In business as in life, most people are lost in space. They do not know what is their grand objective, where to pursue their objective, when to pursue their objective, etc. Somehow, they just get by. ... They always think that there is another opportunity that is positioned behind the next corner. ... Thinking about it and recognizing it are two different modes. # Following is an abridged listing of some other questions that people would ask:
When does one creates the opportunity?
When does one finds the opportunity?
When does one waits for the opportunity?
During a competitive conflict, when does the competitive strategist run a series of probing plays to understand the motive and methods of the competition?
When does he stage and shape the competition before implementing the subverting play?
Better yet, when does he pursue the positive momentum play?
The clue to answering those questions is to understand the Big Tangible Picture. When the configuration of the Big Tangible Picture is recognized, the ideas begin to appear. More to come. ...
What are the Five Critical Strategic Factors (CSFs)?
Dao (The Way) is the singularity
Tien (Heaven) is the cyclical state
Dian (Earth) is the strategic situation
Jiang (General) is the leadership qualities
Fa (Methods, processes, etc.) is the efficacy of logistics and economics
Based on the information relating to the Five CSF, does the chief decision maker possessed the leadership qualities and the processes to match or to exceed the strategic criteria of the singularity. You can read more about it on Chapter One of the Sun zi essay.
Using The Heaven Factor and The Earth Factor as a Guide
“Among the spiritual nothing is more honored than
Heaven, among strategic power nothing more conductive than earth, among
movements nothing more urgent than time, and among employments nothing more
advantageous than man. Now these fours are the trunks and branches of the army.
But they must rely the Tao before they can be implemented and attain unified
employment.
Now advantages of Earth overcome season of Heaven;
skillful attacks overcome advantages of Earth; strategic power conquers men.
Those who rely on Heaven can be confused, who rely on Earth can be
constrainted, who rely on time can be pressed and who rely on men can be
deluded. Now benevolence, courage, trust and purity are attractive human
attributes, but the courageous can be enticed; the benevolent can be seized,
the trusting can be deceived, and the pure are easily plotted against. If the
army’s commander displays any one of these attributes, he will be captured. From
this perspective, it is clear that armies control victory through the patterns
of the Tao, not through relying upon the talents of worthies. Only those worth
form cannot be ensnared. For the reason the Sage conceals himself in the
originless so that his emotions cannot be perceived. He moves in the formless
so that deployment cannot be fathomed. Without tactics or appearance, he acts
appropriately.Without name or shape, he
changes and creates an image. Even among those with acute victory,. Who can spy
out his nature?”
Regardless of the message of "Big Data" from Silicon Valley, some of the techies are currently utilizing the services of psychics and astrologers for "subjective" insights. Click here for more information on how some of the techies are receiving help from "the psychic powers from beyond." Q: Would you trust some techies who emphasized the big data as the solution to gain informational insights while utilizing non-techie approach for their own usage? Other Means In the Asian realm, some preferred the essence of Yi-Jingfor guidance while the others choose the approach of Ling Ch'i Ching. The Dao of the Compass Our base preference is to utilize the Sunzi's Victory Temple Model (The Compass360 Consulting Group's Strategic Assessment chart) for assessing strategic situations. As mentioned in the certain Chinese strategic classics (Sunzi, Six Secret Teachings, etc.) insights are usually gained from intelligence, not from pseudo psychics.
Kurosawa's Sanjurois a very good movie for those who are interested in learning how to assess (or read) a situation in terms of its configuration.
Abstract
Toshiro Mifune plays Sanjuro, a ronin who saves a group of young samurai from being slaughtered by a high political official and then began to mentor them on possessing the right set of information before consummating any strategic decision. (The storyline is slightly more complex than what is being described here.) Throughout the movie, he indirectly advised them to do the following steps:
Assess their situation patiently with the tangible truth;
Sort through the information; and
Act on rational logic not on emotional impulse.
This grand lesson was repeated many times. Scenes From the Movie
Board meeting
Just Giving Me Some Money
Staking Out the Enemy
Three Cats and A Tiger
Two Unsheathed Swords
In each of the mentioned scenes, he assisted the samurais on identifying their objective with the given information, instead of pursuing a objective without zero information by constantly reminding them to patiently study the configuration of each situation by focusing on a set of particular factors and items before concluding a decision.
