Not keeping things simple and honest. Not that we haven=t all tried to embellish the truth at one time or another, but it rarely works, and not for long. Once you are labeled as less than honest, it is very hard to lose that label.
Going against, instead of with, the flow of events. Instead, try to divert it or use it to your advantage. Be careful to stay within the rules.
Rushing headlong into action. Other people will judge you very quickly, so it pays to think and find out more information before acting.
Ignoring the unintended consequences of your actions. Whenever you are handling money o r making decisions about it, your action may have an impact on someone else or somewhere else in your own life. Make sure you think about those, and make sure you can live with them. And make sure you can live with whatever sacrifices you decide to make.
Working on the Wrong Problem. Are you sure the weakness in your situation is what is setting you back the most? Make sure you know what the problem is, so you can focus on that, and not less important things.
Not Specifying Your Objectives Enough. Every move you make, everything you do has to move you closer to a clear goal. Make sure you know what that goal is. If you want to own a car, what do you need? If you want to start a business, what do you need, and by when?
Not Developing Enough Alternatives. When you are trying to buy a car or start a business, make sure you have a broad enough range of possibilities to make a good decision. And if one thing doesn’t work out, have a second plan to try.
Disregarding Uncertainty. Always expect the unexpected, because it will happen at least once.
Failing To Account For Your Risk Tolerance. No one is perfect, with great foresight, reliable information, fabulous intuition, and nerves of steel. Be aware of how much risk you are willing to take, and how much the rest of the people involved, in your family or in your business, are willing to take. Then stay below that threshold. Otherwise, the situation will be plagued by (even more) conflict.
Failing to Plan Ahead When Decisions Are Linked Over Time. It is the easiest thing in the world to not notice a domino effect. You need to plot your actions backwards from the deadline you have set yourself.
Not Trusting your Intuition. In strategy, it is important to work easily with the non-rational part of your brain. This tactic dimension is critical at the outset, although it stays important throughout.
Showing posts with label underdog strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label underdog strategy. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
How Underdog Handle Money and Do Business
The underdog is always thinking about what other people with more money or other, bigger, or older businesses are doing.
The underdog is holistic about money and business. The underdog thinks about survival from one day to the next, and money or business is only one part of it. Underdogs also know they cannot compete in the big leagues, and so look for other ways of doing business or making money.
The underdog is always adapting. S/he has to learn with every transaction, with every experience, with every mistake.
The underdog plays a waiting game. Circumstances are not in his/her favor, so patience and careful thinking are a necessity.
The underdog is creative. His/her means are limited, much more so than people with more money or bigger businesses.
The underdog sees the big picture. The market, the business world, banks and loans, all of these can be unpredictable and most are hostile. So to spot opportunities nonetheless, the underdog looks at the context beyond the immediate to find a better situation.
The underdog is always scanning his environment for possible threats and opportunities.
The underdog specifically designs each action to suit his/her strategy. The underdog sees the impact of every action on the situation, and takes all the potential consequences into account.
The underdog is constantly forecasting for all events, and considers even unlikely scenarios.
The underdog assumes s/he will lose any direct confrontation or competition.
The underdog will break even his/her own rules of behavior in order to get what is necessary to survive. It can be seen as dishonest; but it may only mean s/he has struggled to survive.
The underdog ’s passions are engaged.
Thinking like an underdog is not just for crises or problem-solving: it is operating all the time. It can be exhausting or stressful, but that is often how underdogs live.
The underdog is holistic about money and business. The underdog thinks about survival from one day to the next, and money or business is only one part of it. Underdogs also know they cannot compete in the big leagues, and so look for other ways of doing business or making money.
The underdog is always adapting. S/he has to learn with every transaction, with every experience, with every mistake.
The underdog plays a waiting game. Circumstances are not in his/her favor, so patience and careful thinking are a necessity.
The underdog is creative. His/her means are limited, much more so than people with more money or bigger businesses.
The underdog sees the big picture. The market, the business world, banks and loans, all of these can be unpredictable and most are hostile. So to spot opportunities nonetheless, the underdog looks at the context beyond the immediate to find a better situation.
The underdog is always scanning his environment for possible threats and opportunities.
The underdog specifically designs each action to suit his/her strategy. The underdog sees the impact of every action on the situation, and takes all the potential consequences into account.
The underdog is constantly forecasting for all events, and considers even unlikely scenarios.
The underdog assumes s/he will lose any direct confrontation or competition.
The underdog will break even his/her own rules of behavior in order to get what is necessary to survive. It can be seen as dishonest; but it may only mean s/he has struggled to survive.
The underdog ’s passions are engaged.
