The Art of Manliness - Think More Strategically

00:00:00.000 I'm Brett McKay here, and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.

00:00:10.680 A lot of organizations and individuals will set some aim for themselves, and then they

00:00:14.600 reach the point where they should be seeing progress, but don't seem surprised that things

00:00:18.380 haven't worked out the way they hoped.

00:00:19.840 They shouldn't be surprised, my guess would say, if they never had a strategy in place

00:00:23.240 for reaching their goals.

00:00:24.320 His name is Stanley K. Ridgely.

00:00:25.340 He's a former military intelligence officer, professor of business, and the lecturer of

00:00:28.820 the Great Courses course, Strategic Thinking Skills.

00:00:31.400 Today on the show, Stanley explains why strategy, whether implemented in business, the military,

00:00:35.160 or your personal life, is so important when it comes to dealing with uncertainty, making

00:00:38.740 decisions, winning competitions, and getting to where you want to go.

00:00:41.780 He first explains why following best practices is not the same thing as following a strategy

00:00:45.820 and how a real strategy is a cycle of mission setting, analysis, and execution that never

00:00:49.900 ends.

00:00:50.540 He impacts what strategic intent is and why it's so important to be clear on yours.

00:00:53.760 We then discuss two main approaches to strategy, cost leadership and differentiation, and why

00:00:58.180 you need to adopt the latter in your own life and stop treating yourself like a commodity.

00:01:01.540 We also get into why indirect attacks on competitors can be more effective than frontal assaults,

00:01:05.420 where people go wrong when it comes to the execution of the strategy and the role that intuition

00:01:09.160 plays for the master strategist.

00:01:10.960 We enter a conversation with what you can start doing today for five minutes in the morning

00:01:14.060 to get closer to your goals.

00:01:15.640 Along the way, Stanley gives examples from both war and business on how the art of strategy

00:01:19.020 works in the field.

00:01:19.860 After the show's over, check out our show notes at aom.is slash strategic thinking.

00:01:28.180 Stanley Ridgely, welcome to the show.

00:01:38.360 Oh, thanks a lot, Brad.

00:01:39.280 It's great to be here with Art of Manliness, and I'm delighted to talk about strategy.

00:01:43.580 Well, yeah, so you are a professor at the Drexel University College of Business, and you

00:01:49.720 think about strategy.

00:01:50.440 You teach business news about strategy.

00:01:52.260 How did you become an expert and professor about strategy in the business world?

00:01:55.520 Well, I have to tell you, it comes from a desire to become a problem solver and a desire to

00:02:01.700 reduce the uncertainty, the chaos of one's personal life.

00:02:05.400 I became a military intelligence officer many, many years ago, and what we do in military

00:02:10.380 intelligence is constantly assess the environment, our own capabilities and intentions and resources,

00:02:15.520 and try to figure out what a potential foe will do.

00:02:20.060 And that's basically what we do with strategic thinking is to anticipate and figure out what's

00:02:26.340 going to happen.

00:02:27.780 And so I found that I really was really jazzed by that and that idea, and I wanted to explore

00:02:33.680 more deeply the history of strategic thinking, the history of strategy.

00:02:38.660 And is there a way that we can become better, more prudent decision makers, both in our personal

00:02:44.380 lives, but also, of course, in our business lives?

00:02:47.380 And there you go.

00:02:49.300 And I've been a strategic thinker.

00:02:51.320 I like to think so ever since.

00:02:53.300 And I love seeing the lights come on when I'm talking to students about, hey, how can

00:02:57.380 I transform my life so that every day is not a complete surprise?

00:03:00.600 How can I, you know, it's a lot more than just organizing one's schedule, of course,

00:03:04.940 but that's part of it.

00:03:07.140 It's bringing order to a naturally chaotic world all around you.

00:03:12.580 Yeah, so, I mean, a lot of you are thinking that, you know, you teach students about how

00:03:16.100 to apply strategy in the business world.

00:03:17.760 And I think when we think of strategy, people think of, well, it's business, that's a business

00:03:20.960 thing, it's a military thing.

00:03:22.600 But you're talking about your students have been able to apply this in this personal

00:03:25.800 lives, and you have too.

00:03:26.640 Like, how can you apply strategy in your personal life, you think?

00:03:31.640 Well, I like to use examples from one's personal life because it, in a sense, of course, personalizes

00:03:37.400 this academic subject because if you can find utility in an academic subject and apply that

00:03:43.200 to your daily life, your daily doings, and in a sense, generate better outcomes, more

00:03:49.340 salubrious outcomes in your personal life, then you tend to believe that and you tend

00:03:53.380 to say, well, hey, I see the utility of strategic thinking.

00:03:57.580 And you remember the principles and you can quite naturally want to apply them to the business

00:04:02.820 world, but you can also apply it to, you know, entertainment, sports, politics, anywhere

00:04:08.800 you're trying to reduce uncertainty in the future.

00:04:12.760 And I'm not talking about some sort of general uncertainty in the future, but I'm talking

00:04:17.500 about uncertainty in your future.

00:04:20.380 And because each of us tends to worry about, and I found this is endemic to young people,

00:04:24.740 oh, we don't know what's going to happen, we're worried about the future.

00:04:28.120 Well, of course we are.

00:04:29.180 We don't know what's going to happen.

00:04:30.360 We have no crystal ball to tell us the future, but we can, with respect to our circumscribed

00:04:36.440 circumstances, we can indeed reduce our uncertainty systematically so that, of course, we don't

00:04:42.900 know what's going to happen, but we are equipped and sourced to deal with the 10% to 20% that

00:04:49.020 is going to hit us and buffet us with unpleasant surprises.

00:04:53.780 So there you go.

00:04:54.900 I love it.

00:04:55.220 So this is all about how to manage uncertainty.

00:04:57.120 So you have this great lecture series on the great courses called Strategic Thinking Skills,

00:05:02.420 where you walk the average Joe through things you talk to your business students about, things

00:05:07.680 you did or used, tools you used as a military intelligence officer.

00:05:13.120 And you begin the lecture saying that the word strategy is one of the most used and abused

00:05:19.420 words in the English language.

00:05:20.840 How so?

00:05:21.320 And how do you think people typically misunderstand strategy?

00:05:27.220 Well, I do think that strategy is a misunderstood word.

00:05:30.160 It's misused.

00:05:30.940 It's abused.

00:05:32.020 Because everyone wants to have a strategy.

00:05:33.640 Everyone wants to be thought of as dealing in strategy.

00:05:36.660 In the business world, I think, and certainly in higher education, our strategy and competitive

00:05:41.480 advantage course is a kind of a sexy course when you think about it.

00:05:44.340 You know, it's elevated, it's complex, it's nuanced, and everyone wants to think about,

00:05:49.760 hey, you know, I don't have just a plan.

00:05:52.160 I have a strategy.

00:05:53.960 And to use the vernacular, that sounds more highfalutin, if you will.

00:05:57.520 But what we find is that strategy is incredibly difficult to craft, and it's difficult to implement

00:06:04.300 and execute.

00:06:05.340 And this difficulty, it's difficult for a number of specific reasons, because it requires you

00:06:12.000 to do perhaps something different than what you're doing now.

00:06:15.520 And so we don't like uncertainty in the business world.

00:06:19.200 And so we like to prop up, if you will, certain activities, and we call these activities strategy.

00:06:26.140 It's a strategic masquerade or this strategy of imitation.

00:06:29.960 We like to think of, for instance, best practices as being a strategy.

00:06:33.460 Now, best practices is a very fine slogan or cliche or label, if you will.

00:06:40.240 We're simply trying to identify the best way we know how to do something in our field,

00:06:44.920 and we're going to follow best practices, which means we investigate the best way to do something,

00:06:50.860 and then we do that.

00:06:51.620 This kind of goes all the way back to Frederick W. Taylor back in the early 20th century

00:06:55.920 and the idea of scientific management.

00:06:57.300 We want to do things the best way.

00:06:59.280 But this is not a strategy.

00:07:00.440 Pursuing a plan to, well, we're going to do things the best way that we know how to do them,

00:07:05.580 that's not a strategy.

00:07:06.580 That's what you should be doing anyway, when you think about it, right?

00:07:10.420 And so strategy means doing things differently than other people.

00:07:14.340 It means, as Michael Porter, the Harvard business professor, says, it means doing things differently.

00:07:20.020 It means organizing activities differently to achieve a unique mix of value.

00:07:27.040 And that can move your firm beyond the production possibility frontier, okay?

00:07:32.420 It can move it beyond that.

00:07:33.760 It can move beyond best practices because what you're doing is you are transforming best practices.

00:07:38.840 You're finding out how to do things differently.

00:07:40.680 And this notion of doing things differently is frightening for a lot of leaders,

00:07:46.860 particularly whenever you're cash flush and things are going well,

00:07:51.200 there's no reason to change your strategy.

00:07:53.360 Now, there may very well be excellent reasons to change your strategy

00:07:57.020 because of what's coming over the horizon.

00:07:59.380 But to change your way of doing things in a deep and meaningful way,

00:08:05.240 when apparently there's nothing wrong, that's a big risk.

00:08:08.220 And the impetus, I think, the bias is to continue doing things the same old way.

00:08:12.980 And the cliche would be, we're going to stick to our knitting because we know this industry.

00:08:18.440 We're going to stick to what we do best.

00:08:21.800 And that is a response to innovation that we see all the time.

00:08:26.820 There's no reason to innovate.

00:08:28.740 And of course, I'm going to use the old cliche, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

00:08:32.400 Well, a lot of times we find out that it's going to be broke.

00:08:35.140 And if we simply lift our heads up and try to look over that horizon,

00:08:39.240 we can see a lot of dangers coming and we can preempt those dangers

00:08:42.400 simply by adopting some of the principles of strategic thinking.

00:08:47.660 Okay. So to clarify there, summarize, strategy isn't a thing.

00:08:50.500 It's not like a plan.

00:08:51.500 It's not a task.

00:08:53.020 It's not best practices.

00:08:54.700 It sounds like strategy is more of a process.

00:08:56.460 It's an ongoing process.

00:08:57.640 It never ends.

00:08:58.660 You're never done strategizing.

00:09:00.040 Well, that's true.

00:09:01.480 In fact, I would like to, we talk about the strategic planning process,

00:09:05.820 but that gives the impression that this has a start and a finish.

00:09:10.580 And then once we're finished, we can brush our hands off and move on

00:09:15.200 and go back to doing the things the way we have always done them.

00:09:18.880 But I'd like to think of it as a cycle.

00:09:21.220 Okay.

00:09:21.460 And at the end of the process, which is really not the end,

00:09:24.380 we circle back, we cycle back, and we begin that process all over again

00:09:29.340 just to constantly find out if the strategy that we have adopted,

00:09:33.840 the master plan, if you will, the allocation of resources,

00:09:36.780 the evaluation of our position vis-a-vis our competition,

00:09:41.020 vis-a-vis our customers, vis-a-vis the people we want to serve,

00:09:44.200 has all that changed or is it the same?

00:09:46.540 And if it's the same, well, you know, it's necessary not to change,

00:09:51.000 necessary to continue to stay the course.

00:09:52.760 Russell Kirk, the philosopher, said, you know,

00:09:55.740 we're enamored of change.

00:09:57.780 Oh, it's a changing world.

00:09:59.520 But Russell Kirk said, you know, when it's not necessary to change,

00:10:02.480 it is necessary not to change.