Throughout the movie,Sanjuroalmost always made quality decisions- except for the choice of the Komyo Temple for his story and the picking of the flowers at the wrong time (for the purpose of signaling his group of samurai to raid the targeted house).
At the near conclusion of this movie, this group of novice samurai finally learned the lesson of making good strategic decisions by being self-patient.
The Dao of Decision Management There are a few good lessons for the budding chief decision makers:
Self Control
Mutsuta's wife: You're too sharp. That's your trouble. You're like a drawn sword. Sharp, naked without a sheath. You cut well. But good swords are kept in their sheaths.
Gathering Intelligence
Sanjuro emphasized the lesson of gathering and assessing information. Instead of vaulting into an uncertain tactical situation, the smart strategist must ensure that he/she have the right set of information before ever concluding a tangible decision.
Diverting and Deceiving
There were also a few good examples of misdirection ("divert to deceive" tactics) in this movie. Each example begins with the chief decision makers who are operating with incomplete information..
A Compass Insight Whenever, one is not focused on their current task-objective while not being mindful of their setting and beyond, the probability of errors will definitely rise. In a chaotic setting, remember that good swords are kept in their sheaths
“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the confrontation, they resolve in their conference room that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the confrontation they resolve in their conference room that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.
If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor?
When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.”
- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation)
The first chapter in Sawyer's translation of the Art of War, aptly titled “Initial
Estimations,” which outlines five critical factors for assessment, initiated
the thrust to undertake warfare on a calculated basis so closely associated
with traditional Chinese military science. (The Art of War actually contains some forty or so paired criteria for
evaluation purposes.)
Following is a general listing of strategic factors for this "specific" field tactical situation:
The Configuration of the Terrain: The specific qualities of a terrain that could affect the remaining five strategic factors;
Generalship (or Leadership)- Possessing the qualities to see the configuration of Big Tangible Picture while maintaining one's principles before capitalizing the opportunities and having the attentiveness to adjust and persist;
Tactical Experience- Mastering a diversity of practical tactics that efficiently utilize the resources and the technology and having the comprehension that connects their approach, the executable of the means and the modes that support the means;
Resources- Possessing the access to quality resources;
Technology- Possessing the technology that offers a tactical equilibrium advantage; and
Strategy- Understanding the specifics of the current goal, the approach, the contingency plans, and the tactical options while having a direction once a tactical scenario is over.
The above video displayed two female fighters who are in positioned in a confrontation situation. Fighter A is dressed in white and Fighter B is dressed in beige. (It is from Ang Lee's 2001's martial art fantasy movie "Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon.") Profile of Fighter A
Specializing the application of a double-edged bladed implement (jian).
Possessing less tactical experience in properly utilizing the double edged sword
Possessing minimum emotional control
Possessing a lighter double-edged sword that is ultra sharp (superior technology)
Profile of Fighter B
Possessing an abundance of tactical experience and a wide array of combat tactics while utilizing an assortment of average weaponry (quality technology).
Possessing strong emotional control
Preferring the sabre (dao).
in this video, Fighter B had the advantage to the various specific weapons that were positioned in the room.
Analysis In some situations, the choice of weapon represents the mindset of the implementer. The tactical approach of Fighter A is based on cut-parrying movements while Fighter B favored to chop and slice.
While watching the video, you see a sequence of six different rounds of quick clashes.
the straight sword vs. the single saber (During this round, the single sabre is separated into a pair of double sabers)
the straight swordvs. the spear
the straight swordvs. a pair of hooked swords
the straight swordvs. the monk spade
the straight swordvs. the Gan (an unsharpen metal club-like sword)
the straight sword vs. an two handed long straight sword
The Battle For the first three rounds, Fighter A with average skill, possessed the "ultra sharp" implement (superior technology), that destroyed all three weapons of her opponent. Fighter B had the advantage in tactical experience, but used the wrong tactical approach of hacking and trapping against the sharper sword. Fighter B did not have the physical foundation to use the Monk Spade in the fourth round. While being slowly worn down by Fighter B with a "Gan" (club-like sword), Fighter A was able to cut through it. In the last round, Fighter B finally secured the advantageous gain by combining her usage of a long two-handled sword, the vantage of "spatial distance" andthe "swing, slide and tap/slice" trap tactic to secure the advantageous gain of shortening the distance and pinning the endpoint of the broken blade to the throat of Fighter A.
