Succeeding in the Info Economy: Assessing a Problem With the Phoenix Checklist

The Phoenix Checklist provides context-free questions that enable you to look at a problem from many different angles. Sometimes, problems aren’t as easy to understand as they may seem at face value—especially problems that are inherently multi-faceted. These questions will help you clear ambiguities and pinpoint the unknown unknowns associated with a problem.

 The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) developed this framework.

 The Phoenix Checklist is comprised of two components:

• A list of questions used to define problems
• A list of questions to define the plan to solve the problems

Here is the Phoenix Checklist in its entirety:

 THE PROBLEM

1. Why is it necessary to solve the problem?
2. What benefits will you receive by solving the problem?
3. What is the unknown?
4. What is it you don’t yet understand?
5. What is the information you have?
6. Is the information sufficient? Or is it insufficient? Or redundant? Or contradictory?
7. Where are the boundaries of the problem?
8. What isn’t the problem?
9. Should you draw a diagram of the problem? A figure?
10. Can you separate the various parts of the problem? Can you write them down? What are the relationships of the parts of the problem? What are the constants of the problem?
11. Have you seen this problem before?
12. Have you seen this problem in a slightly different form? Do you know a related problem?
13. Try to think of a familiar problem having the same or a similar unknown.
14. Suppose you find a problem related to yours that has already been solved. Can you use it? Can you use its method?
15. Can you restate your problem? How many different ways can you restate it? More general? More specific? Can the rules be changed?
16. What are the best, worst and most probable cases you can imagine?

# Side note: 
The Sunzi's Victory Temple method is one way to identifying the answers to those questions.

THE PLAN

1. Can you solve the whole problem? Part of the problem?
2. What would you like the resolution to be? Can you picture it?
3. How much of the unknown can you determine?
4. Can you derive something useful from the information you have?
5. Have you used all the information?
6. Have you taken into account all essential notions in the problem?
7. Can you separate the steps in the problem-solving process? Can you determine the correctness of each step?
8. What creative thinking techniques can you use to generate ideas? How many different techniques?
9. Can you see the result? How many different kinds of results can you see?
10. How many different ways have you tried to solve the problem?
11. What have others done?
12. Can you intuit the solution? Can you check the result?
13. What should be done? How should it be done?
14. Where should it be done?
15. When should it be done?
16. Who should do it?
17. What do you need to do at this time?
18. Who will be responsible for what?
19. Can you use this problem to solve some other problem?
20. What are the unique set of qualities that makes this problem what it is and none other?
21. What milestones can best mark your progress?
22. How will you know when you are successful?

# In addition to the Phoenix Checklist, here are some other questions to aid with the problem definition and solving process:

1. Are there other paths to the end I’m looking for? Write down the obvious way to get from where you are to where you want to go. Then ignore it. Come up with as many other paths as you can think of for getting there.
2. Can I change any of the variables? List all the variables you see (how much time it takes, who is involved, whether to do something yourself or hire someone to do it, etc.) and play with changing them. What effect could that have?
3. What information do I need? Sometimes problems exist because we don’t have enough information to solve them. Identifying what information you need and what information you’re missing gives you a starting point to change that.
4. How many solutions can I come up with? As you think of more solutions to a problem, you may increase the likelihood of thinking of one that is optimally effective.
5. How would ______ solve this? If there is someone who is known for solving things like this, ask yourself how they would solve it. What unique perspectives would that person have that would enable them to solve the problem?
6. How many problems am I encountering here? There are many situations where what seems like one problem is actually a variety of problems bundled together. When you are trying to solve more than one problem at any given time, you are making things far more difficult than they need to be. Instead, take the time to identify each individual problem that you are facing. Tackle one problem at a time and then move onto the next.
7. What seem to be your main obstacles to reaching the goal? Think of getting from where you are to where you want to go as a process flow. Map out a step-by-step ideal process flow of how you could get there. Then look at that process and identify the obstacles. Where are those obstacles?
8. How can I improve this process? Instead of looking at it from a problem perspective, look at it as a process improvement exercise. What steps and processes can you make easier and faster to perform? How would you accomplish this?
9. Who has done this before? If someone else has already invented the wheel, don’t bang your head bloody trying to create it again. Who else has been up against the problem you’re encountering? Can you talk to them? Read about how they approached it.
10. How could ____ relate to my problem? What are some concepts that you could associate with the challenge that would most likely produce useful connections and insights?

 Reference:

1. Michalko, M. (2006) Thinkertoys: A handbook of creative-thinking techniques (2nd edition). Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking-Techniques-2nd/dp/1580087736/ (Accessed: 12 February 2017).

Source: Idea genius




Click here for previous "Phoenix Checklist" posts.

The Questions of The Day for the Sunzi's (or the Desktop) Strategist

Q:  What are the distinctions and the differences between Sunzi's Art of War essay and the Sun Bin's essay?

Q: Why do the Beijing's military elite read Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings and Wuzi's (Wu-tzu) Art of War not the Sunzi  essay?

Side note: "... Although the Art of War remains the only book known in the West, the Wu-tzu and Six Secret Teachings proved to be highly important sources for military wisdom over the centuries, and the latter continues to be held in higher esteem among contemporary PRC military professionals."   Source: Ralph Sawyer . com

Q: What is the conceptual connectivity between Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings and Huang Shek Gong's Three Strategies?