00:10:05.240 And this is kind of an antidote to this idea of change management.

00:10:08.060 We have to be a change agent.

00:10:09.360 We want to constantly change.

00:10:10.640 Well, change for the sake of change is never a good thing.

00:10:14.060 What we want to do is understand when change is necessary,

00:10:17.340 then evaluate that situation both internally and externally

00:10:20.440 so that we understand the nature of the change that must be made

00:10:23.540 and then have the wherewithal and the courage to make that change.

00:10:28.920 So, yes, it is a cycle.

00:10:30.920 It's when we're done with this process,

00:10:32.740 the last step of the process is to control.

00:10:34.940 And that means we simply evaluate the effectiveness of our strategy.

00:10:40.500 If you were setting sail on a sailboat or a ship with an old helm,

00:10:47.340 you wouldn't simply chart your course, lock the wheel in place,

00:10:52.060 and go down and enjoy a nice dinner, then go to bed.

00:10:55.360 No, you would have to stay there to continue to adjust your course

00:10:59.800 because there's all kinds of external factors in the environment

00:11:03.000 that affect your ship.

00:11:04.720 The winds and the tides, seas and currents,

00:11:08.120 it will constantly take you off course from where you're trying to go.

00:11:12.340 So, you have to constantly monitor where you are

00:11:15.120 and what you're doing to achieve those long-term goals,

00:11:18.880 i.e. your eventual destination.

00:11:22.440 So, one thing you hit hard very early on in your lectures

00:11:25.360 is you talk about before you even start planning stuff

00:11:28.340 you're going to do with your strategy,

00:11:30.820 you have to have what's called strategic intent.

00:11:32.960 What is strategic intent?

00:11:34.720 I mean, maybe give us some examples from history of strategists

00:11:37.400 who knew how to develop a strategic intent.

00:11:39.580 And what happens if you don't have a strategic intent?

00:11:42.980 Well, the notion of strategic intent comes from a classic article

00:11:46.040 by C.K. Prahalad, the late C.K. Prahalad,

00:11:48.800 and Gary Hamill from, I think, 1989.

00:11:51.560 It's a fabulous concept, if you will.

00:11:54.240 And the Japanese define this idea of strategic intent

00:11:57.240 as an obsession with winning.

00:11:59.640 An almost maniacal focus on a single goal.

00:12:05.080 And it informs you.

00:12:05.980 It's like maintaining a dream, if you will.

00:12:08.540 And that dream informs every level of the organization,

00:12:11.480 if you're dealing with an organization,

00:12:12.860 but it also informs you as a person,

00:12:15.080 as an entrepreneur, as a person with a life's goal.

00:12:19.860 This constant visualization and articulation

00:12:22.620 of this strategic intent is absolutely essential

00:12:25.880 to staying on course with regard to your strategy.

00:12:29.660 You ask for an example.

00:12:30.780 I'll give you an example.

00:12:31.760 Is that John F. Kennedy articulated a strategic intent

00:12:35.460 that was very powerful back in the early 1960s.

00:12:39.280 In the early 1960s, the United States was engaged

00:12:42.000 in a great global contest with the Soviet Union.

00:12:46.280 And at that time, coming out of the 50s and early 60s,

00:12:49.680 the Soviet Union at the time was considered

00:12:51.440 a viable alternative, its economic system, of course,

00:12:54.460 a viable alternative to the United States'

00:12:57.200 system of democratic capitalism.

00:12:59.860 And the Soviets were doing quite well

00:13:01.280 in what was called the space race.

00:13:04.080 At that time, the United States was really hardly racing.

00:13:07.480 The Soviets put a Sputnik into orbit in the late 1950s,

00:13:12.580 put a man into space, put a man into orbit around the Earth

00:13:15.160 before the United States.

00:13:17.300 In 1962, John Kennedy recognized that we needed

00:13:21.760 some sort of long-term, powerful, motivating force

00:13:26.040 to mobilize resources, a dream, if you will,

00:13:30.180 an inspirational message.

00:13:32.540 And so he declared, I believe it was 1962,

00:13:36.500 that a strategic intent for the United States space program

00:13:40.480 in a direct response to the Soviet Union's accomplishments.

00:13:44.520 He said, we chose to go to the moon in this decade

00:13:47.340 and do the other things, not because they're easy,

00:13:50.040 but because they're hard.

00:13:51.580 Well, that was my Boston accent.

00:13:53.700 It was a good one.

00:13:54.480 And so he said that we're going to go to the moon

00:13:58.240 by the end of the decade.

00:13:59.380 Now, this was 1962.

00:14:00.440 There were eight years.

00:14:01.500 We had yet at that time to put a man in orbit.

00:14:04.500 And he's telling the National Aeronautics

00:14:06.800 and Space Administration, a young NASA,

00:14:08.720 that, hey, you guys are charged with taking this country

00:14:12.520 to the moon, put a man on the moon in just eight years.

00:14:16.020 And this type of clarity, this type of specific focus,

00:14:19.860 not some abstract goal of excellence,

00:14:22.780 you know, excellence in space.

00:14:24.780 John Kennedy said, you know, we choose to engage

00:14:27.300 in excellence in space exploration.

00:14:29.480 That's not a, that doesn't tell you what you have to do.

00:14:32.160 And it's not going to mobilize anyone

00:14:33.740 or really inspire anyone, but we're going to the moon

00:14:35.940 by the end of this decade.

00:14:37.420 The people charged with it, you know,

00:14:38.980 they're both frightened, I suppose,

00:14:40.760 but they're delighted too,

00:14:42.280 because they know what they have to do.

00:14:44.360 And that clarifies what we're doing

00:14:46.620 with regard to this bureaucracy,

00:14:48.520 with regard to the engineers,

00:14:50.200 the scientists that have to take us

00:14:51.840 on this amazing journey,

00:14:53.800 which was achieved six months early in July of 1969.

00:14:58.580 So that's an example of strategic intent

00:15:00.840 and how it can motivate this idea

00:15:02.580 of obsession with winning and maniacal translation

00:15:05.300 of this mission and objectives

00:15:07.440 into something that is inspiring, right?

00:15:10.680 Yeah.

00:15:11.060 And so you mentioned, yeah,

00:15:12.120 sometimes people, companies, individuals,

00:15:14.940 they'll have a very vague strategic intent.

00:15:17.780 It's not even strategic intent,

00:15:18.600 it's just a vague aspiration.

00:15:20.740 We want to be excellent.

00:15:22.040 What happens if that's your strategic intent?

00:15:24.760 It's vague.

00:15:25.440 What typically follows,

00:15:28.020 what are the consequences of that?

00:15:30.280 Well, that depends on whether it's just an individual

00:15:32.740 or whether it's a business.

00:15:35.180 I'll give you an example from history

00:15:36.900 is Digital Equipment Corporation.

00:15:39.360 It's one of my favorite examples of a company

00:15:41.860 that declined to pursue a strategy

00:15:43.540 and certainly didn't have a strategic intent.

00:15:45.940 If you dissipate your energies

00:15:47.640 in just following some vague prescriptions

00:15:50.320 and abstract goals of excellence

00:15:52.380 and customer service and that sort of thing,

00:15:55.800 you're going to end up wallowing in mediocrity.

00:15:58.240 And those who have a bolder vision,

00:16:01.860 a clearer vision of where they want to go,

00:16:04.060 will leave you behind.

00:16:06.020 And this is exactly what happened

00:16:07.020 to Digital Equipment Corporation

00:16:08.380 in the late 80s, early 90s.

00:16:10.360 Ken Olson was declared in the mid 80s

00:16:12.820 as America's greatest entrepreneur

00:16:14.380 by Fortune Magazine.

00:16:16.360 You probably have never heard of this guy.

00:16:17.640 A lot of people never heard of this guy.

00:16:19.540 But he founded Digital Equipment Corporation,

00:16:21.520 one of America's great corporations,

00:16:22.900 I think in the late 1950s.

00:16:24.820 And he was once the world's second largest

00:16:28.360 computer manufacturer.

00:16:30.280 You say, what?

00:16:31.400 DEC?

00:16:31.800 What is that?

00:16:32.860 The second largest?

00:16:33.820 Yes, it was behind IPM.

00:16:36.400 But in the early 90s,

00:16:38.120 Ken Olson's vision for his company

00:16:40.220 began to unfocus, if you will.

00:16:43.620 And they were faced with a decision.

00:16:45.800 They had to decide,

00:16:47.300 because of scarce resources

00:16:48.540 and ailing profits,

00:16:50.620 they had to decide where you're going to go.

00:16:52.080 A choice of three directions.

00:16:53.740 One is we're going to make boxes,

00:16:55.000 chips, or solutions.

00:16:56.820 Boxes, of course, being computers.

00:16:58.820 Chips mean moving into the microchip production.

00:17:00.860 Or solutions, business consulting,

00:17:03.200 that sort of thing.

00:17:04.420 And so Ken Olson charged his senior team with,

00:17:08.560 well, we have to take a clear direction.

00:17:12.660 But we have to have consensus.

00:17:14.080 We have to have unanimity here.

00:17:15.520 Now, of course, that's a mistake in itself right there.

00:17:18.060 It's kind of a fake unanimity and consensus

00:17:20.100 around vague goals.

00:17:22.100 He couldn't achieve this unanimity.

00:17:24.260 And so instead of charting a clear course for the company,

00:17:28.900 they crafted a statement that we're going to strive to,

00:17:33.040 DEC is going to strive to become a leader

00:17:35.380 in data processing and customer service.

00:17:38.420 That was their strategy.

00:17:41.120 Well, within two years,

00:17:42.160 Ken Olson was kicked out of the company.

00:17:44.260 And that company, DEC, was sold to Compaq Computer.

00:17:47.780 That's another name from the past,

00:17:49.260 which then was acquired by Hewlett-Packard.

00:17:52.060 And it's an example of what happens.

00:17:54.580 And I think that was the core of your question.

00:17:57.260 What happens whenever you don't have a strategic intent

00:17:59.560 and then you don't develop a strategy

00:18:01.540 surrounding that strategic intent?

00:18:04.760 You kind of stick to your knitting.

00:18:06.980 You kind of do things the same way you've always done them.

00:18:09.700 You pursue, we're going to pursue best practices.

00:18:11.500 We're going to be efficient.

00:18:12.960 We're going to do 360 degree feedback.

00:18:15.140 We're going to do Six Sigma.

00:18:16.780 But none of that is strategy.

00:18:18.880 Those are probably all the things

00:18:20.340 that you ought to be doing anyway.

00:18:23.020 If they're going to improve your position in the marketplace,

00:18:25.760 improve your production, improve your efficiency,

00:18:27.520 you should be doing those things.

00:18:29.340 Why not?

00:18:30.120 But that's not strategy.

00:18:31.180 That's not doing something innovative,

00:18:32.520 different, special, new

00:18:33.580 that will move you beyond

00:18:35.680 the production possibilities frontier

00:18:37.240 and on into the realm of market leadership

00:18:41.340 or industry leadership.

00:18:43.280 We're going to take a quick break

00:18:44.220 for your word from our sponsors.

00:18:47.560 And now back to the show.

00:18:49.000 And there's different,

00:18:50.400 in your lectures,

00:18:51.440 you talk about different approaches

00:18:52.520 you could take,

00:18:53.640 procedures,

00:18:54.220 you can even call them maneuvers

00:18:55.680 you can use

00:18:56.380 when you're trying to plan out a strategy.