Assessing the Process of The Battle Regarding to the above movie clip, certain factors were balanced out. The battle was about Fighter A who had basic tactical experience and better technology (double edge sword) vs. Fighter B who possessed a high level of experience and a wide array of average technology . The fighter with the superior technology would prevail by following the two strategic steps:
Surprising the opponent with the new advantage; and
Pursuing and pressing the opponent relentlessly before any strategic recovery occurs.
The person with the wider tactical experience become victorious by following the three pointers:
Influencing the opponent to play defense;
Refraining from clashing with the opponent's superior technology with a confrontational movement; and
Employing unorthodox tactics (with better maneuvers) to bait the opponent's to mis-utilize their advantage (which could open up their guard).
The "first move advantage" approach and continuous attacking were the keys to prevailing in this distinct
situation of uneven advantage. Comments From The Compass Desk In a moderately predictable confrontational situation, most field competitors have minimal strategic skills and the time to study their opponent. They ignored the strategic side of the match and utilized their base instinct to persist and survive. ... Also, most people do not have the time or the methodical perspective to assess a borrowed instrument and proceed with their basic instinct, their experience with that category of instrument, and presumed that they will prevail before the weapon falters. Sometimes,they get lucky in encountering an unskilled opposition. Against a stronger opposition who is proficient in misleading the sensorial perception of their counterpart, the result outcome could be quite negative.
Those who are competing in an intensive competition, should remember the following quote from Questions and Replies between T'ang T'ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung. "According to Fan Li's book, 'If you're last use yin tactics, if you're first then use yang tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy's yang tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy's tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy measures, then expand your yin to the full and seize them.' This then is the subtle mysteriousness of yin and yang according to the strategists." This principle has great depth behind its context. One should contemplate quietly and deeply when implementing their daily practice. Hint: Save your time. The answer is not in your copy of the Art of War or the 36 Stratagems manual. This type of experience occurs from many years of intense but unique martial arts practice sessions. Side Notes Click here for a post on how to assess the quality of a sword. We might post a specific example on how the mentioned six strategic factors played a role in how the outcome of Three Kingdom's Red Cliff event was affected. You could read a portion of it by reading Dr. Sawyer's biography of Zhuge Liang. If one is interested in learn more about the world of martial arts, please visit Cook Ding's Kitchen. It is a great place for newbies like us to visit and learn.
How do you assess an certain object in an uncertain setting?
While studying the video of a displayed sword or an actual sword at an auction, you wanted to know if it is an actual antique sword or a well-made replica. Lets say that you have decided to purchase a jian (a Chinese double-edged sword). Based on your "sword collecting" experience and some sword play training experience, you have already known that it is the lightest of the Chinese medium-sized weapons and requires a great "intent-driven" skill to manipulate.
Purchasing a Sword
As the blade was being slid from the sheath, you noticed the color of the blade as a glow of light that was reflected on it.
You were quietly impressed by the opulence and the elegance of the sword. After a few moments, you decided to seriously assess this exotic sword. The first step was the estimating of the weight, the length of the sword and the width of the blade in a New York second. The next step is the visual inspection of the pommel, the tang, the slab, the cross guard and the blade.
While estimating the thickness of the handle, you are also studying the design of the hilt. Because of your expertise, you understood the origin of the design, the possible quality of metal from hilt to blade and the weight of the blade.
Beside on some of the earlier points, you have concluded that the hilt of the sword could be heavier than the blade. Assessing the Sword By Physical Swordplay
Some novices or ranked amateurs would occasionally grab the bladed implement, look at it with a glance, feel the weight and the blade and started to "sling and fling" the blade geometrically a few times before stopping and deciding whether to procure it or not. Others just visually assess the blade, and concluded the possible quality of the sword before ever touching it or bargaining for it. /// # We preferred to methodically and mindfully assess any quality item that is exotic, exclusive and esoteric. Beside evaluating the sharpness and the weight of the blade, we have always examine whether the sword is properly balanced by checking whether the pommel supports the rear of the hand, is able to counterbalance the blade's weight while also inspecting the quality of the scab that covers the tang. # ///
Before handling the sword, you were already warned about its extreme sharpness. The risk consequence of playing with this implement is quite obvious. Your deep training in most categories of swords and the act of unifying your mind-body, qi and spirit gave you the skill to mindfully manipulate this sword with zero effort by carefully holding the sword in stillness while focusing on the outpoint of the sword, before any physical motion begins. (You could read more on this subject matter by visiting our friends at Cook Ding's Kitchen. They have a stronger internal martial art background than we do. ... They are the specialists. We are just the martial arts newbies. ) ...