The answers will be published in a future post.

Succeeding in the Information Economy By Identifying the Profile (of the Intention)

Source: Bloomberg
updated at 0:16

Click here on how the U.S. intelligence agencies are attempting to "understand" the predominant paradigm of Putin's. 

The Objective
"Concentrate every effort on subduing its heart and mind." 
- Sun Bin C33  [Military Methods]

The Tactic 
"The expert in using the military has three basic strategies which he applies: 

• the best strategy is to attack the enemy's reliance upon acuteness of mind; 
• the second is to attack the enemy's claim that he is waging a just war; and 
• the last is to attack the enemy's battle position (shi). 

  - Sun Bin , Chapter 34 (Fragments),   [ Sun Bin's The Art of Warfare ] 

For What it is Worth 

Their target is an above average chess player (he knows how to get past the first 20 moves without any self destruction in his opening moves and his middle game.), a former military intelligence operator, and a former leader of the country's intelligence agency.  Do you think that he was strategically prepared for some sort of psychological manipulation from his competitor? 

What do you think is the immediate counter to that approach? ... Click here for a hint.  

By seeing the configuration of the given Big Tangible Picture, the successful strategists know the gist of the approach and the executable of the means.

How to Build a Unified Team (From the View of the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers)

(updated on 11.09.13 @ 5:55 pm)

We presumed that you have heard about the rookie hazing incident in the Miami Dolphins locker room.  However, It is not an isolated incident especially in the camps of the New Orleans Saints and the Oakland Raiders.  While some players referred to it as a bonding process, one NY Giants player indirectly described it as a part of the maturing process to becoming a professional football player. 

There are always a few minor pranks and rituals, but the players in professional football teams like the Philadelphia Eagles,  the New England Patriots and the San Francisco Forty Niners do not pursue the avenue of the extreme. 

In the NFL, the playoff contending teams are always focused on winning not waste their time on unproductive practices.

The Bill Walsh's Solution
Bill Walsh. the late architect of the West Coast Offense system, has always believed that it is important to focus the rookies on learning and mastering the specifics of "the pro game".

" ... The late Bill Walsh banished rookie hazing when he first started coaching the team in 1979. He wanted rookies contributing right away and didn’t want them bogged down with thinking about anything more than football.

It was just one of many innovations emanating from Walsh. Over the last 25 years, I never heard of any rookie hazing, which, of course, doesn’t mean there wasn’t any. But from afar, it just never seemed to be a part of the culture. There have been pranksters like former guard Kevin Gogan, who used to disrupt the offensive line meetings constantly.

Gogan’s aimed many of his pranks at Tim Hanshaw, who got his share of ribbing and an old-fashioned spit wad to the back of the head from Gogan, who once graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as the NFL’s dirtiest player. But Gogan was not a racist, and when his former offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick was dying of cancer, Gogan made amends to him.

Ask around the 49ers’ locker room and the only requirement for rookies seems to be to provide cans of chew and to bring Jamba juice on Friday’s.

Tackle Joe Staley said rookies used to pay for some dinners, but the tab was never ridiculous. Over the years, rookies would lug the pads and helmets of veterans.

“We don’t even do that any more,” Staley said. “Players should never embarrass people for their own bravado.”

At least from the outside looking in, the spirit of Bill Walsh on hazing seems to live on within the 49ers’ locker room.  ... "  - SFGate.com 

The Sun Bin's View on 
Organizational Unification
"An army that is able to overcome great adversity  is able to unite the people's minds. - paraphrased from  Sun Bin's Military Methods, 22 

Whenever a team or an organization is able to overcome obstacles, the principals begin to understand that there is a grander cause that is greater then themselves.

Final Thoughts
Regardless of some people's view, we believed that that practice of hazing is not good for any organization. History has shown that a consistency of team victories is the most effective approach to unify a team,

We will talk more about the other approaches to unifying a team in a future post.

Side notes

• Click here for a thorough view on Sun Bin.
• Click here on another innovation of Bill Walsh.

An Unique Suggestion on How to Succeed in the Info. Economy (The Adviser's View)

Updated on 10.31.2013 @ 13:31.31 hrs

In terms of tactics, Miyamoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings  is one of our associates favorite books.   Some of the explained tactics in this book are great for close quarter conflict especially from the field.  ... It is perfect for those who have operated in various  chaotic situations.

We noticed that some of the devotees of The Five Rings essay, are usually superb tacticians with a minimum regard for long term thinking.  Because of the commitment to their cause and their tendency to "will themselves to win", they frequently live for the moment of the action.  ... 

The Dao of the Strategic Adviser
During the Tokugawa dynasty,  Yagyu Munenori was considered to be the technical equal of Miyamoto Musashi. While being great swordsmen and forerunners of their school of sword play, they have never fought against each other.

Yagyu Munenori became the advisor to the Shogun while Musashi was just a ronin- a samurai with no tangible employer.  He finally secured tangible employment with Lord Hosokawa Tadatoshi at the age of 46.

History has shown that the achievers with extraordinary field-level skill typically get the limited fortune and finite glory.  The grander honor usually goes to those few people who could convince others to act. Some experienced field expediters might find that viewpoint to be insulting.  ... After a few moments of deep contemplation about how our global society operate, they would then realized that it is the consummate truth.  ... 