00:18:59.440 And you focus on two

00:19:00.740 that are probably the most common ones.

00:19:03.260 The first strategic approach

00:19:05.800 a business could take

00:19:07.240 and the military could take

00:19:08.880 is cost leadership

00:19:10.680 and the differentiation.

00:19:12.860 So maybe walk us through

00:19:14.160 those two different things,

00:19:15.760 what they look like

00:19:16.320 and why you choose one over the other.

00:19:19.000 Well, sure, Brett.

00:19:20.880 This is kind of fundamental

00:19:22.720 for business folks

00:19:23.720 because we hear this all the time.

00:19:25.280 Outside of the business school,

00:19:27.140 it's, for some people,

00:19:28.720 a lot of people,

00:19:29.380 it's new, fresh, and different.

00:19:30.760 But it is a way of thinking

00:19:32.100 about the marketplace

00:19:33.180 when you're trying to,

00:19:35.140 when you don't have the benefits,

00:19:36.600 if you will,

00:19:37.120 of a totalitarian society,

00:19:38.980 say communist Korea,

00:19:40.900 where you can't really force people

00:19:42.120 to do what you want them to do.

00:19:44.840 You have to come up with a means

00:19:47.200 to persuade people

00:19:48.260 to buy your product

00:19:49.740 because that's what business people do.

00:19:51.440 We create wealth,

00:19:52.600 we serve other people,

00:19:53.880 providing products

00:19:54.780 at a price that they're willing to pay,

00:19:57.040 but they have to be products

00:19:58.040 that people actually want.

00:20:00.300 And if they don't want your product,

00:20:01.620 well, you're going to go out of business.

00:20:03.460 Now, within that framework,

00:20:04.860 we have two generic strategies,

00:20:07.120 and these have been

00:20:08.220 and served us well

00:20:09.080 for many years conceptually.

00:20:11.340 There are two other strategies

00:20:12.580 in addition to those

00:20:13.460 that kind of play off

00:20:14.660 of those generic strategies.

00:20:15.760 I'll stick to these two main

00:20:16.860 generic strategies.

00:20:18.100 One is cost leadership.

00:20:20.360 Now, this is whenever

00:20:21.360 you are dealing with a product

00:20:23.040 that is a commodity.

00:20:25.240 I'll give you an example

00:20:26.060 I mean by commodity,

00:20:27.000 I mean wheat or pork bellies

00:20:28.420 or microchips or coffee,

00:20:31.360 products that cannot be differentiated

00:20:35.160 or distinguished in a meaningful way,

00:20:37.740 a way that's meaningful

00:20:38.960 to a customer

00:20:39.760 so that that customer

00:20:41.000 will pay more for it.

00:20:42.660 In other words,

00:20:43.020 you're not,

00:20:43.580 you cannot,

00:20:44.180 it's very hard

00:20:44.680 to imbue a commodity

00:20:47.660 with perceived value

00:20:49.660 so that you can charge

00:20:50.860 more money for it.

00:20:52.540 Charging more money for it

00:20:53.620 doesn't necessarily mean

00:20:54.340 you're doing something illicit.

00:20:56.180 It simply means that people

00:20:57.280 are willing to pay more money for it

00:20:59.180 because they want it badly.

00:21:01.260 It's like affixing a swoosh

00:21:03.720 to a generic tennis shoe.

00:21:07.100 When I say swoosh,

00:21:08.180 I mean a Nike swoosh.

00:21:09.340 And suddenly,

00:21:10.400 people are willing

00:21:11.160 to pay more money for it.

00:21:12.580 For their own reasons.

00:21:13.500 I don't know what those reasons might be.

00:21:15.440 I don't know what people see

00:21:17.420 in a Nike swoosh

00:21:19.040 and how it bestows mystical qualities

00:21:21.920 on a tennis shoe

00:21:22.800 or an athletic shoe,

00:21:24.180 I should say.

00:21:25.140 But people,

00:21:26.120 some people believe that

00:21:27.140 and they believe it very fervently.

00:21:28.560 And this is why Nike

00:21:29.460 can charge more money

00:21:30.720 for a tennis shoe

00:21:31.400 that's probably not

00:21:32.660 differentiated

00:21:33.860 in any significant extent

00:21:35.100 from a Converse shoe

00:21:36.740 or a Puma.

00:21:39.020 But this is

00:21:39.540 the dilemma

00:21:40.820 that firms face

00:21:42.500 when you're dealing

00:21:43.100 with a commodity.

00:21:44.460 How can I take this commodity,

00:21:46.020 which the people

00:21:46.960 are going to pay

00:21:47.320 a base price for?

00:21:48.660 It's wheat.

00:21:49.840 The price is determined

00:21:50.760 by the market.

00:21:51.520 I can't mark up my wheat

00:21:53.040 by differentiating

00:21:54.740 some sort of special strain

00:21:56.400 of wheat.

00:21:57.380 In other words,

00:21:57.980 I have to compete

00:21:58.940 on cost leadership.

00:22:00.080 So I have to find ways

00:22:01.340 to,

00:22:02.520 in the production process,

00:22:03.520 if you will,

00:22:03.900 to save money

00:22:05.220 to be more efficient.

00:22:06.660 And this is a way

00:22:07.400 of competing

00:22:07.940 where the margins are thin.

00:22:09.840 It's a very

00:22:10.560 head-scratching type of business.

00:22:12.180 A lot of pressure

00:22:12.820 on companies

00:22:13.800 that have to compete

00:22:14.700 on cost leadership.

00:22:16.800 Now,

00:22:16.960 the company

00:22:17.580 that we automatically assume

00:22:19.120 and rightly so

00:22:20.640 and comes to mind

00:22:21.820 with regard to cost leadership

00:22:23.080 is Walmart.

00:22:25.280 In fact,

00:22:25.680 their motto,

00:22:26.380 Everyday Low Prices.

00:22:27.640 Low Prices Every Day.

00:22:29.260 They are the cost

00:22:30.240 in retail.

00:22:30.940 They are the leader

00:22:31.760 in cost

00:22:33.000 competing on

00:22:33.880 cost.

00:22:34.960 And they do this

00:22:35.620 through a very

00:22:37.200 sophisticated supply chain

00:22:38.480 method.

00:22:39.800 They squeeze

00:22:40.960 their suppliers

00:22:42.600 up and down

00:22:43.040 that supply chain

00:22:44.720 and the value chain,

00:22:45.840 if you will,

00:22:46.220 and they pass the savings

00:22:48.080 on to their consumers.

00:22:49.380 That's their motto.

00:22:50.180 That's their business plan.

00:22:51.780 And it's worked for them

00:22:52.800 for many,

00:22:53.440 many years.

00:22:54.380 So what about

00:22:54.800 differentiation?

00:22:56.860 Differentiation means

00:22:57.620 that you're trying

00:22:58.300 to increase

00:22:59.700 the value

00:23:00.220 of whatever it is

00:23:01.060 you do,

00:23:01.600 whether it be

00:23:02.000 a service

00:23:02.360 or a product,

00:23:02.940 by creating

00:23:04.040 perceived value

00:23:04.880 that the customer

00:23:05.540 is willing to

00:23:06.520 or willing

00:23:07.780 to pay more for.

00:23:08.860 Creating perceived

00:23:09.660 value or actual value,

00:23:11.180 and there's really

00:23:11.620 no difference

00:23:12.040 when you think

00:23:12.460 about it.

00:23:12.900 The value

00:23:13.600 is what customers

00:23:14.780 think about your product

00:23:15.700 and how much

00:23:16.200 they're willing

00:23:16.840 to pay for it.

00:23:17.900 I think of the

00:23:18.580 difference between,

00:23:19.280 say,

00:23:19.420 Casio watches

00:23:20.240 and Rolex watches.

00:23:23.140 Now,

00:23:23.320 Rolex,

00:23:24.200 people do not buy

00:23:25.040 Rolex watches

00:23:25.860 to tell the time.

00:23:26.860 That's simply not

00:23:27.360 the function

00:23:27.820 of a Rolex watch.

00:23:28.800 They buy

00:23:29.960 Rolex watches

00:23:31.120 as a status symbol.

00:23:32.980 It's a status product

00:23:33.740 like Patek Philippe

00:23:35.260 or Tag Heuer.

00:23:36.440 These are watches

00:23:37.320 that are high value,

00:23:38.280 high dollar watches,

00:23:39.280 very expensive,

00:23:40.060 valuable luxury products

00:23:41.240 that do not compete

00:23:42.760 with Casio.

00:23:44.840 Casio is a wonderful brand.

00:23:46.580 It's a great watch.

00:23:47.860 Functionality

00:23:48.380 is what people want

00:23:49.560 in their Casio watches

00:23:50.880 and they're very inexpensive.

00:23:52.440 You won't even find

00:23:53.440 Rolexes

00:23:54.980 and Casio watches

00:23:56.240 on sale

00:23:57.320 at the same location.

00:23:59.040 They're that different

00:23:59.940 and they do not

00:24:00.820 compete with each other.

00:24:02.340 Another commodity

00:24:03.560 is coffee

00:24:04.960 that a number

00:24:06.120 of companies

00:24:06.580 have succeeded

00:24:07.120 in lifting

00:24:08.840 into a differentiated product.

00:24:11.100 There are only two ways

00:24:12.000 to truly differentiate coffee

00:24:14.140 with regard

00:24:14.940 to the actual product itself.

00:24:16.460 One is

00:24:16.840 the type of bean.

00:24:19.220 Now,

00:24:19.860 there's a Robusta bean

00:24:21.200 and then there's

00:24:21.800 an Arabica bean.

00:24:23.120 The Robusta bean

00:24:24.020 is as intimated

00:24:25.520 by its name,

00:24:26.560 Robust,

00:24:26.980 Robusta bean

00:24:27.700 is a hearty bean

00:24:29.060 that can withstand

00:24:30.500 weather changes,

00:24:31.720 frost,

00:24:32.160 that sort of thing.

00:24:33.280 But the downside,

00:24:35.220 it is a bitter bean

00:24:36.940 or has it

00:24:37.720 by comparison

00:24:38.440 to the Arabica bean.

00:24:39.440 Now,

00:24:39.580 the Arabica bean,

00:24:40.940 now this is a smooth,

00:24:42.580 gives a smooth taste

00:24:43.540 in the coffee.

00:24:44.240 It's a wonderful plant,

00:24:45.780 if you will,

00:24:46.100 a wonderful plant,

00:24:47.200 a coffee bean.

00:24:48.360 But the problem

00:24:48.900 is that it's

00:24:49.420 not as robust

00:24:50.420 as the Robusta bean.

00:24:53.160 And it is subject

00:24:53.960 to weather fluctuations.

00:24:55.140 A frost

00:24:56.220 could kill off

00:24:57.000 a coffee crop

00:24:58.380 and dust.

00:24:59.100 There are fluctuations

00:25:00.160 in the supply

00:25:01.520 of Arabica beans.

00:25:02.760 Now,

00:25:03.220 many companies

00:25:05.240 simply blend the two.

00:25:07.200 It's a mix

00:25:08.060 of Arabica

00:25:08.980 and a mix

00:25:09.440 of Robusta.

00:25:10.660 And they try

00:25:11.380 to differentiate

00:25:12.080 themselves

00:25:12.700 a different way.

00:25:14.240 Differentiate themselves

00:25:15.160 not by the coffee

00:25:16.720 itself,

00:25:17.280 but how it's served.