There is more to this particular category of Chinese sword play than the action of drawing, cutting/thrusting and sheathing the blade. The constant practice of this "mindful aware-driven" exercise has enabled you to implement purposeful movements in your sword play and motion were not wasted.
After a period of experimenting, you began to compare the experience of playing with this sword with the previous experiences of playing with the other similar swords. That requires a unique skill. Those who have tangible martial art skills and experience, know what we are discussing. Mindful Practice While some result-driven sword players are lucky that they are able to mindfully concentrate on their breathing, their balance and their rhythm, we preferred to focus our attention to the following five quality principles (or factors) while doing anything relevant:
Centering the body;
Relaxing the body;
Connecting the whole body to the ground;
Calming the body; and
Feeling the body in a "whole/complete" perspective.
Whether you are assessing the quality of the sword or the quality of food, comparing and contrasting the various factors from each experience is how one profits in our information economy. ... This is a deep psychological practice that requires many hours of continuous preparation.
Back to the topic of sword, you might ask the following question, "whether the quality of this experience matches the value of this exotic sword?" Side Notes After that experience of 120 seconds of swordplay, you have realized that this sword by itself dominates nothing. It only comes alive through your skillful manipulation. . . . Playing with a sword or any object does not build character. It reveals the essence of the swordplayer. ... In some instances, each action is an unified extension of the mind, the body and the spirit. . . . Mastery of real skills requires a sound and solid direction and many quiet sessions of mindful and insightful practices.
By watching the second video, one realized that good sword play with the jian is about being strong while being supple.
The best swordplay in any chaotic situation is not to remove it from the sheath. In my case, i usually preferred the utilization of an exotic pen over a sword in certain situations. Our other associates preferred the balance of both implements.
Comment From The Compass Desk
So how do you profit from this post? ... Because of the speed of the technology and the basic emotional behavior pattern to decide immediately, some members of the masses have a tendency to be deceived by obvious frauds. ... Whether you are assessing the purchase of a sword, an automobile or a sandwich, do you realistically assess the quality of any items before buying it? ... The extra step could de-accelerate the act of immediate gratification. Ensuring that the deception has a hidden negative affect. That might have a value price of lost time and lost resources. ... So, who do you trust? Trust yourself. ... Assess, Position and Influence. ...
Look at the act of strategic assessment as one ounce of prevention.
"One ounce of prevention is equal to one pound of cure."
"A snitch of time saves nine."
The constant saving of time and financial resources creates a gradual profit gain.
The avoidance of many "trial and error" sessions and the possibility of macro negative risk-consequences could occur by being strategically mindful in one's decision to assess.
Playing the game of constant upgrade is something that we could not avoid, Getting constantly deceived is a game that one wants to avoid. From our own experience, learn the practice of assessing is quite beneficial in understanding the certainty of a scenario.. ... But it takes time to do it. ... This view does not correspond with those ADD people who have the need for immediate gratification. One only assesses when he/she cares about their own current situation and do not trust the projected certainty of their grand situation. (Compass Rule 101)... Think about it. ...
Psychology is Strategy
One's psychological view of a situation determines their strategic objective and their approach. The possession of the means and the quality of the modes are two factors that determine whether the person has the essential substance to solve the objective is the tangible challenge.
Macro Assessment Pointers
Reading and recognizing the criticalness of one's grand situation and beyond.
Knowing the configuration and the connectivity of the situation before deciding on the factors that influence the situation.
Performing various degrees of scenario modeling before deciding.
If the current situation is insignificant and stable, pointer #2 and pointer #3 become immaterial.
Theoretically, it is that simple. ... Tactically, the mastery of those three pointers usually required a large range of concentration and practice. Do you have it? If so, are you willing to improve on those skills? Do you really display a serious sense of care and concern on your daily habits and tasks or any relevant task/objective?. ... Assessing anything relevant means that one must be methodical by style while being mindfully aware of the influences that affected him or her, the terrain and whatever is beyond those points.