Other Notes on the Strategic Advisor
In terms of Chinese military history, some of our favorite strategic advisers are: Jiang Tai Gong, Sun Bin, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Liang and Li Jing.  

The origin of their grand achievements begins from the convincing of people to commit to the proposed mission.

In the game of western chess, the bishop pieces  have always stood next to the king and the queen.  Interestingly, the adviser pieces are also positioned next to the general in the Chinese chessboard.  The symbolic meaning behind this positioning should be obvious

Within the grand scheme of our complex setting,  the smart backroom strategic advisers and the field operators who could motivate the masses, are always relevant to those who are in power.  

To thrive in our clan-driven society, the strategic adviser must contemplate on the following points: 

• the importance of joining the right clan; 
• the possibility of joining the right clan; 
• the risk benefits of being a member of that clan; 
• the risk challenges of being a member of that clan; and 
• the risk drawbacks of being a member of that clan. 

The answers is not found in your copy of the Art of  War,


Comments From The Compass Desk
In the information economy, a professional is usually viewed as a specialist or a  jack of all trades. 

To advise people, one must have more than the knowledge of a specific domain. Recognizing the motive and the method of the targeted person or group of people requires a certain mindset of patience and control.  ... The first step is the mastering of the art of centering oneself.  This act enables one to practice the art and the science of listening.  

/* note: Sometime in the future, we will post our view on why the advice of the over-hyped self help gurus does not always work. */

For those who are interested in the strategic consulting business, we highly recommended the reading of "Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings" and "The Conversations Between the Tang's Emperor and Li Jing."  (You can find those essays in the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China.)  ...  Study the approach of how the writer (the chief strategists) suggested their perspectives to their employers.  ... Always remember that the message is the medium.

Minor Jottings
To competitively climb the food chain of the information economy, the western mind have always believed that "the pen is mightier than the sword.  ... "  There are some amateur desktop strategic advisers who regularly implement "the pen is mightier than the sword" concept in all of their strategic situations, without ever understanding the possible chaotic state that lies in the field level.  They also do not possess any understanding of the negative after-effect if or when their plan does or does not work. 

History has repeatedly shown that the practice of the pen is quite applicable in convincing the masses of people to join a specific cause.  But the practice of the sword works quite well in those special close quarters situations that are occasionally laced with a singular flavor of chaos. 

In our virtual operations room, some of our group preferred to follow the following Japanese Bushido saying- "the pen and sword in accord."  Conceptually, it is similar to the Chinese concept of Wen Wu. (We will elucidate more on this concept in a later post.)  

With the pen, one could always brainstorm and script their scheme of plays through the process of visual, audio and tactile means before ever implementing the intent.

As mentioned in previous posts, we have always consistently practiced the principle of assessing any strategic situation before ever deciding on the objective and the approach (the pen or the sword). ... While it prevents us from operating from the seat of our pants, this pragmatic practice focuses us to complete our objective with emotional detachment.   ... Could you calmly do that in a Silicon Valley minute?

# # # 

More on How to Become Strategically Two Moves Ahead of the Competition

Lets begin this post with the question.  ...  

It is an interesting question for those who are competitive.  Now, click here for part one of the answer (It offered the perspective from the Art of War and another viewpoint from the game of Go (Weiqi).)

The Next to the Final Stage of the Answer
This is not a game theory situation, where there is a direct contest between two principals and everything is near-obvious.  

In a competitive situation where there are many pertinent strategic and tactical factors.  
Finding what relevant factors is in play is the challenge. 

Depending on the quality of information and the number of participating competitors,  the situation could become quite complex.

The clues to this approach can be found in the first two sections of Jiang Tai Gong (JTG's) Six Secret Teachings and chapter one of the Art of War.

Step One: Understand the scope of the situation.  
By being two steps ahead of the game,  the successful strategists can play the Jiang Tai Gong approach of pre-positioning and luring.  

You can find a good example in the 2010's Samurai movie classic "The 13 Assassins" where the protagonists knew the route, the strategic power and the tendencies of their target. 

Then, they altered their target's grand setting for the purpose of influencing him toward their lethal trap while transforming other portions of their own setting for the purpose of gaining a higher state of strategic power.

Sun Bin at Mai Ling is a good historical example.  ...  We will post the additional steps in the future.

Minor Jottings
Unlike what the Cult of the Art of War espouses to their followers, one cannot learn this skill from reading the Art of War.  It offers to the novices a mere glimmer of hope.   As many of us know, that the attribute of hope is not a strategy or a destination.  

Retrospectively one needs a methodology that offers an overview that depicts the connectivity and the tangibility of their situation.  ... A good methodology emphasizes on the practice of assessing, positioning and influencing.

The Practice of Strategic Assessment
Good strategic assessment begins by knowing the Big Tangible Picture of each principal in terms of their objectives, their approaches, the means and the modes.  ... Understanding the complexity, the connectivity, the consistency and the continuity of a Big Tangible Picture are some of the key points to a good strategic assessment.  

Those who are competitively ambitious, could build this exotic skill through the game of Go (weiqi) where misdirecting and luring are the norms.   He or she might get lucky in understanding the mechanics of these grand concepts after playing a minimum of 10 thousand games.  

So, how did we learned this unique concept?  We spent numerous hours talking to the various "no-name" experts who indirectly revealed their views on strategy to us.   ... Humorously, those who know, don't really say.  ... They have only offered their hints to us through their stories and their actions.  After awhile, we built the skillset of knowing what are the factors behind any strategic situation and how they all connect in certain situations. 

