STRATEGIC THINKING - EXPLORING THE TERRAIN
Hello everybody!
We continue with this introductory thematic series on strategic thinking. As I mentioned in the previous post, the basic aspects that must be taken into account to use strategic thinking are:
- Explore the terrain
- Measure the strengths and weaknesses
- Create an entry plan and an exit plan
This time I will talk about what it means to "Explore the terrain".
Ideally, the first thing that should be done in the face of any conflict that comes our way, would be to quickly analyze the situation from different perspectives. This may seem very obvious and simple, but in reality, many people don’t practice it. When we talk about exploring the terrain, this means approaching the problem, whatever it may be and making use of what is known as "trial and error". This concept can be considered a basic tactic, although it is not always convenient to use it as a first option.
Depending on the type of conflict we have to face, we can make use of "trial and error" in different ways. Let's see some examples:
IN BUSINESS
As a rule, good investors never usually put all their money in a single basket when they come across a new business opportunity. First, they will study their possibilities and at the most, they will risk around 20% or 30% of their capital with the intention of exploring the business/market to observe and learn their behavior, which will allow them to decide if they invest more or withdraw.
Trial and error tactic is also known as "innovation" in the business world. Not in vain, one of the favorite slogans of Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is "experimenting with failure" (here we have the case of his Fire Phone, among others). Or more recently we see the case of the Nintendo Switch, with the company being experimenting with this concept of "unifying" portable consoles with traditional home consoles for years, obtaining failures most of the time but with a successful outcome at the end.
IN COMBAT SYSTEMS
A good warrior must always possess in his repertoire at least three tactics that he must master to perfection (depending on how one looks at it, techniques or weapons can also be discussed here, but all of this is tactics) and each one will have a different application depending on the circumstances, but the ideal is to have a tactic of exploration, another for sustenance and a definitive one. The "exploration" tactic is used to test the opponent and see how he reacts: if he is aggressive, he fights defensively, if he is fast or slow, the way he attacks and defends and usually it’s a very simple tactic that does not compromise much self-defense. Sometimes it is known as sebum.
IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
In day-to-day relationships, when we meet a new person, according to the interests we have in common and making use of the same kind of sense, in general we should never give too much personal information to someone we just know, since we ignore what kind of person we are knowing and what the intentions may be. This does not mean distrusting the whole world and becoming a closed person but avoiding talking about certain topics, such as how much money we earn and all the expensive toys we may have in our house.
In summary, the tactic of trial and error means that we must always advance with CAUTION when we face a new circumstance of which we do not have much information. The good strategist never trusts and although he must always have a positive and offensive attitude, aiming for victory, he does so from a defensive, protected position, collecting information from the terrain and the "enemy" (the conflict) and then develop an effective strategy and try to take the advantage.
TIP: To "explore the terrain", you should never use more than 30% of the available resources, be it money, energy, time, feelings...
Everything said above may seem a very simple concept, nothing out of the ordinary. And it really is that way, but the important thing to learn here is always to SEE BEYOND THE EVIDENT. The key to this is in the ability of the strategist to achieve the necessary mastery of his emotions and avoid making fatal mistakes, trying to think with a cool head even if the circumstances are very difficult. This is learned over time.
Answer these questions yourself:
Are you able to control your emotions 100% at all times and think with a cool head when a new conflict arises, even if it takes you completely unprepared?
Are you able to master your reactions, your most basic impulses when you need to do it the most?
When someone wants to attack you, either psychologically or physically, when someone speaks to you in an unpleasant way, what is the first emotion that manifests itself in your psyche? Do you react with anger, with fear, with amazement?
Do you lose control and start arguing with the other person or do you remain paralyzed with fear?
You have to learn to control those reactions and quickly analyze the situation to resolve it effectively.
Many people will think that this is easier said than done, but then I present a simple technique (of so many) learned from martial arts to improve self-control:
It is about learning to control breathing from the diaphragm muscle at the exact moment when any kind of emotional reaction occurs that may be not convenient for us.
The execution is very simple and consists of focusing the attention on the diaphragm, which is just below the ribs and where the stomach mouth begins. If you are an observer, you will notice that usually when we experience intense emotions, breathing is usually altered. This is a muscular reaction that has an emotional origin. But it can also happen the other way around. That is, through breathing, you can achieve to change the state of emotions.
To proceed: focus your attention on your diaphragm muscle and simply BREATHE. Try to do it in a normal way. Let your breathing normalize; that is, inspirations and exhalations at a steady pace, but from the diaphragm. When you inhale, let your diaphragm expand as much as you can and when you exhale, relax your diaphragm muscle. Control your breathing and make it normal again. This has no greater mystery, it is a matter of WANTING that your breathing returns to normal. Focus on your diaphragm.
As your control over breathing takes effect, you will notice how your emotional state is improving. The perfection is not achieved overnight, this requires practice and practice, but over time your self-control ability will improve significantly and you will be able to more effectively apply the "explore the terrain" tactic almost automatically.
See you later!
