Understanding the Big Tangible Picture (BTP)

(updated at 16:16 hrs)

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete. …”   - Sunzi 10

Regardless of the lack of experience and insights from the field strategists, there are multiple meanings to this thought.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt;

Knowing the competition and knowing yourself is not enough.   ...  You have know the reasons behind him or her in terms of motives, methods and strategic foundation.

It could look discouraging for those who realized that the competition possesses an abundance of resources.  By knowing the state of their motive and their methods, there is always an opportunity to subvert him if one knows the why's behind the motive and the methods..

if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete. …”

There are multiple meanings to this statement

The Basic Meaning

While terrain is about the characteristics of a strategic situation, the heaven is about the rate of cyclical change that supports the current strategic situation.

The Secondary Meaning

From a geographic perspective, the terrain factor is about topographic settings to a landscape while the heaven factor is about the external influences that are affecting the terrain.

Another Perspective

“Given a knowledge of three matters—the affairs of men, the seasons of heavens and the natural advantages of earth—victory will invariably crown your battles. “ – Li Ch’uan   

More to Come

Strategizing From The View of Lloyd Blankfein

updated at 18:18 hrs

It is always interesting to listen and learn how other strategists manage their major strategic decisions.

Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman’s current chief executive, loves to tell people that he spends “98 percent of my time thinking about 2 percent probabilities."   ... It becomes the alpha priority especially in the area of managing risk in different situations. 

In your competitive terrain, where do you think that 2% is located at ?

Do you think that you can capitalize on the 2% before your competition can?

• Source: Dao of Strategy

###

Q: Why do you think the 2% is focused on?
A: The 2% depicts whether the best case or the worst case scenario would happen at all.

                                                             ###

The Charlie Rose View
This past Tuesday night, I saw a superb Charlie Rose interview with Lloyd Blankfein.   It revealed the strategic mindset of Mr. Blankfein in regards to how he strategizes from a top-bottom view..

# From Businessinsider.com

Lloyd Blankfein called himself "a highly functional paranoid" on Charlie Rose last night.   

"...when the phone rings too late at night or too early in the morning I'm going, "Oh, my God, what happened?"

He continued: "...I spend about -- I have the unhappy life of having to spend about 98 percent of my time worried about the 2 percent worst contingencies." 

Here's a partial transcript: 

...

Lloyd Blankfein: Well, I'm in the risk management business, so I don't take it for granted that I can see behind -- I don't think I can see four inches into the future.  I'd say that most of my --

Charlie Rose: [laughs] Yeah, but your firm has a reputation of being pretty good at understanding the future and being able to make some analysis as to about what risks to take.

Lloyd Blankfein: Well, I'll confess to you that what I think we aspire to is less foresee the future and more be a great contingency planner because -- and sometimes you contingency plan really well and you can respond very fast to what's happening because you thought through all the possibilities, you can get off the mark so quickly it looks like you false started, it looks like you anticipated the start when all you've really done was listen so closely and knew what you were going to do that you got off the mark quickly.  I think it's hard enough to -- I think it's hard enough to predict the present.  You know, think about it, perspective, it's very hard to step out of your context and see what is happening.  I have views about the future but I will tell you we're not in the – you wouldn't be a very good risk manager if you let what you think was going to happen have too great an influence on what you plan for and protect it against.  What we really do is we really contingency plan, what might happen, what could happen.

Charlie Rose: What is your core competence?

Lloyd Blankfein: Personally?

Charlie Rose: Yes.

Lloyd Blankfein: You know, I think I am -- I think I have -- I am a highly functional paranoid.

Charlie Rose:[laughs]

Lloyd Blankfein: And if I'm -- if I've taken some -- if I've overstated [unintelligible] highly functional part, I'm sure I'm a paranoid.

Charlie Rose: [laughs] Paranoid about what?

Lloyd Blankfein: Well, I have to worry about stuff, you know, every -- listen, when the phone rings too late at night or too early in the morning I'm going, "Oh, my God, what happened?"

Charlie Rose: "I don't want to answer it."

