those who comprehend the essence of Daoism,  understand what is his point.

From our understanding of chapter three to chapter six,  the ultra class professionals  are usually focused on increasing their strategic effectiveness while the amateurs are centered on implementing operational procedures.

To start an uprising in your competitive arena, you should carefully study those two chapters first.

Trivia
Beside the current batch of PRC military thinkers, the famous Zhang Liang and Zhuge Liang were also readers of the Six Secret Teachings.