Q: So, do you know how to be strategically two steps ahead of your competition?

#

Profiting in the Competitive Economy: How to Become Strategically Two Moves Ahead of the Competition

Before contemplating on the next strategic move, the successful strategist always asks himself, "How do I know if I am one or two moves ahead or behind my competition?"

A: The answer is in the Sunzi's  Art of War

" ... If I know my team can attack, but do not know the competition cannot be attacked, it is only halfway to victory. If I know the competition can be attacked, but do not realize our team cannot attack, it is only halfway to victory. Knowing that the competition can be attacked, and knowing that our army can attack, but not knowing the terrain is not suitable for combat, is only halfway to victory. Thus one who truly knows the army will never be deluded when he moves, never be impoverished when initiating an action.

Thus it is said if you know them and know yourself, your victory will not be imperiled. If you know Heaven and Earth, your victory can be complete. ... " 

- Paraphrased from Sun Tzu's Art of War 10 (Sawyer's translation)

This is one' of many approaches to staying one to two steps ahead of the competition. 

Compass Principle

By anticipating two steps ahead of your customers and/or your competition and having the half step advantageous move, one is ahead of the strategy game

The Question of the Day:

• Why would any successful strategist make a strategic move that offers the advantage of being an half step ahead?  

The Answer 
"One who excels at competition will await events in the situation without making any movement. When he sees he can be victorious, he will arise; if he sees he cannot be victorious, he will desist. Thus it is said that he does not have any fear, he does not vacillate. Of the many harms that can beset an organization, indecision is the greatest. Of disasters that can befall an organization, none surpasses doubt."

"One who excels in competition will not lose an advantage when he perceives it or be doubtful when he meets the opportunity. One who loses an advantage or lags behind the time for action will, on the contrary, suffer from disaster. Thus the wise follow the time and do not lose an advantage; the skillful are decisive and have no doubts. He strikes like a sudden clap of thunder, which does not give time to cover ears; strike like a flash of lightning, which does not give time to close the eyes. Advance as is suddenly startled; employ your team as if deranged. Those who oppose you will be destroyed; those who come near will perish. Who can defend against such an attack?"

"Now when matters are not discussed and general preserves their secrecy, he is superior. When things are not manifest but he discerns them, he is wise. Thus if superior and wise, no enemies will act against him in the field, nor will any state stand against him."  
- Tai Gong  ( Paraphrased from The Six Secret Teachings, 26)

Ask your local Art of War (AoW) strategy expert if he or she knows the answer.  By looking at a copy of the Seven Strategy Classics and some of the other arcane classics, you might find the right answer. 

What is the Way of Aggressive Competition? 
(from Jiang Tai Gong)
"The offensive disposition of any relevant competitor should change in accord with the movements of their opposition. And changes coming from the confrontation between the two parties. Unorthodox and orthodox tactics are produced from inexhaustible resources of the mind. Thus the greatest affairs are not discussed, and the employment of manpower is not spoken about. Moreover, words which discuss ultimate affairs are not not to be discussed openly. The employment of manpower is not so definitive as to be visible. They go suddenly, they come suddenly. Only when someone who can exercise sole control over the team, without being governed by other men, is a strategic weapon."

"If your plans are heard about, the competition will implement counter strategies. If you are perceived, they will plot against you. If your objectives are known, they will put you in difficulty. If you are fathomed, they will endanger you."

"Thus one who excels in competition has already won before the deployment of manpower. One who excels at eliminating the misfortunes of the people manages them before they appear. Conquering the competition, being victorious by being formless. The superior competitor has won before engaging in contest. Thus one who fights and attains victory in using extreme measures is not a good strategist. One who makes preparation after the contest is started, has been lost is not a superior sage. One whose skill is the same as the masses is not a superior artisan."

"In unique competitive matters, nothing is more important than certain victory. In employing one's manpower, nothing is more important than obscurity and silence. In movement, nothing is more important than the unexpected. In planning, nothing is more important than not being knowable. To be the first to gain victory, initially display some weakness to the enemy and only afterward do battle. Then your effort will be half, but the achievement will be doubled."

"The Sage observes signs from the movements of Heaven and Earth and knows its principles. He observes the movement of the sun and the moon and understand their seasonal activity. He follows the cycles of day and night, taken them as his constant. All things have life and death in accord with the principles of Heaven and Earth. Thus it is said that if one fights before understanding the situation, even if he is more numerous, he will certainly be defeated."

Another Question 
Why is Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings important to the hardcore strategists?

The Answer (partial)
" ... Although the Art of War remains the only book known in the West, the Wu-tzu and Six Secret Teachings proved to be highly important sources for military wisdom over the centuries, and the latter continues to be held in higher esteem among contemporary PRC military professionals. .."  -  Ralph Sawyer

If the PRC military professionals are reading it, why are you not reading it?

Comments From The Compass Desk
The strategists who wants to stay ahead of the competition, must know what dots to connect and how to connect them.  

We will continue this topic on Wednesday. 
#

Succeeding in the Info Economy by Assessing a Problem with the Phoenix Checklist

(updated 09/23/13 12:33 pm)

Do you think that you can succeed in our complex economy with a checklist without ever having to grind?