Lloyd Blankfein: "What is somebody --" no, I have to answer. And, in fact, if it stopped ringing I'd call everybody I knew at work to find out what I missed.

Charlie Rose: [laughs]

Lloyd Blankfein: No, I'm -- you know, I spend about -- I have the unhappy life of having to spend about 98 percent of my time worried about the 2 percent worst contingencies.

Perhaps that's why sometimes he prays for a rainy weekend so he can just lie on the couch.

• Source: Businessinsider.com...

Comments From The Compass Desk
There are many ways to perform scenario modeling. I preferred to use the "Temple Victory" process.

“Before the contest, the successful strategists resolve in their operations room (temple) that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. … If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious.  … When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.” 

- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation) 

Is it that simple?

The real challenge is knowing what factors are in play and the mathematics behind it.  ...

The Li Quan Perspective

"Those who excel in warfare contend for advantage with others only after determining through temple calculations that they will be successful. Attacking the rebellious and embracing the distant, toppling the lost and solidifying the extant and uniting the weak and attacking the benighted are all manifestations.  The interior and exterior becoming estranged, as in the case of the Shang and Chou armies, is what is referred to as having determined victory through temple calculations before engaging  in combat.  
According to T'ai-yi Tun-chia assessment method, anything above sixty a majority, anything below sixty is  a minority.  ... In all these  cases, victory and defeat are easily seen. "   
- Li Quan's  T'ai-pai Yin-ching

Based on the "completeness" of one's assessment, the successful strategists determined the strategic efficiency of their situation and decides whether it is possible to prevail in any specific contest.

#  #  #

How to Assess Your Strategic Situation (via a Classic Samurai Movie)

Kurosawa's Sanjuro is a very good movie for those who are interested in learning how to assess (or read) a situation in terms of its specifics. 

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 having the right set of information before any decision is consummated.     (The story is slightly more complex than what is being described here.)

Throughout the movie,  he indirectly advised them to patiently assess their situation on the tangible truth and sort through the information. Do not act on emotional impulse. This act of mentoring was repeated many times.

At the near conclusion of this movie, this group of novice samurai learned the lesson of being self-patient. 

Sanjuro almost always made good 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).  
Compass Rule
Whenever, one is not focused  on their objective while not being mindful of their setting and beyond, the probability of errors will definitely rise.

The Dao of Decision Management 
From this movie, the best lesson for budding chief decision makers comes from these two quotes 

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. 

Sanjûrô Tsubaki: He was exactly like me. A naked sword. He didn't stay in his sheath.

The Analysis of the Above Video
Before the first move, Sanjuro mindfully assessed that the drawing the second move (his first move)  of the match would be more effective than his opponent's capability was too slow and the execution of the opponent's second move would not work. He mindfully positioned ahead with a tactical move that was a hybrid of two intents:  1.  The execution of his first move with his left hand as soon as the opponent began his first move.  2.  The continuation of that draw by leading with his body while cutting deeply into the opponent's body while avoiding the opposing strike.  (Our martial arts associates at Cook Ding's Kitchen referred this movement as intercepting.) 

Click here to watch the entire movie and you will understand the events that lead to those quotes. 

Food For Thought

In practice, never a useless move. 
In operation, no motion is wasted.  

- The Compass Strategist

Comments from the Compass Desk

How does the decision management process of this movie reflected to our 21st century information economy?

Because of the pseudo transparency and the moderate levels of deception,  some people usually glossed over the configuration of their Big Tangible Picture and occasionally misunderstand the risk consequences of their own situation.  Another words, they do not connect the dots.

This decision management action originates from their urge for immediate gratification.  Look around you. People do this all the time.  They erred. Somehow they get away with it with some level of damage. (We know the reason behind their action.)

To prevail, the successful strategists always calmly assessed the configuration of their situation and the quality of intelligence before deciding on anything. They rarely operates on his impulsiveness.

Note on the Compass Process Model
Fwiw, our process model is so scaleable that it enables the strategist to adjust to the tangibility of the situation.   This model success is based on the implementer's capability to properly execute it. We will talk more about it in a future post.