We do not expected anyone to immediately understand this post and those three mentioned pointers. Because of the velocity and the veracity that are affecting our society, some people might be harshly influenced to mindfully understand the essence of this material one day. Think about it. .. .Good luck. ... # # # Side note: There are more specific steps to assessing a Chinese double edged sword. We will publish it in our future "Strategic Assessment" book. For more information on learning the basics of swords, please visit sword forum. It is a great place to learn about swords. ... Some of us are occasional visitors of that informative site.
If one wants to profit in any of their competitive endeavors, he/she must assess the configuration within the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) and the quality of intelligence that is behind it. Understanding this perspective enables one to anticipate future opportunities. It also increase one's chances to capitalizes on the possible opportunities. Introduction to Strategic Assessment Good strategy assessment begins with good strategic intelligence gathering (through the various means). The amateurs espoused the belief that one can search for tangible and relevant information through the web with a few key words is good enough. They do not realized that the placement of various data on the web can be fixed.
How does one maneuvers through the information society when some aspects of the economy are driven by fabricationand temporary reality?
With so much data, most decision makers (esp. the news media) are usually confused.
Regardless of one's position within the terrain, the successful strategists are usually focused on understanding the certainty of the grand terrain and their positions within it.
The key to good strategic assessment is to match the numeric fundamentals of the terrain to the performance metrics of the targeted competitors. The successful strategists are usually able to recognize those match ups and conclude what is the tangible truth. Depending on the situation, they would then utilize it to enhanced their level of strategic power.
One Tangible View on How to Assessing Intelligence From Sunzi's Art of War In a complexity-driven competitive setting, the successful strategist thinks and operates with a strategy. He uses every factors relating to the competitor and the settings to assess his probability of securing a victory. The first step begins by assessing specific data by the measurements of space, the estimations of influences, the calculations of the numbers within the influences, the weighing of the strength of the numbers and the probability of success. (This concept is from reading chapter four.)
“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the confrontation, they resolve in their conference room that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the confrontation they resolve in their conference room that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.
If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor?
When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.”
- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation
After assessing the quality of the factors and the quality connectivity within the multiple dots of information, he assesses the quality of information sources behind each decision (concepts from Chapter 13).
The concluding stage begins when one determines the possibility of success by comparing the data from a results-based perspective. The predictability of the situation determine the complexity. The degree of complexity determines the # of steps needed to assess the situation. When some things look too simple and obvious, deception could be concealed within it.
Another Tangible View of The Art of Assessing Intelligence Bob Barnes: Intelligence work isn't training seminars and gold stars for attendance. Fred Franks: What do you think intelligence work is Bob? Bob Barnes: I think it's two people in a room and one of them's asking a favor that is a capital crime in every country on earth, a hanging crime. Fred Franks: No Bob, it's assessing the information gathered from that favor and then balancing it against all the other information gathered from all the other favors. - Syriana
The above dialogue was from a deleted scene in this movie "Syriana."
Regardless of the reason, I believe that it was important in terms of understanding how decisions were made at the top level of the echelon. This scene succinctly contrasts the perspective of "the field operator in the trenches" with that of management - a kind of "one man's ceiling is another man's floor" observation.
It also served to reveal that Bob Barnes didn't really have the Big Tangible Picture - indicating that his employer's would be pawning him to their liking. People who could view data in terms of levels, attributes, gains and loss, are occasionally able to anticipate certain situations while the field operators could only function limitedly due to their finite perspective of the Big Tangible Picture.
The Compass View
Good strategic assessment begins with superior strategic intelligence gathering (from the field). It usually take a great deal of time and effort. Interestingly, there are not many companies who are willing to do that. Their chief decision makers always preferred to build a presumption-based situation. Then they would create a plan for it. If failure occurs, their corporate assets and their human efforts are wasted. Other people would be blamed for their poor decisions. Life goes on.
In planning, never a useless move. In strategy, no step is in vain. - Chen Hao
In the real world, the successful strategists regularly weighted the relevancy of each intelligence item and the credibility of its source. Then, they balanced it to the principal points within the Big Tangible Picture. These steps always enable them to make a relevant strategic decision.
Successful strategists who believed in the importance of assessing and positioning, followed this Compass rule: "The time needed to influence your target is inversely proportional to the time that you have spent assessing and positioning."
Side note: There is an exception to that rule. We will elaborate more on that topic in a future post.
To mine the gold or to avoid negative circumstances, one connects the dots. To connect the dots, mastering the art and science of assessing strategically is essential. ... So, how do you assess your Big Tangible Picture? /* * */
"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know." - Donald Rumsfeld
One of our favorite role models for understanding how things on the Internet are connected is Google.