This "Phoenix Checklist" post originated from 

the plannersdilemma.misentropy.com.

The Phoenix Checklist

Was looking through my notes recently and came across the Phoenix Checklist - a set of questions developed by the CIA to enable their agents and operatives to think about a problem thoroughly. It should come in handy for us planners and strategists.

The problem

• Why is it necessary to solve the problem?
• What benefits will you receive by solving the problem?
• What is the unknown?
• What is it you don't yet understand?
• What is the information you have?
• What isn't the problem?
• Is the information sufficient? Or is it insufficient? Or redundant? Or contradictory?
• Should you draw a diagram of the problem? A figure?
• Where are the boundaries of the problem?
• Can you separate the various parts of the problem? Can you write them down? What are the relationships of the parts of the problem? What are the constants of the problem?
• Have you seen this problem before?
• Have you seen this problem in a slightly different form? Do you know a related problem?
• Try to think of a familiar problem having the same or a similar unknown
• Suppose you find a problem related to yours that has already been solved. Can you use it? Can you use its method?
• Can you restate your problem? How many different ways can you restate it? More general? More specific? Can the rules be changed?
• What are the best, worst and most probable cases you can imagine?

The plan

• Can you solve the whole problem? Part of the problem?
• What would you like the resolution to be? Can you picture it?
• How much of the unknown can you determine?
• Can you derive something useful from the information you have?
• Have you used all the information?
• Have you taken into account all essential notions in the problem?
• Can you separate the steps in the problem-solving process? Can you determine the correctness of each step?
• What creative thinking techniques can you use to generate ideas? How many different techniques?
• Can you see the result? How many different kinds of results can you see?
• How many different ways have you tried to solve the problem?
• What have others done?
• Can you intuit the solution? Can you check the result?
• What should be done? How should it be done?
• Where should it be done?
• When should it be done?
• Who should do it?
• What do you need to do at this time?
• Who will be responsible for what?
• Can you use this problem to solve some other problem?
• What is the unique set of qualities that makes this problem what it is and none other?
• What milestones can best mark your progress?
• How will you know when you are successful?

Our Comments on the Checklist  
The conundrum of planning is that it requires some forethought. The complication occurs when one has no foresight of the opportunities or any experience in maximizing those circumstances. Sometimes the predictability of the settings and the experience of the strategist determined the quality of planning.

The list is long and dreary.  Why would anyone in their right mind use that list?  Would you assess your situation with that list?

Lifehacker

The Gist of a Checklist

A basic checklist usually enables the implementers to be prepared to operate in a predictable setting. It also reduces some stress while allowing for a fewer surprises.

The Checklist vs. The Script
What are the differences between a "script" and a list?

• The list sometimes produces the illusion of stability. 
• The list is for people who believed that their settings are always static
• The script is designed for competitive people who proactively operate with a purpose and are methodical by style.
• The scripting process occurs after they have assessed the completeness of the Big Tangible Picture.
• The script enables its implementer to operate in the settings of order and disorder.

I presumed that you know why the Checklist-based scheme does not always work!?  ...  

Why the Script Works 
The script only works when one's strategic operational team has comprehended the configuration of their Big Tangible Picture (BTP) and possessed a grand understanding of the various strategic and tactical principles.  By understanding the strategic efficiency of their Big Picture, the implementers recognized what adds up and when it multiples.
Then they decided whether to play the "risk game of pursuing the multiplier" or "to stay focused" on their objective, be efficient until the project is completed.

Amateurs compile lists of objectives or steps while professionals devise scripts.

The Process of a Script Verses An Assortment of Rules 

Having a large list of strategy principles and operational measures cannot always help the strategic implementer if he/she does not know how to script their operation in a concise way. (Some of the pseudo experts tell their followers to utilize a few of their interpreted principles for the purpose of resolving their problems regardless of their situation. It should idealistically work. The key word is "idealistically.")

Fwiw, the size of one's endeavor is proportional to the importance of having a well-devised script.

The Compass Script

The Compass Script is our macro approach that enables the implementers to organizes their assortment of lists of tactical plays for specific situations. It also enables them to adjust their process and their objectives for certain situations

Our approach is specifically designed for short-term, reward-based projects with long-range implications. These projects are usually aligned to unpredictable strategic situations where the macro variables could change.

We will discuss how a typical Compass Script works in a strategic terrain in a future post.

Question of the Day

Does your team operate from a script?

Organizing Data is the 1st step.

Organization 
(Five staccato syllables to live by)

Organization leads to preparation
Preparation eliminates the unexpected. 
Be ready for everything. . . . 
Overlook nothing. ... 

"A team that is unable to discern good fortune and misfortune in the as-yet-uninformed does not understand preparations." 
- Military Methods, 22 (A minor revision on a concept from Sun Bin's Military Methods)

In any competitive strategy situation, the well-prepared and successful strategists are always focused on securing the last base camp before assaulting the summit.

In summary, preparation is the key. Knowing when and how to prepare for a planning and preparation situation is the first stage of preparation. ... Knowing what to plan for and how to plan is the next stage. ... It starts by assessing the situation and following your script to build the new situational script.

Trivia
Cate Blanchett, a famous Aussie actress, enjoys making lists and crossing items off as she accomplishes them.
///

A "Pragmatic" (Strategic) View of Daoism

/// It is always a challenge for many people to apply the Daoist thought to the gritty realities of daily life, not in lofty philosophical discussions. 