00:25:19.100 Now,

00:25:19.340 Starbucks

00:25:19.840 is a primary example,

00:25:21.480 a prime example

00:25:22.180 of how coffee

00:25:23.840 can be differentiated

00:25:24.920 by virtue

00:25:25.380 of the way

00:25:25.680 it's served.

00:25:26.500 Howard Schultz,

00:25:26.940 when he founded

00:25:27.360 Starbucks,

00:25:28.940 when I say founded,

00:25:29.660 I mean when he acquired

00:25:30.260 Starbucks and gave

00:25:30.920 it a new,

00:25:31.440 kind of a new brand,

00:25:32.460 a new experience,

00:25:33.480 he wanted to create

00:25:34.120 a kind of a faux

00:25:35.320 European coffee

00:25:37.200 cafe experience.

00:25:38.560 And he won't call

00:25:39.100 this the third place.

00:25:41.020 What does that mean?

00:25:41.640 The third,

00:25:41.980 well,

00:25:42.100 you have two places

00:25:43.020 we spend most of our time.

00:25:44.540 That's at home

00:25:46.000 and at work.

00:25:48.400 Now,

00:25:48.540 a third place

00:25:48.940 might be the gym.

00:25:49.740 That's when people

00:25:50.400 think of a third place.

00:25:51.100 But he wanted to create

00:25:52.120 another third place.

00:25:53.120 This was a European,

00:25:54.980 a faux European experience

00:25:56.160 with coffee,

00:25:57.080 coffee is called

00:25:58.360 Frappuccino,

00:26:00.060 that kind of,

00:26:00.600 kind of fake names.

00:26:01.900 It was a place

00:26:02.460 where you could go

00:26:03.180 buy fair trade coffee

00:26:04.920 and hang out

00:26:06.480 with people

00:26:06.940 just like you.

00:26:08.220 People with

00:26:09.120 the disposable income

00:26:10.480 to pay,

00:26:11.880 you know,

00:26:12.460 exorbitant prices

00:26:13.420 for regular coffee

00:26:14.780 and hang out.

00:26:16.800 Okay?

00:26:17.080 Now,

00:26:17.680 that's how

00:26:18.340 Starbucks

00:26:19.040 became a brand

00:26:20.320 and people began

00:26:20.920 to pay

00:26:21.420 money

00:26:22.380 for the

00:26:23.220 additional funds,

00:26:24.600 if you will,

00:26:24.900 additional discretionary income

00:26:26.060 to experience

00:26:27.560 Starbucks.

00:26:28.460 And in some countries,

00:26:29.600 carrying around

00:26:30.160 a Starbucks cup

00:26:31.440 is considered

00:26:32.760 a status symbol.

00:26:33.620 So people say

00:26:34.100 the cup's not really

00:26:34.880 Starbucks coffee.

00:26:35.660 They walk around

00:26:36.100 with a Starbucks,

00:26:36.980 a Starbucks cup.

00:26:38.480 In like fashion,

00:26:39.460 there are some people

00:26:40.160 who refuse to carry

00:26:41.080 around a Walmart bag

00:26:42.540 for the very same

00:26:43.700 reverse reason.

00:26:44.860 It's not a status symbol

00:26:46.300 to carry around.

00:26:47.000 Oh,

00:26:47.440 I just stopped off

00:26:48.360 at Walmart

00:26:48.740 to pick up some toilet paper.

00:26:49.800 That's all.

00:26:50.280 That's all.

00:26:51.240 Where on the other hand,

00:26:52.400 people want to be seen

00:26:53.560 carrying the brand

00:26:54.600 of a particular

00:26:56.080 restaurant,

00:26:57.060 in this case,

00:26:57.520 a coffee cafe.

00:26:59.340 And so,

00:26:59.900 as I said,

00:27:00.860 in some countries,

00:27:02.720 carrying around

00:27:03.100 a Starbucks cup

00:27:03.920 is a status symbol.

00:27:05.940 So those are the two ways

00:27:07.240 that we can compete.

00:27:09.080 Now,

00:27:09.200 of course,

00:27:09.480 there are two other strategies

00:27:10.500 that come off of those,

00:27:11.980 but they're really kind of

00:27:12.860 hyper examples

00:27:14.000 of the commodity

00:27:16.980 slash

00:27:17.520 and

00:27:18.500 the differentiation strategy.

00:27:21.740 Well,

00:27:21.800 let's bring this on

00:27:22.260 the personal level.

00:27:23.400 In the lecture series,

00:27:24.400 you talk,

00:27:24.740 we apply these strategies

00:27:26.040 as well in our personal lives

00:27:27.340 with our work life.

00:27:28.340 We sure do.

00:27:28.840 Like,

00:27:29.000 how does that look?

00:27:30.100 Well,

00:27:30.360 in the professional realm,

00:27:31.920 a lot of people

00:27:32.700 who are inexperienced

00:27:34.340 with the marketplace

00:27:35.120 go to a human resource

00:27:36.720 professional interviewing

00:27:37.580 for a job

00:27:38.240 and they tend to make

00:27:39.460 themselves a generalist.

00:27:40.840 They think there's

00:27:41.220 some sort of value

00:27:42.120 in becoming a generalist.

00:27:43.840 I'll do anything.

00:27:44.960 I'll work longer hours

00:27:47.320 for less pay.

00:27:48.920 I just want a job.

00:27:50.040 I want to commit myself

00:27:50.980 to this job.

00:27:51.940 And what you're doing

00:27:52.860 basically is pursuing

00:27:53.720 a commodity

00:27:54.460 low-cost strategy.

00:27:56.720 I'll work longer hours

00:27:58.200 for less money.

00:27:59.820 Think about that.

00:28:00.880 I mean,

00:28:01.040 that's what,

00:28:01.360 when you do not

00:28:02.580 differentiate yourself,

00:28:03.820 you do not specialize,

00:28:04.940 you don't advertise yourself

00:28:06.580 as having some sort

00:28:07.860 of unique skill

00:28:08.820 on top of the generalist skills

00:28:11.280 that you have acquired.

00:28:12.520 You are relegated

00:28:13.700 to competing

00:28:14.440 like a commodity,

00:28:16.500 like your wheat

00:28:18.340 or pork belly.

00:28:19.680 And you don't want

00:28:20.020 to compete that way

00:28:20.840 as an individual.

00:28:22.160 You want to come off

00:28:23.400 as an interesting person.

00:28:24.520 That's the best way

00:28:25.160 I can characterize it

00:28:26.680 in a kind of

00:28:27.100 a neutral fashion.

00:28:29.640 You want to be interesting

00:28:31.040 in some way

00:28:32.020 that the potential employer

00:28:36.040 likes and sees

00:28:37.800 as adding value

00:28:38.820 to the company.

00:28:39.500 So that translation

00:28:41.540 that you've asked for

00:28:42.480 to the personal realm

00:28:44.260 is you want to think

00:28:45.280 of yourself

00:28:45.740 as not wanting

00:28:47.460 to compete

00:28:48.080 as a commodity.

00:28:50.260 No one wants to,

00:28:50.800 you don't really want

00:28:51.300 to compete as a commodity

00:28:52.160 unless you want to work

00:28:53.200 for less pay

00:28:53.820 for longer hours

00:28:54.980 and then consequently,

00:28:56.500 you know,

00:28:57.300 devalue your contribution.

00:28:59.600 You want to project

00:29:00.520 that you're going

00:29:01.100 to contribute more.

00:29:02.140 You want to premium,

00:29:02.980 you have a premium

00:29:03.820 value proposition

00:29:04.920 and you're willing to,

00:29:06.240 and you're able

00:29:06.780 to ask for more compensation

00:29:10.480 because your value

00:29:11.800 has gone up.

00:29:12.860 Okay, so it sounds like

00:29:13.740 differentiation is probably

00:29:14.880 the best strategy.

00:29:16.060 Unless you're Walmart,

00:29:16.880 unless you're a commodity,

00:29:18.300 you want to differentiate.

00:29:19.720 Yeah, yeah,

00:29:20.420 that's what I think, yes.

00:29:21.760 And you also,

00:29:22.500 you say you see this dynamic

00:29:24.100 even in the world of military.

00:29:25.600 Like World War I,

00:29:27.080 most of the countries

00:29:27.820 took part in a cost

00:29:28.820 leadership approach

00:29:29.660 where they're just

00:29:30.160 throwing bodies

00:29:31.060 across trenches

00:29:32.340 and it wasn't until

00:29:33.840 someone developed

00:29:34.740 tank warfare

00:29:35.480 differentiated that

00:29:36.220 the war started turning.

00:29:37.680 So it's funny,

00:29:38.480 you can see these things

00:29:39.160 play out across

00:29:40.020 different domains.

00:29:40.980 Yes, yes it is.

00:29:42.380 So another thing,

00:29:43.180 I was thinking about

00:29:43.760 military strategy,

00:29:45.300 you have this one section

00:29:46.360 about combat maneuvers,

00:29:48.020 so we're talking like flanking,

00:29:49.500 things like that,

00:29:50.220 rear guard,

00:29:51.080 that you can also apply

00:29:52.220 to like strategy

00:29:54.260 in your personal life

00:29:55.040 and your business world.

00:29:56.440 Any things that stand out

00:29:57.880 to you from that section?

00:29:59.880 Well, there's one example

00:30:01.300 that I like to use

00:30:02.160 from business.

00:30:04.060 It's an older example

00:30:05.100 because the company Kodak

00:30:07.080 isn't really a player

00:30:08.120 in the film industry

00:30:09.480 because there really

00:30:10.000 isn't a film industry anymore.

00:30:11.180 But when we look at

00:30:11.820 the idea,

00:30:12.820 I say rear area battle,

00:30:14.220 that's the notion

00:30:15.360 of making your opponent

00:30:16.620 turn around

00:30:17.320 and defend ground

00:30:18.400 or territory

00:30:18.920 that they thought

00:30:20.280 was secure.

00:30:21.740 And Fujifilm

00:30:22.600 and Kodak

00:30:23.360 were engaged

00:30:23.920 in the 1970s and 80s

00:30:25.480 with this massive

00:30:27.660 battle with each other

00:30:29.180 for world leadership

00:30:30.260 in chemical film

00:30:31.580 production and sales.

00:30:33.860 And Kodak decided to,

00:30:36.660 rather than continue

00:30:37.980 to weather these assaults

00:30:39.920 on their market position

00:30:41.300 in the United States,

00:30:42.780 they elected to attack,

00:30:44.520 and I use, of course,

00:30:45.240 these military terms

00:30:46.320 in the business sense,

00:30:48.280 they elected to attack

00:30:49.160 Fujifilm

00:30:49.800 in its home territory

00:30:50.700 of Japan,

00:30:51.200 which is very difficult to do.

00:30:52.940 If you know anything at all

00:30:53.600 about how the market

00:30:55.200 is closed in Japan

00:30:57.000 to foreign competitors,

00:30:58.200 this is one of the sources

00:31:00.140 of their competitive advantage,

00:31:01.440 these barriers

00:31:02.000 that they put up,

00:31:03.020 which are, quite frankly,

00:31:03.980 in violation

00:31:04.440 of the World Trade Organization,

00:31:06.080 dictates,

00:31:06.800 but that's a different

00:31:07.340 story altogether.

00:31:09.100 Kodak found a way

00:31:09.840 to market its products

00:31:11.120 in Japan,

00:31:12.260 which forced Fujifilm

00:31:13.820 to commit its resources,

00:31:15.920 some of its resources,

00:31:16.800 to defending

00:31:17.800 its home territory.