Thinking like an underdog is not just for crises or problem-solving: it is operating all the time. It can be exhausting or stressful, but that is often how underdogs live.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
How Smart Underdogs Think
How Smart Underdogs Think
The underdog is always thinking about what the strong are about to do – life and limb may depend on it.
The underdog is holistic. Since s/he cannot win a head-on confrontation, s/he has to find other ways of surviving
The underdog is always adapting. In order to survive, the underdog has to learn with every move.
The underdog plays a waiting game. Circumstances are not in his favor, so patience is a necessity in many situations.
The underdog is creative. The underdog’s means are limited, and usually dramatically more limited than the means available to others.
The underdog sees the big picture. The underdog is used to living and acting in a hostile and unpredictable environment. S/he developed the habit of seeing the context beyond his immediate circumstances.
The underdog is constantly scanning his environment for possible threats and for possible opportunities.
The underdog specifically designs each action to suit his strategy. The underdog sees the impact of every action, every tactics, on the whole picture, and takes all the potential consequences into account when s/he designs his/her tactics or actions.
The underdog is constantly forecasting for all events and all other actors, and invests in the development of even unlikely scenarios.
The underdog assumes s/he will lose any direct confrontation.
The underdog will break even his/her own rules of behavior in order to achieve his goal. This does not mean the underdog is immoral or dishonest; it means s/he has struggled to survive.
The underdog’s passions or passionate feelings are engaged.
Thinking like an underdog is not just when there is a problem; it is operating all the time, when looking for a job, doing housework, shopping. In some cases, they can be operating in an atmosphere of fear.
All of the differences in the way they think are summed up by the core idea. The core idea forces the use of more than the rational way most of us are taught in school. It calls on experience, judgment, intuition and everything else that has been learned in the past.
Laure Paquette, Ph.D.
Laure.Paquette@Lakeheadu.ca
The underdog is always thinking about what the strong are about to do – life and limb may depend on it.
The underdog is holistic. Since s/he cannot win a head-on confrontation, s/he has to find other ways of surviving
The underdog is always adapting. In order to survive, the underdog has to learn with every move.
The underdog plays a waiting game. Circumstances are not in his favor, so patience is a necessity in many situations.
The underdog is creative. The underdog’s means are limited, and usually dramatically more limited than the means available to others.
The underdog sees the big picture. The underdog is used to living and acting in a hostile and unpredictable environment. S/he developed the habit of seeing the context beyond his immediate circumstances.
The underdog is constantly scanning his environment for possible threats and for possible opportunities.
The underdog specifically designs each action to suit his strategy. The underdog sees the impact of every action, every tactics, on the whole picture, and takes all the potential consequences into account when s/he designs his/her tactics or actions.
The underdog is constantly forecasting for all events and all other actors, and invests in the development of even unlikely scenarios.
The underdog assumes s/he will lose any direct confrontation.
The underdog will break even his/her own rules of behavior in order to achieve his goal. This does not mean the underdog is immoral or dishonest; it means s/he has struggled to survive.
The underdog’s passions or passionate feelings are engaged.
Thinking like an underdog is not just when there is a problem; it is operating all the time, when looking for a job, doing housework, shopping. In some cases, they can be operating in an atmosphere of fear.
All of the differences in the way they think are summed up by the core idea. The core idea forces the use of more than the rational way most of us are taught in school. It calls on experience, judgment, intuition and everything else that has been learned in the past.
Laure Paquette, Ph.D.
Laure.Paquette@Lakeheadu.ca
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Media Release on my upcoming research project
Dec 05, 2007 08:30 ET
Lakehead University Professor Collaborates With U.S. Military on Anti-Terrorism Research
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 5, 2007) - In the New Year, Dr. Laure Paquette, a Lakehead University Political Science professor, will be working with an American military university to develop tools for understanding underdog strategies.
Paquette will conduct research with the Joint Special Operations University, a post-secondary military institution responsible for educating special operations forces from all branches of the U.S. military. "I'm going to focus on mistakes that underdogs like terrorists and other criminals make in their strategic thinking processes, and how to use those mistakes to save the lives of as many people as possible, whether they are civilian or military," says Paquette.
Paquette will travel for approximately nine weeks, interviewing military personnel, making at least one presentation, and writing a paper for wide distribution. All of this will take place during the winter 2008 term.
"Dr. Paquette's expertise is a great match for our current research priorities," says U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael C. McMahon, director of the JSOU Department of Strategic Studies. "We are happy to support a researcher of her international stature and reputation, and we look forward to making her findings widely available."
