Where
Planning Works
Where
Reflexes Are Needed
Why Perspective Works
Competition and Production
Why Adaptive Strategy Works
Since
every situation on the chaotic, front lines of competition is unique and
changes from moment to moment, making good decisions requires a deep understanding of
your position, the ability to see opportunities, and knowing instantly
how to respond to situations. These are the basic skills of Sun Tzu's
adaptive competitive strategy.
In the complex, chaotic world of today, even the
smallest decisions can have huge
impact on your future. While
everyone's immediate decisions address the immediate issues at hand, most people make those
decisions without any comprehensive perspective on their situation. The results are that most people lose as many battles as they win
and never make consistent progress. Events
buffet them, turning them in one direction and then the next. Too often,
they end up repeating their past patterns simply to get predictability
in their lives, but it doesn't take them anywhere.
The adaptive responses taught by Sun Tzu are a feedback
loop. We can cling to our past patterns whether they work or not, or we can
learn how to adapt our responses to fit the changing situation. The Art
of War is not about fighting, it is about the mental
models for adapting successfully that have worked for over 2,500 years.
As you develop the insight taught by Sun Tzu's classical system, the critical elements of a situation simple "pop" out at you.
This isn't magic. It comes from retraining your mind. The study of
successful adaptive response arose from
military confrontations, where every battle clearly demonstrated how hard it is
to predict events in the real world. Sun Tzu saw
that winners were always those who knew how to respond appropriately to the dynamic nature of their situation.
Sun Tzu's classical front-line strategy provides a simple model for complex
dynamic environments. That model "files" each piece of data into the
appropriate place in the big picture. As the picture fills in, you can identify the opportunities hidden within
the situation.
Instead of focusing on a series of planned steps, Sun Tzu's strategy concerns
itself with: 1) identifying the relative
strengths and weaknesses of competitive positions, 2) advancing
positions leveraging opportunities, and 3) the types of responses to
specific challenges that work the most frequently. In the science of strategy, we
call these three areas position
awareness, opportunity
development, and situation
response. Each area of adaptive strategy that you master broadens your
capabilities.
Position awareness trains you to
recognize that
competitive situations are defined by the relationship among alternative
positions. Developing this perspective never ends. It deepens throughout
our lives.
Opportunity development
explores the ground, testing our perceptions. Only testing the edges of
perspective through action can we know what is true.
Situation
response trains us to recognize the key characteristics of the immediate
situation and to respond appropriately. Only by practice, can we learn to trust
the viewpoint we have developed.
Success in competitive environments comes from making better decisions every
day. Sharp strategic reflexes flow from a clear understanding of where and when you use
which competitive tools methods. Read on...