This two-part article was originally published in April 2004  and Sept 2004, by one of our many associates.  After eight plus years, he has updated portions of it and asked us to published it.

# # #
Playing with the Dao:

A "Pragmatic" Strategic View

The Dao gave birth to One. The One gave birth to Two. The Two gave birth to Three. The Three gave birth to all of creation. All things carry Yin yet embrace Yang. They blend their life breaths in order to produce harmony.
People despise being orphaned, widowed, and poor. But the noble ones take these as their titles. In losing, much is gained, and in gaining, much is lost.
What others teach I too will teach:   "The strong and violent will not die a natural death."   --- Chapter 42 of Laozi's Dao De Jing (also known as the Tao Te Ching)

We are currently living under a challenging macro scenario of rapid urgency, where uncertainties have become a regular commonality. Some of these uncertainties are driven by many global-sized, technologically driven velocities of change that unnerve the masses to ask the question "What are we going to do now?"

Someone recently asked me the following set of questions: "Since our world has gotten more chaotic than what we dreamed or believed in, what can we do about it? Can a person stay ahead of the curve of shifts and changes by understanding the Dao? Is there anything in the Dao that allows us to understand our world of uncertainty?"

After a moment of self-reflection on these questions, I realized that this person wanted a pragmatic "what-to-do" answer to our global setting of life-altering shifts and changes. Before those questions could be answered, we must first define the meaning of the Dao.

What is the Dao?

The word "Dao" (also written as "Tao") means road, path, or way (a way to follow, a way of thought, a method, or a principle). The Dao is seen as the everlasting principle at the origin of the universe. It permeates and transcends all beings; it is at the origin of all transformations. This belief system, originating in ancient China, is considered to the foremost, indigenous philosophical thought of China and is called Daoism. Fundamentally, the name Daoism refers to one central universal principle: "Everything in the universe is connected to the motion of continuous change."

This essayist re-interprets that same principle as "… an elegant, universal framework that loosely connects numerous components to a total flow of macro and micro cycles of continuous change." Everything about Daoism is connected to this perspective.

"The universe and I exist together and all things and I are one."   
--- Zhuang Zi's (translated by Lin Yutang)

Each component can possess a total force of positive or negative polarity. The Chinese referred to these forces as Yin and Yang. By viewing the internals of those components, an interplaying balance of opposite polarities that create and display the macro force can be seen.

Within this common setting, there's always a multiple of Yin and Yang forces evolving from a state of balance to a state of imbalance, then returning to its original state. Some of these actions have been explained with mathematics, numbers, and patterns. Nevertheless, it is always dynamic and continuous.

Pragmatic Definition of Yin and Yang forces

Yin:   Soft, dark, contract, zero, lightness (weight), extraordinary, earth, no, loss, water

Yang:   Hard, light, expand, one, heaviness (weight), normal, heaven, yes, gain, fire

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A Daoist Viewpoint on Change

The impact of any Yin and Yang force is change. The Daoist's perspective on change emphasizes that time is cyclical—not linear or dynamic and never static. Change occurs continuously—not between events—and present events are determined by other present events, not by past events. To meet your objective, it is important to prevail in as many incrementally based contests as possible.

To view a change in term of Sunzi's strategic principles, this essayist recommends that you should perceive it in terms of patterns, strategic advantage(s), adaptability, and leverage(s).

"Thus, one able to gain victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said to be divine. … Of the five elements, none is always predominant; of the four seasons, none lasts forever; of the days, some are long and some are short, and the moon waxes and wanes. …" --- Sunzi's Art of War (AoW), Chapter 6 (Griffith interpretation)

INTRODUCTION TO READING THE YIN AND YANG FORCES

Reading, recognizing, and understanding the force of shifts and changes occurs when you learn how to stay still.

"In battle, there are only the normal and extraordinary forces, but their combinations are limitless; none can comprehend them all. … For these two forces are mutually reproductive; their interaction as endless as that of interlocked rings. Who can determine where one ends and the other begins. …"   --- Sunzi AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith interpretation)

Stillness

To understand the Dao, internal stillness is the first requirement. The first step of attaining this particular state is the "focused" act of emptying one's thoughts while maintaining no physical movement. This state of total "nothingness" is another important factor behind the essence of Daoism.

"Detach from emotions and desires; get rid of any fixations."   
--- Zhuge Liang

The focus of being still is to find the internal state of tranquility within your being.

"In motion be like water. At rest like a mirror. Respond like an echo.
Be subtle as though non-existent. Be still as though pure."   
--- Zhuangzi

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Results from the Practice of Stillness

Life can be an incoming flow of random shift and changes when you are not familiar with the patterns. Proper practice of internal stillness allows you to understand the interlinking patterns of Yin and Yang forces while disbelieving in the attribute of chance.

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest."   
--- Old Daoist text

Once the basic state of stillness is attained, the next step is to focus your internal attention on recognizable things like time, climate, and terrain, then continue by noticing its order and how it corresponds to the large scheme of things—all while maintaining your eye on the target. This key step of focusing on the current moment is the basis of mastering the Daoist principle of "familiar."

"Never worry about yesterday or concern oneself with tomorrow. You have to stay in the moment. By focusing on today, that is how we get to tomorrow."   
--- A paraphrase from John Wooden, former UCLA coach

This "performance" state of internal stillness can attenuate the chaos of your surroundings into a transparent state of clarity. Old Daoist texts describe this transformation with the analogy of "muddy water settling down and becoming "clear and pristine."