Q: Do you know how to increase your level of assessment when the complexity of the situation grows?  Without a process model, are you willing to grind it out?

#
Side note
"Intercepting" is a mindful strategic action that requires its implementer to assess the configuration of the Big Tangible Picture (BTP) and to capitalizes on the on-coming opportunity with the right efficient moves.  Fwiw, this concept is indirectly emphasized in the Art of War, the Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings and the Li Quan's book.

How to Gather Intelligence with a Minimum Budget

Chapter 13 of Sunzi's The Art of War  is about understanding the importance of gathering and exploiting intelligence

To gain that "extraordinary" intelligence advantage, the successful strategists always understood who were their relevant sources and what motivated them.  Some times,  the influential tactics of utilizing money, ideas and compromise do not guarantee a that one could secure the right intelligence. 

The criteria of a situation usually determines whether the projected solution could be quite simple.

Assess, Position and Influence
Rita Williams, the former great TV reporter at KTVU, have always secured her information with the right amount of finesse.  ...  She instinctively assessed her Big Tangible Picture by understanding the mindset of her targeted sources.  

Once Ms. Williams positioned herself with the proper moves and the right implement, the influencing of her targeted resources became easy.

Through her annual practice of baking a very special rum cake, Ms. Williams secured the path of least resistance for acquiring the right information for her stories.

Comments From the Compass Desk
Technology-driven intelligence could only go so far.  Human Intelligence operations work as long as one has already pinpointed the connections that leads to the exact target.  

Every strategic situation is different. The chosen tactical approach is always depended on the circumstances that are behind it.

Securing the intelligence and assessing it properly is one arcane skill.  Building a tangible plan that is based on the intelligence is also an exotic skill . Implementing the plan properly is another arcane skill.  

We do know that there are not many people who have any one of those three given skills.  ... Humorously, there are many people who can describe the requirements of each skills.  

If you ever have a question on how to profile an objective, send us a note.

Gone Fishing! (A View From Chapter One of Six Secret Teachings)

Almost all asian and western strategists are familiarized with the Sunzi principles of strategy.  In China, the elite strategists frequently spent their time, utilizing the concepts and the principles from Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings and Wuzi in their various endeavors.  

The Jiang Tai Gong's essay is focused on knowing the fundamentals of the Big Tangible Picture and viewing the grand events in terms of situations while the writing of Wuzi's emphasized on the operational means that connect the modes to one's approach.

In a future post, we will talk about the implicit meaning behind both essays. 

Some portions of the Jiang Tai Gong's material has been extended in the Li Quan's book.  

The following story focuses on a different type of fishing.

The Jiang Tai Gong's Story
King Wen intended to go hunting. So the Historical Records Scribe performed a divination. The Scribe reported:" While hunting on the north bank of Wei River, you will get a great catch. It is not a dragon, nor a tiger or a bear. According to the signs divined, you will find someone of the caliber of duke or marquis, a teacher bestow to you by Heaven. If employ him, you will flourish and your later generations will benefit as well.

King Wen asked:" Do the signs really signify this?" The Scribe replied:" My ancestor, when performing divination for Sage Emperor Shun obtained a comparable indications. And Emperor Shun then found Yao Tao to assist him."

King Wen then observed a vegetarian diet for three days to purify himself, then mounted onto his hunting chariot. Driving his hunting horses, he went to the northern bank of Wei River. There he saw Tai Gong sitting on the grass fishing. King Wen went forward and greeted him courteously and then asked: "Do you take pleasure in fishing?"

Tai Gong said: "Man of true worth takes pleasure in realizing his ambitions; the common man takes pleasure in doing his best for his affairs. My fishing is very much like it."

King Wen inquired further," What do you mean it is like it?"

Tai Gong mentioned:" Fishing is like attracting talents, there are three authorities to consider. Authority to bestow salary, authority to decide life and death, authority to appoint offices. All who fish, will always wish to catch something. Its nature is deep and from it, much greater principles can be discerned from it."