Dr. Paquette has lectured at military academies and staff colleges in Canada, China, South Korea, and Japan. Her defence-related research has been funded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as the Canadian, Japanese, and Taiwanese governments. She has published Bioterrorism and Health Services Administration, provided advice to the U.S. Air Force on its counterinsurgency doctrine, and is presently developing a guide to counterinsurgency training.
U.S. Special Operations Command established JSOU at Hurlburt Field, Fla. in 2000. JSOU is a focal point for meeting special operations forces unique educational needs and enhancing the understanding of special operations' utility to national security decision makers.
Media: Dr. Paquette (fluent in French) and Lt. Col. Michael C. McMahon are available for media interview. Please contact Dr. Paquette directly at 807-346-9657. Additionally, Lt. Col. Michael C. McMahon may be reached at 850-496-8612 (cell) or via Robert Schultz, Administrative Assistant, at 850-884-2765. For additional information about this media release, please contact: Heather Scott, Communications Officer, 343-8177, commun@lakeheadu.ca; or Eleanor Abaya, Director of Communications, 343-8372, eabaya@lakeheadu.ca.
About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 7,700 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
About the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)
JSOU is a subordinate organization of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The JSOU mission is to educate SOF executive, senior, and intermediate leaders and selected other national and international security decision makers, both military and civilian, through teaching, outreach, and research in the science and art of joint special operations. JSOU provides education to the men and women of SOF and to those who enable the SOF mission in a joint environment.
Paquette will conduct research with the Joint Special Operations University, a post-secondary military institution responsible for educating special operations forces from all branches of the U.S. military. "I'm going to focus on mistakes that underdogs like terrorists and other criminals make in their strategic thinking processes, and how to use those mistakes to save the lives of as many people as possible, whether they are civilian or military," says Paquette.
Paquette will travel for approximately nine weeks, interviewing military personnel, making at least one presentation, and writing a paper for wide distribution. All of this will take place during the winter 2008 term.
"Dr. Paquette's expertise is a great match for our current research priorities," says U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael C. McMahon, director of the JSOU Department of Strategic Studies. "We are happy to support a researcher of her international stature and reputation, and we look forward to making her findings widely available."
Dr. Paquette has lectured at military academies and staff colleges in Canada, China, South Korea, and Japan. Her defence-related research has been funded by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as the Canadian, Japanese, and Taiwanese governments. She has published Bioterrorism and Health Services Administration, provided advice to the U.S. Air Force on its counterinsurgency doctrine, and is presently developing a guide to counterinsurgency training.
U.S. Special Operations Command established JSOU at Hurlburt Field, Fla. in 2000. JSOU is a focal point for meeting special operations forces unique educational needs and enhancing the understanding of special operations' utility to national security decision makers.
Media: Dr. Paquette (fluent in French) and Lt. Col. Michael C. McMahon are available for media interview. Please contact Dr. Paquette directly at 807-346-9657. Additionally, Lt. Col. Michael C. McMahon may be reached at 850-496-8612 (cell) or via Robert Schultz, Administrative Assistant, at 850-884-2765. For additional information about this media release, please contact: Heather Scott, Communications Officer, 343-8177, commun@lakeheadu.ca; or Eleanor Abaya, Director of Communications, 343-8372, eabaya@lakeheadu.ca.
About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 7,700 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
About the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)
JSOU is a subordinate organization of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The JSOU mission is to educate SOF executive, senior, and intermediate leaders and selected other national and international security decision makers, both military and civilian, through teaching, outreach, and research in the science and art of joint special operations. JSOU provides education to the men and women of SOF and to those who enable the SOF mission in a joint environment.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Is there such a thing as a strategic sailor? Civvie ride-along on the HMCS Halifax during TGEX, Nov 2007
When the Strategic Communications unit of Maritime Command invited me to ride along on the HMCS Halifax during the fall exercise TGEX, I didn't hesitate for a second. I thought the experience would broaden my thinking in a way that nothing else could, and I was right. It was like something out of a novel, everything was so foreign to me. I was at the top of my learning curve all the time, and it was really good to experience that as a professor -- it's very easy in my line of work to forget what it is like to learn. More than that, practically every moment was immensely revealing of a whole way of living and working that was completely outside my ken.
Some of the photographs I took can be seen here. In case it's not obvious, the worse I felt, the fewer pictures I took!
What was my hypothesis?
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Hillier, talks every once in a while about a strategic corporal. He 's not the first to talk about this, but it means a corporal who can think globally and act locally. As a strategist, I wondered whether there was such a thing as a strategic sailor. I hypothesized that s/he did exist. For more on the strategic corporal, see my earlier post on that subject.
How did I prepare?