00:31:19.880 The idea is

00:31:21.120 that you can utilize

00:31:22.720 military maneuvers,

00:31:24.020 and I say

00:31:24.300 these military maneuvers,

00:31:25.380 it's simply

00:31:25.740 a different approach,

00:31:26.460 flanking maneuvers,

00:31:28.100 that kind of thing.

00:31:28.920 Rather than compete

00:31:30.200 in the same way

00:31:31.600 that is expected

00:31:33.040 every single time,

00:31:35.760 you ask yourself,

00:31:36.520 you step back,

00:31:37.020 you ask yourself,

00:31:37.580 is there a way

00:31:38.080 that we can compete

00:31:38.900 or innovate

00:31:39.640 in the marketplace

00:31:41.040 and do things differently

00:31:43.100 to surprise our opponent?

00:31:45.160 And of course,

00:31:45.580 there's a great deal

00:31:46.200 of operational security

00:31:47.280 that goes with this sort of thing

00:31:48.460 because you don't want

00:31:48.880 to advertise

00:31:49.320 or be transparent

00:31:50.180 about what your plans are.

00:31:52.360 So there's a great deal

00:31:53.080 of operational secrecy

00:31:54.040 in developing

00:31:54.500 your strategic plans

00:31:56.040 and then launching

00:31:57.220 that strategic plan

00:31:58.840 to catch your opponent

00:31:59.700 unaware,

00:32:00.540 surprise,

00:32:01.300 that sort of thing.

00:32:03.000 Yeah,

00:32:03.180 and I think you highlight,

00:32:04.320 I think it was,

00:32:04.840 who was the historian,

00:32:06.020 military historian,

00:32:07.260 Liddell,

00:32:08.420 was it?

00:32:09.060 Liddell Hart.

00:32:09.680 Yeah, Liddell Hart.

00:32:10.860 One of the things

00:32:11.540 he looked at,

00:32:12.000 he looked at,

00:32:12.480 you know,

00:32:13.060 major battles

00:32:13.900 throughout human history

00:32:14.720 and he found that most of,

00:32:15.860 or the Civil War specifically,

00:32:17.180 and he said that like,

00:32:18.480 basically nine out of ten,

00:32:20.300 that the ones

00:32:20.860 that were successful

00:32:21.820 were indirect

00:32:23.100 or flank attacks.

00:32:23.880 Like they weren't

00:32:24.500 head-on direct attacks.

00:32:27.280 Yeah,

00:32:27.420 well,

00:32:27.780 Liddell Hart's

00:32:28.240 one of the great,

00:32:29.400 he's,

00:32:30.140 you know,

00:32:30.400 looked askance at

00:32:31.460 by a lot of serious

00:32:32.960 military historians,

00:32:34.480 but by gosh,

00:32:35.700 he's a great writer

00:32:36.480 and I certainly highly

00:32:37.640 recommend any of his books

00:32:39.320 on strategy.

00:32:40.660 He pointed out

00:32:42.380 that,

00:32:43.380 as you say,

00:32:44.280 that the indirect attacks

00:32:45.600 or flanking attacks

00:32:46.400 were more successful

00:32:47.180 because it went against

00:32:49.060 what was being taught

00:32:50.020 in West Point.

00:32:51.220 Now,

00:32:51.620 the American Civil War

00:32:52.600 is a wonderful example

00:32:54.580 of almost like

00:32:55.500 a controlled experiment.

00:32:56.780 You can never,

00:32:57.500 you can really not find

00:32:58.660 any kind of other

00:32:59.820 example of case

00:33:01.820 after case

00:33:02.320 after case

00:33:02.960 of a group

00:33:05.060 of people.

00:33:05.840 Let me break this down.

00:33:08.200 Military leaders

00:33:09.020 on both sides,

00:33:09.780 both the South

00:33:10.280 and the North,

00:33:10.840 all went to school

00:33:11.460 at the same place.

00:33:12.620 They learned

00:33:13.040 the same lessons.

00:33:14.600 You almost cannot

00:33:15.820 even imagine

00:33:16.680 a test tube

00:33:17.420 type of situation

00:33:18.460 or control situation

00:33:19.500 where you would have this.

00:33:20.440 that the leaders,

00:33:21.820 military officers,

00:33:23.260 generals,

00:33:23.640 if you will,

00:33:24.120 planners,

00:33:24.640 on both sides

00:33:25.580 of a conflict

00:33:26.220 attended the same

00:33:27.500 military academy

00:33:28.340 and they had all

00:33:29.920 fought with each other

00:33:30.900 in a prior conflict,

00:33:32.320 the Mexican-American War

00:33:34.280 in the 1840s.

00:33:36.740 And so you have

00:33:37.720 this notion,

00:33:39.260 this idea,

00:33:39.600 well,

00:33:39.800 they're bringing

00:33:40.600 to the table,

00:33:41.360 they being the generals,

00:33:42.700 the same set

00:33:43.580 of military lessons.

00:33:46.000 So what is going

00:33:46.800 to be different?

00:33:47.460 What will be different

00:33:48.260 in this?

00:33:48.620 And you look

00:33:49.460 at the idea

00:33:50.000 that you look

00:33:50.740 to the side

00:33:51.340 that is always

00:33:51.980 outnumbered.

00:33:53.120 That's where

00:33:53.620 you're going

00:33:53.860 to find innovation.

00:33:55.460 And this is why

00:33:55.940 you found

00:33:56.300 with Stonewall Jackson

00:33:57.240 and Robert E. Lee

00:33:58.480 having to innovate

00:33:59.840 because their resources

00:34:01.900 and their capabilities

00:34:03.680 were so much less

00:34:05.400 than the opponents

00:34:06.480 that they were fighting

00:34:07.260 in terms of manpower,

00:34:08.500 in terms of gunpowder,

00:34:09.380 in terms of guns,

00:34:10.120 in terms of transportation,

00:34:11.580 in terms of food,

00:34:12.860 everything.

00:34:13.460 And so the only

00:34:14.860 advantages

00:34:15.660 that the South

00:34:17.180 had

00:34:17.600 were innovations

00:34:19.040 of strategy.

00:34:19.840 And if you already

00:34:20.640 know what your

00:34:21.500 opponent is going

00:34:22.760 to do,

00:34:23.620 because number one,

00:34:24.600 you were trained

00:34:24.980 at the same school,

00:34:25.780 number two,

00:34:26.220 you fought

00:34:26.620 with this person,

00:34:27.840 then you can begin

00:34:28.980 to utilize strategy

00:34:30.340 to come up

00:34:31.360 with different ways

00:34:32.260 of doing things.

00:34:33.920 And we find

00:34:35.580 that the instances

00:34:37.080 that you mentioned,

00:34:38.600 the idea

00:34:39.020 of the frontal assault,

00:34:40.160 this was brought

00:34:42.080 forward from

00:34:43.040 the Napoleonic era

00:34:44.320 and the Crimean War,

00:34:45.860 the idea that

00:34:46.900 you're going to

00:34:47.420 simply mass your troops

00:34:48.740 and you're going

00:34:49.660 to go at the double quick

00:34:51.080 and assault

00:34:51.680 a defended position.

00:34:53.840 Improvements

00:34:54.360 in the mini ball,

00:34:56.460 for one,

00:34:56.880 improvements in weaponry,

00:34:58.800 which always see

00:34:59.780 vast and rapid improvements

00:35:00.980 during periods

00:35:01.680 of conflict,

00:35:02.940 rendered this particular

00:35:04.140 tactic obsolete.

00:35:06.200 Unfortunately,

00:35:06.880 for a lot of people

00:35:07.460 who died,

00:35:07.980 it was rendered obsolete

00:35:08.840 by a little

00:35:10.020 too late

00:35:10.480 to help them.

00:35:11.720 The massive

00:35:12.340 frontal assaults

00:35:13.380 such as those

00:35:13.900 at Gettysburg

00:35:14.640 and Fredericksburg

00:35:15.500 became too costly

00:35:17.700 to engage in.

00:35:19.340 And so what we find

00:35:20.080 is when those

00:35:20.440 frontal assaults

00:35:21.420 fail,

00:35:22.740 we have to do

00:35:23.520 or are rendered obsolete.

00:35:24.580 We have to find

00:35:25.140 other ways

00:35:25.880 to win.

00:35:27.620 And it's usually

00:35:28.160 a flanking maneuver

00:35:28.980 at Chancellorsville,

00:35:30.080 for instance.

00:35:31.000 In 1863,

00:35:32.060 just a month

00:35:32.480 before Gettysburg,

00:35:33.320 we found Stonewall Jackson

00:35:34.720 under Robert E. Lee,

00:35:37.260 again outnumbered,

00:35:38.840 managed to outflank

00:35:39.940 the Union position,

00:35:41.320 I believe it was Hooker,

00:35:42.440 and attack from the rear.

00:35:44.680 And this was Lee's

00:35:46.100 greatest victory

00:35:47.000 in this American Civil War.

00:35:48.900 And it wasn't

00:35:49.520 a frontal assault.

00:35:51.300 In fact,

00:35:52.060 his last great

00:35:53.400 frontal assault

00:35:54.200 was just a month later

00:35:55.580 in July of 1863

00:35:57.180 in the Battle of Gettysburg.

00:35:59.220 So apparently

00:36:00.040 some lessons

00:36:00.740 are there,

00:36:02.400 but you have to learn

00:36:03.540 those lessons

00:36:04.060 and then implement them

00:36:05.020 in your actions

00:36:06.460 for the future.

00:36:08.380 So it all comes

00:36:08.900 back to differentiation.

00:36:10.440 Yes, it does.

00:36:11.140 It comes back

00:36:11.660 to differentiation.

00:36:12.700 If you,

00:36:13.100 one of those things,

00:36:13.820 if you've got

00:36:14.460 the market,

00:36:16.420 if you're the market leader,

00:36:17.820 you've got the

00:36:18.680 dominant position,

00:36:20.660 you ask yourself,

00:36:21.700 you say,

00:36:21.940 well, there's really

00:36:22.340 nothing for me

00:36:23.180 to do differently.

00:36:25.000 There's no need

00:36:25.700 for me to innovate

00:36:26.500 because I've got

00:36:27.380 the market position.

00:36:28.100 I'm going to keep

00:36:28.640 on doing things

00:36:29.300 the way I've always

00:36:29.880 done them.

00:36:30.780 Your opponents,

00:36:31.900 who are less

00:36:33.120 lavishly resourced,

00:36:35.060 probably have to

00:36:35.780 do things differently

00:36:36.600 and they can surprise

00:36:37.720 you and sometimes

00:36:38.400 defeat you.

00:36:39.820 The execution phase

00:36:40.920 of this strategic

00:36:42.240 planning process,

00:36:43.160 that there's pathologies

00:36:44.080 of execution

00:36:44.760 that cause the strategy

00:36:46.820 to break down.

00:36:47.960 I mean,

00:36:48.100 one of them is just

00:36:48.680 ignoring the strategy,

00:36:49.640 putting that strategy

00:36:50.720 in the binder

00:36:51.140 and just putting it

00:36:51.760 up in the bookshelf.

00:36:52.740 What are some other

00:36:53.360 pathologies that you've

00:36:54.300 seen get in the way

00:36:54.980 of organizations

00:36:56.060 or individuals

00:36:56.940 that prevent them

00:36:58.380 from executing

00:36:58.980 on their strategy?