Click here and here for a few clues. ... In summary, it could be a joke. ... To completely dominate in the grander scheme of things (the information economy), Google still has the vast challenge of connecting their dots. Almost every companies that we have researched, possessed this same challenge of misunderstanding their goal and the risk consequences behind their chosen approach. The risk consequences are usually unmentionable. Side note The quality of their performance is why Google is still the Alpha in the search engine marketplace. They do have a master plan. It looks like thisand/or this. Comments From The Compass Desk
To understand the configuration of one's Big Tangible Picture, the successful strategist usually define the various dots in terms of models, patterns and variations.
Q: So, how does one defines each category of dots? .... A: It depends on the connectivity and the complexity that support the situation. Everything is not an absolute. Comprehending the current attributes in terms of situational relativity is what counts. Certain things do change.
Q: How does one secures the proper information? A: Read chapter 13 of the Art of War and Chapter 1-3 of The Six Secret Teachings.
Our future white paper discusses on how to recognize and understand the Big Tangible Picture by focusing on the comprehension of the "matrix of the connectivity" that supports the projected Big Tangible Picture.
With a grand vision on how things are connected, a good strategist comprehends the probability of reaching their goal with minimal costs and minimal timeline. Depending on the grander situation, the opportunity to secure the profits increases.
So, what happens to the companies when their Chief Decision Makers (CDM) do not spend any
relevant time planning ahead? ... Errors occurs. Profits are lowered. Costs are raised. Risk are not mitigated and opportunities are missed.
By mis-assessing their situation, their planning is usually based on their conceptualization of what their position is about. Poor assessment occasionally means an average or a sub par strategic position. Average position usually creates inadequate influence.
Click here for an good example on poor decision management by a chief decision maker. Analysis One could only ponder that whether this type of Chief Decision Makers have ever spend any serious time researching the specifics for building a proper Big Tangible Picture (BTP). If a plan is ever developed, they should know when to stay on course and when to adjust from it. ... In most cases, these Chief Decision Makers(of the upper level) are focused on the "now." They rarely suffer any risk consequences for their massive "SNAFU" decisions. Historically, these "CDMs" usually kick the can forward and let their successor worry about it. ... Life moves on for them. ... The Compass Solution It can be discouraged for those who are competing in our pseudo transparent world of complexity and elongated connectivity. However, there is a pattern to everything.
By understanding that specific pattern, one is able to assess their situation in terms of one's own tenability, the various constraints, the possible simplicity of the situation , the probable range of the situation and one's own current position within the situation. Most people considered this specific practice to be too long and troublesome. If one wants to compete effectively, drop us a message. We might be able to help you.
In the future, we will post a few items on how to assess a situation through the utilization of the Five Critical Strategic Factors. Conclusion Regardless of the amount of "big data" technology and the quantity of people that has graduated from the elite schools, the experience of assessing, planning and implementing generally prevail in critical times.
"I study the sword to understand my soul. After many years of training, the sword became my soul. Now I study my soul to understand the sword. ... " -Anonymous
Comments From the Compass Desk How does that quote reflects one's strategic behavior? After the completion of an endeavor, most people would just walk away without a thought about it. Then there are some people who would study their past actions to understand their motive and their chosen methods. The rare few usually reflected on their previous motives and their chosen methods for the purpose of comprehending the meaning of their actions. "Learning from the lessons" is what many people have always talked about doing, but only a few people have really follow-through on it. One's action is a extension of one's own consciousness while the state of one's conscious is a reflection of one's own action. . Video tape yourself handing a non-sharp edged sword and observe the following five points:
your state of relaxation;
your state of groundness
you state of center-ness
your state of calmness; and
your state of wholeness.
By reviewing those five mentioned states, you can conclude whether you are operating in a meta-physical state of controlled focus or a meta-physical state of flexibility. ... In summary, It does not matter whether you are swinging a sword or washing a window pane, each relevant action is considered to be an extension of your mind. ... Think about it... # We will touch on the parallels and dis-parallels between the two different processes in a .future post.
The ultimate objective of this blog is to discuss the pertinent topics of global trends, strategy, leadership, problem solving and analysis, strategic innovation, technical collaboration and competition. Some of our older posts can be found at collaboration360.blogspot.com
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