"One should clean out a room in one's home and place only a tea table and a chair in the room with some boiled water and fragrant tea. Afterwards, sit solitarily and allow one's spirit to become tranquil, light, and natural."   
--- Li Ri Hua, a Ming Dynasty scholar

Through this constant practice of internal stillness, the novice strategist (of the Dao) slowly learns to appreciate the attribute of self-patience and delayed gratification, while subconsciously focusing on accomplishing your objective regardless of the internal and external pressure (from your surroundings that derives from the shifts and changes).

"The Master said, 'Even the world, its states, and its clans can be pacified; even ranks and emoluments can be declined, and even flashing blades can be trodden underfoot, but focusing on the familiar affairs of the day (zhongyong)—this is no easy matter."   
--- Zhongyong, Section 9

You can also advance to the mindset of prioritizing that understanding the state of how the world is is more significant than the act of determining what and why the world is.

"Be peaceful, easygoing, upright, and calm; then the measures you impose will be accommodating. If you are good at managing but are not calm, then empty your heart and even your mind, and wait for unease to fall away. This helps master rank."   
--- Guigu Zi (Master of the Ghost Valley)

# Results from "Understanding the How"

Understanding how the world operates and its cyclical phase enhances your view of the large picture. This comprehension assists you in determining the "competitive advantage" within the situation, allowing you to focus on what to adopt and how to adjust to the current situation.

Proper understanding of the how allows the pragmatic strategist of the Dao to proactively view the Big Tangible Picture unemotionally while the practice of the what focuses the amateur strategist to be more tactically reactive. After a series of practice and perfecting, the budding strategist of the Dao learns to observe and understand how the micro-cycle of one event can fit into the large picture [the Greater Dao]. This action is the first step of "aligning with the Dao."

"What comes from the internal practice of stillness is the practice of field and focus. ... All this 'stuff' is happening all around me and I am the lens that brings it into perspective at this point in time and this location."   --- R. Matz (The Alpha Chef of Cook Ding's Kitchen and Xingyiquan player)

This proper practice allows you to become effective at whatever your focus is.

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How to Read the Forces

"Study requires calm; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to expand talent; without calm there is no way to accomplish study."   
--- Zhuge Liang

Through the state of stillness, you could develop the ability to read the forces of Yin and Yang. When observing a specific force, focus only on the current moment of reading and recognizing the attributes of forces and its affect on the current settings. Is the force opposing? Is the force positioned in a scenario of confronting? Is the force fluid and constantly changing? Is the force a "head-on" scenario? Or is the force a macro combination of the four forces mentioned above?

"Therefore I say, know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril."   
--- Sunzi

When encountering any combination of those mentioned forces, the pragmatic strategist-Daoist decides on one of the following four strategic options:

• Positioning in one's locale and countering with the opposite polarity of the oncoming force
• Positioning in one's locale and yielding until the force is overextended
• Countering the directness of the oncoming force with indirectness
• Countering the "continuous change of opposing force" by following its direction

As a strategic rule, it is not a good idea to always counter a direct force with a direct force.

"For they end and recommence; cyclical, as are the movements of the sun and moon. They die away and are reborn; recurrent, as are the passing seasons. … "   
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith's interpretation)

By studying the following attributes of a force: direction, intensity, rhythm, balance and its origin, you might understand how it fits into the greater scheme of things.

"In dwelling, be close to the land; in meditation, go deep in the heart; in dealing with others, be gentle and kind; in speech, be true; in ruling, be just'; in business, be competent; in action, watch the timing."   
--- Dao De Jing, Chapter 8

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Understanding the Dao

To understand the basic interaction of the Dao, reading and recognizing the "Yin and Yang" forces becomes the immediate priority. The first step is mastering the action of stillness.

"To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions."   --- Zhuge Liang

The Dao is about continuous change and that there is no approach to completely control the Dao. You can only read, recognize, and synchronize with it for a chosen seasonal cycle. Through a constant and conscious interplay with the Dao, you learn how to achieve the "right feel for the right time at the right place" while determining the critical path for completing that venture.

Comprehending the process regarding the settings that are around you and their relationship to the macro picture is what counts. The acceptance of these macro principles of the Dao will allow you to operate and complete your venture with maximum efficiency regardless of the influence(s) around you.

When you can focus on the current affairs of the moment, only then can you concentrate on what matters most.

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."   
--- F. Scott Fitzgerald

When dealing with scenarios of uncertainty, the pragmatic strategist of the Dao focuses only on the cyclical analysis and recognition while comprehending how things operate and not what the results of the thing. Through cyclical recognition, you understand the importance of the timing and the momentum within various shifts and changes.