00:37:00.540 Well, I would say,

00:37:01.820 you mentioned one

00:37:02.760 right there

00:37:03.140 and that's the idea

00:37:03.900 that you have a strategy

00:37:05.100 but you don't bother

00:37:05.800 to translate that down

00:37:07.000 in terms of the policies

00:37:08.360 and procedures

00:37:09.060 that your employees

00:37:10.800 and people down

00:37:11.680 the hierarchy

00:37:12.200 have to do.

00:37:13.800 And the question

00:37:14.240 that I always ask

00:37:15.380 my students

00:37:15.840 and I tell them

00:37:16.340 to endorse this question

00:37:17.440 and embrace this question

00:37:18.780 and its answer

00:37:19.460 so that you can then

00:37:21.120 later on

00:37:21.740 ask your employees

00:37:22.680 and your subordinates

00:37:23.340 the same question.

00:37:24.240 As a result

00:37:24.880 of your new strategy,

00:37:26.640 what will you do

00:37:27.640 differently next Monday

00:37:28.500 morning

00:37:28.840 than what you did

00:37:30.500 last Monday morning?

00:37:32.140 That's a profound question

00:37:33.220 because it stumps

00:37:34.840 a lot of people.

00:37:35.740 So, wait a minute,

00:37:36.120 I have a strategy

00:37:36.760 but I'm going to keep

00:37:37.520 doing things the same

00:37:38.240 way I've always done them.

00:37:39.020 That's one pathology

00:37:39.820 right there

00:37:40.320 is that you think

00:37:41.740 you've done a strategy.

00:37:42.540 Well, I'm going to again

00:37:43.680 brush my hands off here.

00:37:45.260 We've got a strategy.

00:37:46.340 It's up there on the shelf

00:37:47.100 but we've not bothered

00:37:48.460 to do anything differently.

00:37:51.000 We've not informed

00:37:52.000 our people

00:37:52.580 through policy statements

00:37:55.600 and procedure statements

00:37:56.960 of how you're going

00:37:58.160 to do some things differently.

00:37:59.520 That's one pathology.

00:38:01.240 Another one

00:38:01.620 is the expectation

00:38:02.700 that everything's going

00:38:03.500 to go according

00:38:04.460 to your plan.

00:38:05.780 You come up

00:38:06.200 with a great plan

00:38:08.400 but it requires

00:38:11.280 everything to go right

00:38:13.220 for the plan to work.

00:38:15.700 Now,

00:38:16.220 that may be a great plan

00:38:17.560 but you and I know

00:38:18.740 that not everything

00:38:19.580 is going to go

00:38:20.900 according to plan.

00:38:21.760 I think that one

00:38:22.380 of the examples

00:38:23.380 I use in my lectures

00:38:24.700 is the Ample

00:38:25.300 Operation Market Garden

00:38:26.460 for World War II.

00:38:27.300 Bernard Montgomery's

00:38:29.020 ill-fated venture

00:38:30.080 to seize a bridge

00:38:31.160 over the Rhine River

00:38:33.300 for a rapid advance

00:38:35.140 into Nazi Germany

00:38:36.480 in 1944

00:38:37.460 was a complete failure.

00:38:39.620 And one of the movies

00:38:40.540 that,

00:38:40.820 well,

00:38:40.940 the actual movie

00:38:41.700 that shows this

00:38:43.120 very clearly

00:38:43.840 is the film

00:38:45.460 A Bridge Too Far

00:38:46.880 with an all-star cast

00:38:47.900 of course.

00:38:48.300 It's a great film.

00:38:49.200 It's fun to watch

00:38:49.960 but you understand

00:38:51.620 this exemplifies

00:38:53.520 the idea of a pathology

00:38:54.720 and executing a strategy

00:38:55.860 but the problem was

00:38:56.860 the strategic plan

00:38:58.380 was too tight.

00:39:00.000 It was too tight.

00:39:01.100 It needed to be

00:39:02.080 less complex.

00:39:04.320 The more complex

00:39:05.320 your plan,

00:39:06.600 the more chance

00:39:07.340 it is that's going

00:39:08.480 to,

00:39:09.400 something's going

00:39:10.220 to go wrong.

00:39:12.080 So,

00:39:12.760 one point too

00:39:13.920 that you highlight

00:39:14.780 is the role

00:39:15.400 of intuition

00:39:16.020 in strategy

00:39:16.660 and I think

00:39:17.020 this is interesting

00:39:17.440 because I think

00:39:17.760 people when they

00:39:18.360 think of strategy

00:39:19.060 they think of

00:39:19.840 it's a science

00:39:21.420 you come up

00:39:22.020 you're going to

00:39:22.360 it's very rational,

00:39:23.740 rationally based.

00:39:24.720 But you highlight

00:39:25.680 the great strategic

00:39:26.560 thinker Klaus Witz

00:39:27.800 who observed

00:39:28.780 the Napoleonic Wars

00:39:30.020 and when Napoleon did

00:39:30.780 he kind of

00:39:32.200 had this romantic

00:39:32.860 idea of strategy

00:39:33.720 that there was

00:39:34.180 an element of genius

00:39:35.260 or intuition

00:39:36.400 in that.

00:39:37.700 What's the role

00:39:38.300 of intuition

00:39:38.800 in strategy

00:39:39.400 and is this like

00:39:40.240 some sort of

00:39:40.720 innate gift

00:39:41.580 that you're just

00:39:42.200 given

00:39:42.620 or is it

00:39:43.520 something you can

00:39:43.920 develop?

00:39:46.000 Well,

00:39:46.140 intuition

00:39:46.500 and strategy

00:39:47.240 is similar to

00:39:48.320 and is

00:39:49.500 in general

00:39:50.180 is intuition

00:39:50.800 and decision making.