"Flourishing and florid, for many generations, the Shang Dynasty has gathered so much wealth but in the end they will be scattered. Silent and still, the Zhou Dynasty's future will be bright, so bright it can shine in all directions. Subtle and mysterious, that is how the Sage attract the hearts of the people through his virtues.. Wondrous and joyful, the plans of the Sage through which everyone seeks and gets what they want, while he establish measures that will achieve their hearts and trusts."

King Wen asked:"How shall we establish the measures so that all under Heaven will give their allegiance?"

Tai Gong said:"All under Heaven is not the domain of one person, but the domain for all those under Heaven. Anyone who shares profit with all the people under Heaven will gain the kingdom. Anyone who monopolize the profits will lose the kingdom. Heaven has its four seasons and the Earth, its resources. Being capable of sharing these with populace is truly benevolent. Whoever has true benevolence, all under Heaven will pledge allegiance to him. Sparing the people from death, eliminating hardships, relieving misfortunes, saving people from dangers, these are virtues. Whoever has true virtues, all under Heaven will pledge allegiance to him. Sharing weals and woes, likes and dislikes with the populace, that is righteousness. Where there is righteousness, people will go. In general, people hate death and take pleasure in life. They welcome virtues and chase profits. The ability to help people gain profits is the Way. Whoever walks the Way, all under Heaven will pledge allegiance to him."

King Wen bowed and said:"True wisdom. Do I dare not accept Heaven's edict and mandate." He invited Tai Gong to the chariot and returned with him, establishing him as his teacher.

- Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings 1

Comments From the Compass Desk
In life, the successful fishermen (or strategists) regularly decided on what bodies of water to fish from and what type of fishes that they wanted to catch.  He or she knows the risk benefits and the risk consequences of their strategic choices before making the next move.  It all begins by knowing the configuration of one's Big Tangible Picture (BTP).


* This post was updated on 04.23.2013

How to Assess Your Competitor in the Information Economy

In our information economy, transparency and accountability are two of the near-myths that the amateurs are preaching to the masses. 

Competing on the obvious strategic factors usually means that an act of attrition and that futility is guaranteed especially if one is competing against a well-resourced challenger.   

The negatives for that decision are: the loss of time, the high expenditures and the  possible loss of the target.

Identifying the finesse move that leads to the path of least resistance is always the challenge. Having that approach that will enable one to understand the reality of their Big Tangible Picture in a New York hour, is considered to be one of the unique skills of skills. 

If you are searching for another approach on how to prevail over your competition, please read the "Strategies for the Human Realm." It might enlighten you in your comprehension of the competition. ...  

This book subtly focuses on understanding the strategic foundation of any competitor, instead of the obvious tendency to confront directly.

A  Book Review on "Strategies for the Human Realm."
This 221+ page book is for serious desktop strategists who must contend strategically in an extreme terrain.  It is not for the superficial thinkers who have believed that victory originates  from the magical thinking of showing up early with nothing but a Monteblanc pen, a cache of powerpoint slides and a can of diet soft drink.

This classic is an integration of concepts and principles from the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China. Some of the material are from Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings, the Sun Bin’s essay (Military Methods or Sun Bin’s Art of Warfare, the Master Ghost Valley essay and other esoteric strategic books.)  

Side note: 

Our research tells us that the serious desktop strategists annually reread those books for new ideas.

Abstract

This book was composed by Li Ch’üan (Li Quan), a provincial military official who served in the middle T’ang dynasty, the T’ai-pai Yin-ching revitalized the theoretical study of warfare in China. Remarkably comprehensive, it first focuses upon the human realm, devoting a quarter of its hundred chapters to the grand issues of government, warfare, human society, ethical values, and man’s orientation within the universe while pondering the more concrete problems of the nature of command, methods for evaluating men, the role of rewards and punishments, and the implementation of subversive measures. Instead of conquering through combat or achieving the fabled hundred victories in a hundred clashes, Li’s aim was victory without combat so as to preserve the state rather than debilitate it in warfare. The remaining seventy-five chapters, not translated here, briefly discuss important battle equipment and techniques before unfolding extensive material on sacrifices and arcane prognosticatory methods. Highly regarded thereafter, the T’ai-pai Yin-ching stands at the beginning of the later military tradition in China and numerous chapters appear in the military compendia produced over the next thousand years. It also continues to be the subject of conscious study as the PRC strives to develop “military science with unique Chinese characteristics.”   - Amazon