THE  HEURISTIC PRINCIPLES OF THE DAO

The following is a partial listing of the heuristic principles for aligning with the Dao:

• The Dao is a macro space consisting of numerous loosely connected components: Strategy is the Dao. Boxing (martial arts) is the Dao. Everything is the Dao
• The "Seasonal" Cycle: During good times, you must be conservative, totally focused, and not expand beyond your means. Good and bad times can never last forever.   /// Things always come in cycles. Understanding and following the significant macro cycle properly allows you to master the attribute of momentum and timing for that macro scenario
• "Focus on the Familiar" #1: Proper establishment of internal stillness allows you to pay attention to the familiar
• "Focus on the Familiar" #2: "Focus solely on how the world works as opposed to what is the world about before executing any strategic move"
• The Integration of Yin and Yang: The forces of Yin and Yang complement each other. For every Yang-driven scenario, there's a Yin-driven scenario hidden behind it and vice-versa
• Opposite Polarity: You should always effortlessly counter an opposing force with a force of opposite polarity (either directly or indirectly)
• Existing with the Dao: Logic is a tool that justifies your existence
• Playing with the Dao #1: Playing with the Dao allows you to align with it for a particular season that gives you a momentary advantage. Concurrently, also focus on securing the maximum results that would give you the best position for the next cycle
• Playing with the Dao #2: Dissolving, deflecting, and absorbing the forces of Yin and Yang is the trademark of someone who comprehend the approach for playing with the Dao. That action derives from your approach of adopting, adjusting, and aligning with the Dao. Those who do not align with the Dao pay the conclusive price of failure. In the long run, the forces of the Dao always prevail over the abilities of animals, machines, and man
• Playing with the Dao #3: Always regard the macro (and micro) cause-and-effect process within each continuous cycle
• Aligning with the Dao #1: There is a great difference between knowing the Dao and aligning with the Dao

GRAND RESULTS

"Before the engagement, one who determines in the ancestral temple that he will be victorious has found that the majority of factors are in his favor. Before the engagement one who determines in the ancestral temple that he will not be victorious has found few factors are in his favor. If one who finds that the majority of factors favor him will be victorious, while one who has found few factors favor him will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in his favor? Observing it from this perspective, victory and defeat will be apparent. " 

 --- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 1 (Sawyer's interpretation)

Through the practice of mindful stillness and the understanding of the Dao, you gradually learn and understand the importance of constant self-improvement and living our lives intelligently with a great degree of significance. The maintaining of this self-optimizing state while wandering at ease is always a lifetime challenge for those who wish to align themselves with the Dao.

"Your experience is never the same as the next person." --- A paraphrased quote from Sun Lu Tang (Sun's Internal Martial Art System Founder)

The experience of each person is always different from the practice of stillness. The only commonalities are the focus on the familiar and the practice of aligning with the Dao.

"In every landscape, the point of astonishment is the meeting of the sky and the earth." --- Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Transcendental Sage of Concord

THOUGHTS FROM A PRAGMATIC STRATEGIST

"When people of great wisdom hear the Truth, they diligently practice it. When people of moderate wisdom hear the Truth, they practice it now and then. When people of lesser wisdom hear the Truth, they laugh at it. If there were no laughter, there would be no Truth."   --- Laozi

The Dao concepts mentioned above are a summation of my given answer to the questioner. After a long exchange of questions and answers, that person began to understand the importance of focusing on the familiar and how the world operates.

As a reminder, this essay only touches on a small component of what the Dao is.

After years of playing with the Dao, this pragmatic essayist learned that this philosophical mindset and practice is also efficient in determining the large picture while staying focused  on the target regardless of one's current scenario. There's no genuine set of strategic and tactical rules for playing with the Dao-just the heuristic principles of recognizing scenarios and its cycles that determine the strategy and tactics of your endeavor. 

"In the field of observation, fortune favors the prepared."   ---Louis Pasteur

Direct alignment with the Dao allows you to effectively complete any endeavors with the minimum effort. From a personal experience, it can be described as "water cascading down a mountainside taking the path of least resistance."

"It is the business of a general (or a strategist) to be serene and inscrutable, impartial, and self-controlled."   
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW (Griffith interpretation)

Accomplishing this feat consistently is another story. If learning how to play the Dao were any simpler or difficult, it would not be the Dao.

To thrive in the current world of uncertain shifts and changes, the consummate strategists of the Dao pragmatically create their own opportunity first through their understanding of how the world operates instead of searching and waiting for a certain scenario to occur.

"He who has mastered this method knows the way of heaven and earth, has the support of the populace, and is fully aware of the opposing situation. … When he needs to determine his battle array, he knows how to prepare the formations. He combats when there is assurance of victory. He stops fighting when there isn't. … For one who has really mastered the method, his opposition can do nothing to escape their defeat."   
--- An updated paraphrase from Sun Bin (famous strategist from the Warring States era and the great grandson of Sunzi)

Regardless of your settings and your pursuits, always align with the Dao

Source: http://www.jadedragon.com/tao_heal/meh4045.html

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Comments from the Compass Desk
To gain this state of stillness, our friends at Cook Ding's Kitchen recommended the practice of Yi Quan instead of yoga. The benefits is in its emphasis on an incremental balance of static and active motion exercises.  

To properly assess the Dao of one's strategic situation, one must understand the "Five Critical Strategic Factors" that are embedded within it.  ... You do know how to do that!?  Do you?

Learning the philosophy of Daoism is easy. Comprehending the psychology and the physics behind the Dao is the challenge.  ... It is not in your copy of the Art of War.

Without stirring abroad
One can know the whole world;
Without looking out the window
One can see the way of heaven.
The further one goes
The less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without having to stir,
Identifies without having to see,
Accomplishes without having to act.

DDJ , 47 


By seeing the connectivity of their grand setting, the successful strategist stays focused on his endeavors. 

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