00:39:52.240 Most of us

00:39:52.780 think that we

00:39:53.540 make decisions

00:39:54.120 a certain way

00:39:54.900 in the classical

00:39:55.540 decision making

00:39:56.120 model

00:39:56.580 which is

00:39:57.460 we're kind of

00:39:58.000 look at the

00:39:58.320 problem

00:39:58.640 weigh the

00:39:58.980 problem

00:39:59.380 evaluate the

00:40:00.460 criteria

00:40:00.980 look at the

00:40:02.100 various options

00:40:02.860 that we have

00:40:03.280 available to us

00:40:03.940 and then pursue

00:40:04.580 the option

00:40:05.100 that seems

00:40:05.720 to be the

00:40:06.160 that's not

00:40:06.880 really how

00:40:07.180 we make

00:40:07.440 decisions

00:40:07.800 we make

00:40:08.140 decisions

00:40:08.520 in what's

00:40:09.620 called

00:40:09.840 the intuitive

00:40:10.660 decision making

00:40:11.400 model

00:40:12.420 and this

00:40:13.340 comes from

00:40:13.980 the scholar

00:40:15.280 Gary Klein

00:40:16.320 who has a

00:40:17.300 number of books

00:40:17.780 out on

00:40:18.120 intuitive decision

00:40:19.280 making

00:40:19.580 you find those

00:40:20.100 books in the

00:40:20.760 bibliography

00:40:21.720 of my

00:40:22.200 strategic thinking

00:40:23.480 skills course

00:40:24.200 it's incredible

00:40:26.280 the way we

00:40:28.060 actually do

00:40:28.720 decide

00:40:29.280 and he comes

00:40:29.780 up with

00:40:30.060 what's called

00:40:30.700 the recognition

00:40:31.220 prime decision

00:40:32.100 making model

00:40:32.880 which really

00:40:34.720 lays out how

00:40:35.540 we actually

00:40:36.080 decide

00:40:36.680 we fill

00:40:37.900 our reservoir

00:40:39.040 of knowledge

00:40:40.620 with experiences

00:40:41.940 some actual

00:40:43.340 experiences

00:40:43.980 but in business

00:40:45.340 school we fill

00:40:45.900 them with

00:40:46.240 case studies

00:40:47.260 vicarious

00:40:48.180 experiences

00:40:48.760 so that we

00:40:49.260 can develop

00:40:49.820 a recognition

00:40:50.960 of patterns

00:40:51.860 you know

00:40:52.740 we see a

00:40:53.460 couple of

00:40:53.800 cues out here

00:40:54.580 that triggers

00:40:55.340 something we

00:40:55.860 recognize a

00:40:56.500 pattern

00:40:56.860 it may not

00:40:57.620 be the same

00:40:58.080 pattern

00:40:58.440 probably not

00:40:59.060 the same

00:40:59.440 pattern

00:40:59.780 but a

00:41:00.320 similar

00:41:00.560 pattern

00:41:00.980 and through

00:41:02.340 the

00:41:02.640 our reservoir

00:41:03.180 of knowledge

00:41:03.680 we know

00:41:04.120 how to

00:41:04.460 respond

00:41:04.980 and react

00:41:05.620 in that

00:41:06.500 particular

00:41:06.800 situation

00:41:07.400 first responders

00:41:08.660 are great

00:41:09.060 at this

00:41:09.380 emergency room

00:41:10.380 doctors

00:41:10.820 are like

00:41:11.220 this

00:41:11.480 firemen

00:41:13.020 who arrive

00:41:13.540 on the

00:41:13.780 scene of

00:41:14.000 a fire

00:41:14.380 spring into

00:41:14.960 action

00:41:15.360 they don't

00:41:16.000 really think

00:41:16.340 about what

00:41:16.580 they're going

00:41:16.780 to do

00:41:17.100 you spring

00:41:17.800 into action

00:41:18.240 when you

00:41:18.440 go buy

00:41:18.700 a jar

00:41:18.940 of peanut

00:41:19.240 butter

00:41:19.540 you buy

00:41:20.420 a jar

00:41:20.640 of peanut

00:41:20.880 but you

00:41:21.040 don't walk

00:41:22.200 slowly down

00:41:23.060 the aisle

00:41:23.480 examining

00:41:24.000 the volume

00:41:24.620 and the

00:41:24.960 brands

00:41:25.360 and the

00:41:25.700 prices

00:41:26.720 no you

00:41:27.240 go and

00:41:27.580 grab a

00:41:28.260 jar of

00:41:29.660 Jiffy

00:41:29.960 because you

00:41:30.400 like Jiffy

00:41:30.960 the brand

00:41:31.800 means something

00:41:32.440 you've had

00:41:32.780 that experience

00:41:33.500 you've already

00:41:34.280 been there

00:41:34.680 done that

00:41:35.140 you've made

00:41:35.460 those kinds

00:41:35.880 of evaluations

00:41:36.600 and so

00:41:38.020 it's the very

00:41:38.480 same way

00:41:38.900 in battle

00:41:39.540 it's what

00:41:40.280 experience

00:41:40.900 in battle

00:41:41.620 means

00:41:42.440 in the

00:41:43.180 American

00:41:43.520 Civil War

00:41:44.160 there were

00:41:45.000 two

00:41:45.340 contending

00:41:46.280 in this

00:41:48.260 people who

00:41:48.640 were schooled

00:41:49.040 in the

00:41:49.180 Americans

00:41:49.480 to fight

00:41:50.620 in the

00:41:50.820 Civil War

00:41:51.140 at West

00:41:51.420 Point

00:41:51.660 there were

00:41:52.160 two contending

00:41:52.680 theories

00:41:53.320 or doctrines

00:41:54.080 one was

00:41:54.520 that of

00:41:54.980 Klaus

00:41:55.240 which was

00:41:55.660 not as

00:41:56.180 well thought

00:41:57.200 of

00:41:57.500 as that

00:41:58.060 of

00:41:58.200 Antoine

00:41:58.700 de

00:41:58.880 Jomany

00:41:59.300 Jomany

00:42:00.700 believed

00:42:01.680 that you

00:42:02.020 could reduce

00:42:02.560 military

00:42:03.180 actions

00:42:03.720 and wars

00:42:04.220 to a

00:42:04.560 science

00:42:04.960 just as

00:42:05.340 you mentioned

00:42:05.760 Brett

00:42:06.020 a science

00:42:07.240 where you

00:42:07.900 could come

00:42:08.240 and he

00:42:08.440 came up

00:42:08.700 with 12

00:42:09.220 geometric

00:42:09.800 formations

00:42:10.740 and all

00:42:11.600 you had

00:42:11.840 to do

00:42:12.200 was look

00:42:12.520 at the

00:42:12.740 terrain

00:42:13.160 consult

00:42:14.040 your book

00:42:14.600 The Art

00:42:15.100 of War

00:42:15.560 which was

00:42:15.960 his book

00:42:16.680 and apply

00:42:18.560 the geometric

00:42:19.200 formation

00:42:20.240 to the

00:42:21.000 particular

00:42:21.240 situation

00:42:21.840 and then

00:42:22.200 you would

00:42:22.500 win

00:42:23.000 well the

00:42:23.700 only problem

00:42:24.180 with that

00:42:24.540 is

00:42:24.760 that's

00:42:25.660 best

00:42:25.860 practices

00:42:26.340 that is

00:42:26.780 what we

00:42:27.320 call in

00:42:27.680 businesses

00:42:28.020 best

00:42:28.560 practices

00:42:29.040 and everyone's

00:42:30.080 pursuing

00:42:30.380 best

00:42:30.660 practices

00:42:31.120 so you

00:42:31.480 got the

00:42:31.740 guy on

00:42:32.000 the other

00:42:32.240 side

00:42:32.680 of the

00:42:33.520 river

00:42:33.760 he's

00:42:34.180 fighting

00:42:34.540 he's

00:42:35.000 the general

00:42:35.400 as well

00:42:35.760 he was

00:42:36.000 trained

00:42:36.220 where you

00:42:36.540 are

00:42:36.740 he has

00:42:37.420 his own

00:42:37.780 copy

00:42:38.140 of

00:42:38.660 de

00:42:38.800 Jomany's

00:42:39.320 Art

00:42:39.780 of War

00:42:40.160 and he

00:42:40.780 will

00:42:41.140 respond

00:42:42.020 to your

00:42:42.560 geometric

00:42:43.000 formation

00:42:43.960 with his

00:42:44.360 own

00:42:44.640 prescribed

00:42:45.480 response

00:42:46.200 and so

00:42:47.080 you're

00:42:47.300 stalemated

00:42:47.800 there

00:42:48.100 and of

00:42:48.380 course

00:42:48.580 if

00:42:49.180 the

00:42:49.820 forces

00:42:50.840 on either

00:42:51.120 side

00:42:51.500 are

00:42:51.820 equal

00:42:52.180 that's

00:42:53.100 probably

00:42:53.360 what's

00:42:53.600 going to

00:42:53.800 happen

00:42:54.140 but if

00:42:54.980 one

00:42:55.220 side

00:42:55.560 is

00:42:56.120 severely

00:42:56.700 truncated

00:42:57.420 with respect

00:42:58.040 to its

00:42:58.680 resources

00:43:00.120 they're not

00:43:01.100 going to

00:43:01.260 follow that

00:43:01.700 book

00:43:02.020 because if

00:43:02.580 you follow

00:43:02.900 that book

00:43:03.440 according to

00:43:04.000 The Art

00:43:04.440 of War

00:43:04.700 with

00:43:04.880 Jomany

00:43:05.320 you're

00:43:05.880 going to

00:43:06.060 lose

00:43:06.400 because

00:43:06.620 that's

00:43:06.800 what the

00:43:07.040 book

00:43:07.540 says

00:43:07.940 so you

00:43:08.760 have

00:43:08.920 got to

00:43:09.220 do

00:43:09.340 things

00:43:09.640 differently

00:43:10.160 and you're

00:43:10.500 forced

00:43:10.920 into

00:43:11.420 doing

00:43:12.180 things

00:43:12.700 differently

00:43:13.680 and so

00:43:15.360 this is

00:43:16.240 why

00:43:16.580 we find

00:43:17.480 that people

00:43:17.840 who innovate

00:43:18.440 and in

00:43:18.920 strategy

00:43:19.380 do so

00:43:20.340 out of

00:43:21.020 necessity

00:43:21.640 right

00:43:22.560 and so

00:43:23.680 yeah again

00:43:24.040 it comes

00:43:24.240 back to

00:43:24.540 differentiation

00:43:24.980 again

00:43:25.880 yeah

00:43:26.220 so we've

00:43:27.200 we've talked

00:43:27.640 a lot about

00:43:28.480 different things

00:43:29.120 different principles

00:43:29.720 let's say

00:43:30.100 someone's listening

00:43:30.580 to this podcast

00:43:31.080 and think

00:43:31.340 I want to

00:43:31.660 apply some

00:43:32.380 of these

00:43:32.640 things I've

00:43:33.000 heard

00:43:33.360 into my

00:43:34.100 own

00:43:34.400 my own

00:43:34.940 life

00:43:35.240 whether it's

00:43:35.720 my work

00:43:36.100 life

00:43:36.380 or just

00:43:36.640 my personal

00:43:37.060 life

00:43:37.300 like what's

00:43:37.920 one

00:43:38.300 strategic

00:43:39.020 thinking

00:43:40.080 skill

00:43:40.540 that someone

00:43:41.400 can start

00:43:41.680 implementing

00:43:42.220 or really

00:43:42.580 thinking

00:43:42.920 about

00:43:43.160 this week

00:43:43.740 or today

00:43:44.180 that you

00:43:45.020 think

00:43:45.160 could provide

00:43:45.500 a lot

00:43:45.720 of bang

00:43:46.120 for their

00:43:46.620 buck

00:43:46.900 I would

00:43:48.540 offer you

00:43:48.900 this

00:43:49.180 if I had

00:43:49.500 to offer

00:43:49.700 you one

00:43:50.040 thing

00:43:50.300 it's

00:43:50.560 this

00:43:51.040 think

00:43:53.320 in these

00:43:53.600 terms

00:43:54.000 where I

00:43:55.920 want to

00:43:56.320 be

00:43:56.620 five years

00:43:57.560 from now

00:43:58.080 informs

00:43:59.400 what I

00:43:59.880 do

00:44:00.080 today

00:44:00.480 that's a

00:44:01.540 profound

00:44:01.760 statement

00:44:02.200 and some

00:44:02.900 people think

00:44:03.340 like this

00:44:03.680 and they go

00:44:03.880 there's nothing

00:44:04.140 profound

00:44:04.440 about that

00:44:04.920 it's just

00:44:05.420 the way

00:44:05.640 we do

00:44:05.920 things

00:44:06.200 but there

00:44:06.460 are a lot

00:44:06.680 of people

00:44:07.020 who are

00:44:07.760 surprised

00:44:08.220 every day

00:44:08.680 because they

00:44:09.060 haven't thought

00:44:09.480 about the

00:44:10.040 future

00:44:10.360 they're worried

00:44:11.200 about the

00:44:11.540 future

00:44:11.860 the future

00:44:13.440 seems chaotic

00:44:14.140 it seems hostile

00:44:14.860 and it's a

00:44:16.080 source of worry

00:44:17.180 my students

00:44:18.160 come out

00:44:18.560 of my

00:44:18.780 classes

00:44:19.180 confident

00:44:20.100 about the

00:44:21.280 future

00:44:21.580 because they

00:44:22.120 reduced

00:44:22.640 their vision

00:44:23.400 to their

00:44:23.960 future

00:44:24.360 the things

00:44:24.780 that they