To prevent the erosion of one’s own foundation, Li Quan subtly recommended the understanding of one's competition from a top to bottom approach before deciding on the next move.

The Li Quan Approach
This 25 chapter translation starts by covering the generalities of one’s grand settings, the inclinations of human behavior, the foundation of strategic power, etc.  After reading it, one would realize that each set of factors indirectly leads to another.  The abundance of information can be overwhelming. Some people identify that this task to be another act of futility.  The identification of the reality from illusion can be easy once one understands what dots are on the white board. If done correctly, the risk rewards could be greater than the arduous process of assessing.

This approach quietly centers on understanding of one's challenger’s by viewing their foundation and their grand settings in terms of the Five Critical Strategic Factors (CSF) (It is subtly introduced into the context. You can find more information on this specific topic by reading the first chapter of the Art of War). By viewing the Five Critical Strategic Factors of a situation, one comprehends a grand situation in terms of the grand order of factors for every situation and whether the competitor  are capable to adjust to a situation.  

Finding the path of least destruction while understanding if one has the strategic power to capitalize on it is the first step to competitive success. 

Remember that the quality of the collected information is occasionally proportional to the possible focus of the plan.  Good assessment works when the information collection process is efficient and the skill to assess is above norm.

With the proper assessment of the Big Tangible Picture, one learns some of the following points of their competition: 

• the belief and the judgement of the chief decision maker;
• the management of decisions;
• the planning of the strategy;
• their judgment of the factors;
• the possible tactics for approaching their goal with direct and indirect influences; 
• the comprehension of the grand terrain by utilizing time, space, the Dao and levels;
• the opposition and the converging of the strategic factors;
• the particular gaps within the small terrains that are hidden in the grand terrain;
• the identification of the "Wild Card" factor;
• the constraints; 
• the possible response or reaction; and 
• the opening and the sealing of the gaps and the opportunities within the confines of one's own grand terrain.

The quality of those points enables the strategist to triangulate the path of least resistance before capitalizing on the essence of the opportunity.

This essay emphasized the concept of “proper assessment prevents poor planning and preparation.”  Regardless of the myriad of competitive realms, this skill is considered to be the Holy Grail in the strategy game.  

With complete understanding and strategic experience, the smart strategist can connect the civic fundamentals and the competitive fundamentals of a chief decision maker, the way of the operational leadership, the tactical essentials, the tactical specifics and the various situational responses.  Careful connection of those dots will evidently lead to a full comprehension of their competition. 

Having this macro set of quality information prevents the strategist from being deceived into believing the obvious.

Applying  the Li Quan Approach to the 21st Century

It also continues to be the subject of conscious study  as the PRC strives to develop “military science with unique Chinese characteristics.”   - Dr. Sawyer

Read the various news items on the various organizations and the assortment of groups who have spent a great deal of time collecting an abyss of information on a daily basis and think about the possible impact that have originated from the prior action of data collecting. Once those dots are connected, do you think that you can see the possible truth!?

Thoughts From The Compass Desk

Much kudos to Dr. Sawyer in his translation of this classic.  It is a significant book that summarizes the relevant strategic and tactical points from the many Chinese strategy classics. Reading this book confirms everything that we have learned from our other resources.  If you are operating in an extreme competitive situation that is embedded with a high degree of complexity, we highly recommend you to get this "must-read" book.  It is a fast read for those who understands the complexity of strategic subjugation. 

This grand approach of Li Quan is an integration of  a “psychology is strategy” approach and a “understanding the operational game” approach. Connecting those two dots will guarantee a 33 to 50% chance of prevailing.  We will touch on that specific topic in a future post.