I read everything on the National Defense of Canada website about the navy and the ship, including the strategic plan for the navy to 2020. I looked for academic literature on the Canadian navy, but found only historical stuff. So as a substitute, I read half a dozen Congressional Research Reports on naval issues that were broad enough to be applicable to other navies.
What did I do once on board?
I watched and listened and talked. I got lost quite a bit in what I call the navspeak, i.e. the jargon. I asked some people more questions about their jobs. I watched exercises that involved more or fewer people, I listened to the briefings, I listened when I could to people talking to each other. I observed how they interacted with me and the other three civilians when we were being briefed. I watched for the structure of the thinking behind all of the above.
What did I look for?
Capacity to separate the wheat from the chaff; ability to see the big picture; ability to use non-rational processes of thought and non-rational types of knowledge; multitasking; ability to think with the characteristics of underdog strategy; ability to work intuitively in a productive way; all of the above under the increasing stress of difficult or dangerous work and living conditions.
What did I find?
There are strategic sailors across several ranks and trades, although I cannot tell if they exist across all ranks and trades. There are underdog strategists working aboard, but all the ones I found were statistically unlikely, so there are probably lots more I didn't have a chance to identify.
Did I find mistakes underdogs make?
I didn't look for any, but I didn't notice any either. I did see a few strong-side strategic mistakes, i.e. situations that would have benefited from underdog strategy.
Why should anyone care?
I'm of the opinion that if Canada ever gets into a really big fight, what will save lives is how people think, now how big of a stick we can bring to the fight. I'm with General Patton: ""Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." (Cavalry Journal, September 1933-- thanks to Tony Prudori for digging the quote up for me.) In the meantime, if the navy is to fight terrorism, piracy, smuggling, and rescue people as well, then underdog thinking is also important. What I found is good news in that regard, I personally was reassured and even admiring. Whether I can get that sort of talent identified clearly enough for it to play a role in military planning and execution, however, I have yet to see. I imagine I'm going to run smack into habitus, i.e. established ways of thinking manifested in ordinary situations by skepticism and rolling of the eyes. Well, whatever. That is the challenge to come.
Some of the photographs I took can be seen here. In case it's not obvious, the worse I felt, the fewer pictures I took!
What was my hypothesis?
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Hillier, talks every once in a while about a strategic corporal. He 's not the first to talk about this, but it means a corporal who can think globally and act locally. As a strategist, I wondered whether there was such a thing as a strategic sailor. I hypothesized that s/he did exist. For more on the strategic corporal, see my earlier post on that subject.
How did I prepare?
I read everything on the National Defense of Canada website about the navy and the ship, including the strategic plan for the navy to 2020. I looked for academic literature on the Canadian navy, but found only historical stuff. So as a substitute, I read half a dozen Congressional Research Reports on naval issues that were broad enough to be applicable to other navies.
What did I do once on board?
I watched and listened and talked. I got lost quite a bit in what I call the navspeak, i.e. the jargon. I asked some people more questions about their jobs. I watched exercises that involved more or fewer people, I listened to the briefings, I listened when I could to people talking to each other. I observed how they interacted with me and the other three civilians when we were being briefed. I watched for the structure of the thinking behind all of the above.
What did I look for?
Capacity to separate the wheat from the chaff; ability to see the big picture; ability to use non-rational processes of thought and non-rational types of knowledge; multitasking; ability to think with the characteristics of underdog strategy; ability to work intuitively in a productive way; all of the above under the increasing stress of difficult or dangerous work and living conditions.
What did I find?
There are strategic sailors across several ranks and trades, although I cannot tell if they exist across all ranks and trades. There are underdog strategists working aboard, but all the ones I found were statistically unlikely, so there are probably lots more I didn't have a chance to identify.
Did I find mistakes underdogs make?
I didn't look for any, but I didn't notice any either. I did see a few strong-side strategic mistakes, i.e. situations that would have benefited from underdog strategy.
Why should anyone care?
I'm of the opinion that if Canada ever gets into a really big fight, what will save lives is how people think, now how big of a stick we can bring to the fight. I'm with General Patton: ""Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men." (Cavalry Journal, September 1933-- thanks to Tony Prudori for digging the quote up for me.) In the meantime, if the navy is to fight terrorism, piracy, smuggling, and rescue people as well, then underdog thinking is also important. What I found is good news in that regard, I personally was reassured and even admiring. Whether I can get that sort of talent identified clearly enough for it to play a role in military planning and execution, however, I have yet to see. I imagine I'm going to run smack into habitus, i.e. established ways of thinking manifested in ordinary situations by skepticism and rolling of the eyes. Well, whatever. That is the challenge to come.
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