Side Note
Assessing the information is one challenge.  Being able to manage a grand abundance of information is the other challenge.

People have asked us about what does it take to comprehending a large capacity of information!?     

Our basic response is, "How focused are you?  ... Are you capable of staying focused on the target while being mindful of the Big Tangible Picture despite the extremity of the external influences that could be affecting you?"  It is a  complex topic.  We will discussed the particulars of this challenge later.

The few serious strategists who could achieve this feat, usually have embedded the Li Quan concepts into their consciousness. They will have the strategic advantage of viewing their Big Tangible Picture in terms of the Five Critical Strategic Factors (CSF).  ... At this moment, does your company have anyone who could do that?  (Fwiw, you cannot get this skill from reading the Art of War. That is magical thinking.)

Think about this point- would the mastery of this rare skill makes a person interesting?

Our goal was to publish a book on the Dao of Strategic Assessment this past year. Due to the devaluation of published books, the irrelevant view on strategic thinking and the on-going trend of IP thievery, we decided not to publish it at this moment.

We will discuss the approach of applying these concepts and these principles from this great strategy classic in a future post.  Some of those are already sitting in the ever-timed queue of this blog.

There is a future post that delineates the possible life of Li Quan and why his approach was never taken seriously in the Tang Dynasty and after. 

/// This post was updated on 04.09.2013

Proper Assessment Prevents Poor Planning and Preparation

Failure to plan is to plan for failure. 

To properly compete in a complex setting, the possession of a plan does not always guarantee a win or a strategic advantage.  

Sunzi's Art of War (AoW) essay states that the successful strategist is usually victorious when he/she knows the configuration of their grand settings.  Some of our other non-strategy associates felt that the act of assessing strategically is too much work and is totally overrated. They preferred to participate in the "fun and exciting" activities from the seat of their pants. This perceived gamble reinvigorates the thrill of operating under a risk. 

As long as their own trust fund is never touched, they will pursue it.  =)) 

Assess 
The first step is knowing the approach for assessing their situation and the approach for building a plan that is based on their assessment. 

Having that key information about one's own grand settings, occasionally enables the successful strategists to pinpoint that rare path of least resistance. Portion of that key information is a cyclical pattern of motives and methods. Understanding these habits and these tendencies is one of the many steps of how they amplify their strategic power (strategic advantage). 

The standard of assessment enhances one's planning and preparation. The quality of assessment usually determines the quality of plan.

In a past post, we have discussed about our process of assessing a situation through the utilization of those strategic and tactical factors. The pseudo AoW experts do not know what are those factors.  They are usually too busy preaching to their followers to focus their time and their effort on getting to their destination without ever understanding the configuration of their terrain. ...  In a highly competitive terrain, what is the probability of these lemmings  surviving?

The Sunzi Perspective
“These are the ways that the 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)

Following is the Sunzi's tactical approach for strategic assessment:

1. Measuring the dimensional factors of their situation; 

2. Estimating the potency of their measures; 

3. Calculating the efficacy in terms of the positives and the negatives; 

4. Balancing the order of the measured factors through the use of the "Victory Temple Protocol"; and

5. Predicting the probability and the possibility of victory.

-  Art of War 4

The Li Quan Perspective
"Those who excel in warfare contend for advantage with others only after determining through temple calculations that they will be successful. Attacking the rebellious and embracing the distant, toppling the lost and solidifying the extant and uniting the weak and attacking the benighted are all manifestations.  The interior and exterior becoming estranged, as in the case of the Shang and Chou armies, is what is referred to as having determined victory through temple calculations before engaging  in combat.  According to T'ai-yi Tun-chia assessment method, anything above sixty a majority, anything below sixty is  a minority.  ... In all these  cases, victory and defeat are easily seen. "
- Li Quan's  T"ai-pai Yin-ching

Based on the "completeness" of one's assessment, the successful strategist determines the strategic efficiency of their situation. it indirectly enables one to understand whether it is possible to prevail over their competitor.

The Reality
One cannot arrive to a viable strategic position in a chaotic setting if their assessment and their scheme are invalid. The result consequence is usually a combination of exceeding the timeline and the operating budget. One should not be surprised if their end result does not meet the expected performance standard.

To prevail in your competitive terrain, our recommendation is that the budding strategist should learn how to assess their situation before choosing a possible high-risk move. 

In a high risk, unpredictable terrain, the risk consequence for not assessing is   grinding and grounding oneself toward a state of zero gain.


Position 
The capable and experience strategists who always assessed their grand setting, know how to construct a force multiplier within their terrain.  (Some people referred it as "strategic power" or "strategic advantage.")  ... This  specific process can be defined as a strategic version of bricolage. ... The challenge is always having the courage and the drive to implement it.

The Clue to Constructing a Force Multiplier

When you hear the hoof beats, do not look for the horses. 
Focus on the zebras. 

The quantity of the quality components within one's terrain and the connectivity between them are what determines the possibility of constructing the force multiplier.

While another portion of this base concept can be found in the first set of quotes in chapter five of the Art of War, you can also find the macro clue from reading the Master Ghost Valley (MGV) essay, Jiang Tai Gong Six Secret Teachings and Huang Shek Gong's Three Strategies. 

A conceptual portion of the MGV book can be found in the Li Quan's translation. We will talk about more about this specific topic in a future post.

Side Note
For what it is worth, the opportunity to build a force multiplier is not guaranteed for each and every time. It is depended on the deep configuration of that opportunity.  One needs to be capable of connecting the dots.  Click here for one good example.

Comments from The Compass Desk
If you are participating in a highly competitive terrain, follow these three simple steps: 

• Assess the grand setting; 
• Position oneself by planning and preparation; and 
• Influence the settings with the implementation of the scheme while being mindfully aware of the target's strategic state.

If the influence loses its potency, restart the Compass Cycle. Repeat your assessment of your grand terrain carefully.  Be aware of the possible deception.

Assess. ... Position.  ... Influence.  ... 

Follow those steps.  ... You will not regret it.  Good luck!

Performing Our Annual Strategy Tradition

Our friends at Cook Ding's Kitchen have asked us whether we have followed through with our annual strategy book reading and reviewing session.   ... We quietly followed it as usual.

The Compass Strategy Tradition
Unlike the emotional-provoked people who liked to read the trendy "idea" books at any time of the day,  the smart strategists preferred to focused their time on honing their craft or expanding their influence.

During the winter season, they would spend a day or one weekend to read the various strategic classics for the purpose of reflecting on what is strategy.  Therefore, he/she will be strategically prepared when the spring season arrives. (This is one of the many psychological preparation tactics of the Wudang martial arts section.)  ... It is recommended that one chooses a cold day that would propel him/her to stay indoors. 

Following is an abridged list of books that some of us have reread:

• Peter L. Bernstein's  Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
• Boston Consulting Group's Perspective on Strategy
• Thinking Visually: Business Applications of Fourteen Core Diagrams;
• Weinberg's books on consulting, system thinking and individual effectiveness
• The Romance of the Three Kingdoms 
• Dr. Sawyer's books on ancient Chinese history and translations of strategic classics (especially The Strategies for the Human Realm)
• Dr. Roger Ames's series on Chinese culture.
• Scott A. Boorman's The Protracted Game
• F. Capra's The Tao of Physics

Another good tradition is the Cook Ding's Kitchen's Lenten challenge.

This specific tradition  reminds the reader to be aware of the relevant fundamentals that could guide him or her toward solving a problem.  

Being the readers of the classics, we believed in the philosophical view that there are no real new ideas.  The new ideas of the information economy are just an re-integration of classic ideas, with a new focus and a different message ( In terms of software, it could be a cleaner user interface.).

Regardless of one's profession, it is important to follow the "arcane" traditions that remind the smart strategists to strengthening their strategic foundation while being mindful of their goal.

/// updated on March 21st.

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.