00:44:25.060 can control

00:44:25.840 right

00:44:26.820 and the

00:44:28.040 options

00:44:28.480 that are

00:44:28.740 available

00:44:29.100 to a

00:44:29.460 young

00:44:29.600 person

00:44:29.920 are

00:44:30.120 the same

00:44:31.060 options

00:44:31.440 that are

00:44:31.600 available

00:44:31.840 to most

00:44:32.200 anyone

00:44:32.600 the options

00:44:34.260 are numerous

00:44:35.260 they're

00:44:36.060 an amazing

00:44:37.440 smorgasbord

00:44:38.480 of options

00:44:39.140 of course

00:44:39.420 those options

00:44:39.880 are limited

00:44:41.180 by virtue

00:44:42.420 of the

00:44:42.700 decisions

00:44:43.020 you've

00:44:43.300 made

00:44:43.440 in the

00:44:43.640 past

00:44:43.920 to put

00:44:44.560 you

00:44:44.720 where

00:44:45.160 you

00:44:45.340 are

00:44:45.600 today

00:44:46.340 but how

00:44:47.700 do you

00:44:48.240 choose

00:44:48.860 amongst

00:44:49.260 those

00:44:49.480 options

00:44:49.840 well what

00:44:50.160 you do

00:44:50.500 is say

00:44:50.740 where do I

00:44:51.060 want to be

00:44:51.320 five years

00:44:51.860 from now

00:44:52.200 and I

00:44:53.180 tell this

00:44:53.560 and I

00:44:54.180 mean

00:44:54.320 specifically

00:44:54.940 picture

00:44:55.660 yourself

00:44:56.140 where you

00:44:56.460 want to

00:44:56.660 be

00:44:56.920 I want

00:44:57.980 to be

00:44:58.220 let's

00:44:58.520 just say

00:44:58.880 I want

00:44:59.140 to be

00:44:59.400 I want

00:45:00.360 to have

00:45:00.520 a certain

00:45:00.820 hairstyle

00:45:01.300 I want

00:45:01.800 to be

00:45:02.180 wearing

00:45:02.400 a certain

00:45:02.680 type

00:45:02.920 of

00:45:03.040 clothing

00:45:03.320 I want

00:45:03.520 to be

00:45:03.680 surrounded

00:45:03.980 by a

00:45:04.320 certain

00:45:04.440 type

00:45:04.660 of

00:45:04.780 people

00:45:05.040 I want

00:45:05.540 to be

00:45:05.720 utilizing

00:45:06.080 a different

00:45:06.540 vocabulary

00:45:07.560 I want

00:45:08.540 to be

00:45:08.720 living

00:45:08.920 in a

00:45:09.180 different

00:45:09.340 location

00:45:09.900 in a

00:45:10.560 different

00:45:10.740 city

00:45:11.020 in a

00:45:11.220 different

00:45:11.420 country

00:45:11.800 I want

00:45:12.160 to be

00:45:12.340 working

00:45:12.600 say

00:45:12.920 as a

00:45:13.380 marketing

00:45:13.720 manager

00:45:14.300 for

00:45:15.000 L'Oreal

00:45:15.460 in the

00:45:16.320 city

00:45:16.520 of

00:45:16.680 Lyon

00:45:16.940 France

00:45:17.440 and I

00:45:18.840 want

00:45:18.940 to be

00:45:19.120 there

00:45:19.340 five

00:45:19.760 years

00:45:20.000 from now

00:45:20.360 now

00:45:21.160 suddenly

00:45:21.740 all of

00:45:23.320 those

00:45:23.500 options

00:45:24.020 that were

00:45:24.240 there

00:45:24.400 I want

00:45:24.560 to be

00:45:24.700 a doctor

00:45:25.060 no you

00:45:25.380 don't

00:45:25.500 be

00:45:25.660 a

00:45:25.740 doctor

00:45:25.940 you

00:45:26.080 want

00:45:26.200 to be

00:45:26.560 a

00:45:26.640 marketing

00:45:26.900 manager

00:45:27.240 for

00:45:27.460 L'Oreal

00:45:28.020 speaking

00:45:29.340 French

00:45:29.780 in the

00:45:30.060 city

00:45:30.240 of

00:45:30.400 Lyon

00:45:30.680 five

00:45:30.980 years

00:45:31.220 from now

00:45:31.580 and

00:45:32.180 suddenly

00:45:32.520 everything

00:45:33.120 that you

00:45:33.420 have to

00:45:33.780 do

00:45:34.060 to get

00:45:34.660 there

00:45:35.020 is laid

00:45:35.880 bare

00:45:36.120 for you

00:45:36.560 you know

00:45:37.480 exactly

00:45:37.960 what you

00:45:38.360 have to

00:45:38.760 do

00:45:39.100 and this

00:45:39.760 works

00:45:40.120 for

00:45:40.320 anyone

00:45:40.960 okay

00:45:41.880 and if

00:45:42.980 you have

00:45:43.240 trouble

00:45:43.560 picturing

00:45:44.120 where you

00:45:44.460 want to

00:45:44.720 be

00:45:44.860 five

00:45:45.160 years

00:45:45.420 from

00:45:45.600 now

00:45:45.820 I

00:45:46.840 think

00:45:47.000 in terms

00:45:47.300 of

00:45:47.440 what

00:45:47.620 it

00:45:47.840 was

00:45:48.160 that

00:45:48.340 jazzed

00:45:48.760 you

00:45:48.820 in

00:45:48.940 the

00:45:49.040 past

00:45:49.400 a

00:45:49.980 lot

00:45:50.140 of

00:45:50.260 people

00:45:50.540 put

00:45:51.160 aside

00:45:51.680 their

00:45:52.580 dreams

00:45:53.040 put

00:45:53.320 aside

00:45:53.680 their

00:45:53.880 pleasures

00:45:54.320 put

00:45:54.700 aside

00:45:55.120 the

00:45:55.300 things

00:45:55.560 that

00:45:55.720 really

00:45:56.120 animated

00:45:56.600 them

00:45:56.800 and

00:45:56.920 made

00:45:57.060 them

00:45:57.200 feel

00:45:57.400 great

00:45:57.880 as

00:45:58.640 they

00:45:58.780 move

00:45:58.960 through

00:45:59.100 life

00:45:59.360 and

00:45:59.640 get

00:46:00.240 into

00:46:00.660 what

00:46:00.860 I

00:46:00.960 call

00:46:01.160 a

00:46:01.300 tool

00:46:01.540 rut

00:46:01.800 and

00:46:02.420 begin

00:46:02.560 to

00:46:02.700 live

00:46:02.840 life

00:46:03.180 day

00:46:04.320 by

00:46:04.480 day

00:46:04.700 with

00:46:04.880 every

00:46:05.160 day

00:46:05.420 just

00:46:06.100 like

00:46:06.300 every

00:46:06.500 other

00:46:06.700 day

00:46:07.000 you

00:46:07.740 picture

00:46:07.980 the

00:46:08.220 television

00:46:09.020 show

00:46:09.460 and

00:46:09.700 the

00:46:10.100 old

00:46:10.280 television

00:46:10.600 show

00:46:10.820 you

00:46:10.920 can

00:46:11.000 still

00:46:11.140 see

00:46:11.260 it

00:46:11.360 on

00:46:11.400 the

00:46:11.480 cheers

00:46:12.060 so

00:46:12.920 you

00:46:13.260 went

00:46:13.420 to

00:46:13.520 a

00:46:13.660 place

00:46:13.920 where

00:46:14.100 everyone

00:46:14.480 knows

00:46:15.260 your

00:46:15.420 name

00:46:15.780 and

00:46:15.980 you

00:46:16.080 live

00:46:16.280 the

00:46:16.420 character

00:46:25.300 and

00:46:25.560 there's

00:46:25.700 not

00:46:25.860 a

00:46:25.980 whole

00:46:26.100 lot

00:46:26.280 of

00:46:26.380 opportunities

00:46:26.960 in

00:46:27.180 that

00:46:27.340 type

00:46:27.640 of

00:46:27.880 metaphorical

00:46:28.920 cul-de-sac

00:46:29.740 not a lot

00:46:30.460 of

00:46:30.580 opportunities

00:46:30.920 come

00:46:31.140 your way

00:46:32.380 you want

00:46:32.980 to move

00:46:33.320 out

00:46:33.520 into

00:46:33.700 the

00:46:33.900 mainstream

00:46:34.360 where

00:46:35.000 lots

00:46:35.360 of

00:46:35.560 collateral

00:46:36.020 possibilities

00:46:36.840 make

00:46:37.240 themselves

00:46:37.640 known

00:46:37.960 to

00:46:38.180 you

00:46:38.460 and

00:46:39.160 you

00:46:39.260 want

00:46:39.400 to

00:46:39.500 recognize

00:46:39.880 those

00:46:40.180 possibilities

00:46:40.760 seize

00:46:41.460 them

00:46:41.760 and

00:46:42.220 make

00:46:42.440 them

00:46:42.580 your

00:46:42.760 own

00:46:43.160 as

00:46:44.200 part

00:46:44.580 of

00:46:44.900 your

00:46:45.060 strategic

00:46:45.580 plan

00:46:46.040 to

00:46:46.260 get

00:46:46.500 where

00:46:46.660 you

00:46:46.820 want

00:46:47.020 to

00:46:47.160 be

00:46:47.380 five

00:46:47.760 years

00:46:48.000 from

00:46:48.180 now

00:46:48.380 if

00:46:49.460 I

00:46:49.540 could

00:46:49.660 give

00:46:55.300 an

00:46:55.480 exercise

00:46:55.840 in

00:46:56.080 my

00:46:56.200 classes

00:46:56.620 to

00:46:57.180 show

00:46:57.580 people

00:46:58.600 not

00:46:58.840 just

00:46:59.000 my

00:46:59.160 students

00:46:59.540 here

00:46:59.720 not

00:46:59.860 just

00:47:00.000 my

00:47:00.180 college

00:47:00.460 students

00:47:00.740 but

00:47:00.920 lawyers

00:47:01.340 and

00:47:01.560 CPAs

00:47:02.100 whom

00:47:02.220 I

00:47:02.320 lecture

00:47:02.540 to

00:47:02.800 how

00:47:03.940 difficult

00:47:04.240 it

00:47:04.420 is

00:47:04.540 to

00:47:04.640 maintain

00:47:04.920 focus

00:47:05.500 and

00:47:05.780 how

00:47:05.920 difficult

00:47:06.200 it

00:47:06.360 is

00:47:06.440 to

00:47:06.580 actuate

00:47:07.040 a

00:47:07.200 strategy

00:47:07.620 to

00:47:07.880 motivate

00:47:08.380 yourself

00:47:08.760 to

00:47:08.940 pursue

00:47:09.260 a

00:47:09.440 strategy

00:47:09.780 to

00:47:10.020 do

00:47:10.180 things

00:47:10.440 differently

00:47:10.820 than

00:47:11.640 what

00:47:11.780 you

00:47:11.860 have

00:47:11.960 been

00:47:12.080 used

00:47:12.280 to

00:47:12.520 to

00:47:13.680 seize

00:47:14.120 control

00:47:14.580 of

00:47:14.740 your

00:47:14.860 own

00:47:15.100 schedule

00:47:15.500 I

00:47:16.480 give

00:47:16.640 them

00:47:16.740 a

00:47:16.860 task

00:47:17.120 to

00:47:17.260 do

00:47:17.360 in

00:47:17.460 the

00:47:17.540 morning

00:47:17.780 it

00:47:18.260 is

00:47:18.300 a

00:47:18.420 combination

00:47:18.720 of

00:47:19.060 what

00:47:19.240 Ben

00:47:19.520 Franklin

00:47:19.840 prescribed

00:47:20.400 and

00:47:20.880 what

00:47:21.000 Steve

00:47:21.200 Jobs

00:47:21.500 prescribed

00:47:22.020 Ben

00:47:22.540 Franklin

00:47:22.800 said

00:47:23.040 do

00:47:23.200 one

00:47:23.380 thing

00:47:23.560 in

00:47:23.680 the

00:47:23.760 morning

00:47:24.020 in

00:47:24.700 his

00:47:24.840 autobiography

00:47:25.400 that

00:47:26.220 will

00:47:26.320 make

00:47:26.480 you

00:47:26.580 a

00:47:26.680 better

00:47:26.800 person

00:47:27.220 so

00:47:27.780 that

00:47:27.920 no

00:47:28.020 matter

00:47:28.140 what

00:47:28.300 happens

00:47:28.760 throughout

00:47:29.120 the

00:47:29.280 day

00:47:29.480 you

00:47:29.640 will

00:47:29.840 go

00:47:30.440 to

00:47:30.540 bed

00:47:30.660 that

00:47:30.880 night

00:47:31.460 that

00:47:31.940 much

00:47:32.120 better

00:47:32.320 person

00:47:32.780 Navy

00:47:33.760 Seals

00:47:34.220 make

00:47:34.620 their

00:47:34.760 bed

00:47:35.040 in

00:47:35.160 the

00:47:35.260 morning

00:47:35.540 to

00:47:36.860 give

00:47:36.980 them

00:47:37.100 a

00:47:37.200 sense

00:47:37.360 of

00:47:37.480 psychological

00:47:37.880 accomplishment

00:47:38.600 and

00:47:39.180 they

00:47:39.260 get

00:47:39.360 to

00:47:39.440 come

00:47:39.600 home

00:47:39.800 to

00:47:40.020 a

00:47:40.260 to

00:47:40.760 a

00:47:40.860 bed

00:47:41.280 at

00:47:41.820 night

00:47:42.080 you

00:47:42.460 combine

00:47:42.760 that

00:47:42.960 with

00:47:43.120 Steve

00:47:43.360 Jobs

00:47:43.720 notion

00:47:44.220 of

00:47:44.780 focus

00:47:45.200 this

00:47:45.660 maniacal

00:47:46.460 focus

00:47:46.860 this

00:47:47.260 strategic

00:47:47.980 intent

00:47:48.600 if you

00:47:49.040 will

00:47:49.260 and

00:47:50.100 so

00:47:50.200 I

00:47:50.300 say

00:47:50.440 pick

00:47:50.700 one

00:47:50.940 thing

00:47:51.320 to

00:47:51.980 do

00:47:52.140 in

00:47:52.240 the

00:47:52.340 morning

00:47:52.600 that

00:47:53.040 lasts

00:47:53.440 five

00:47:54.120 minutes

00:47:54.480 that's

00:47:54.740 all

00:47:54.940 maybe

00:47:55.920 ten

00:47:56.260 minutes

00:47:56.600 if you

00:47:56.960 feel

00:47:57.520 ambitious

00:47:58.120 that

00:47:59.280 will

00:47:59.460 improve

00:47:59.860 yourself

00:48:00.340 and

00:48:00.940 help

00:48:01.780 you achieve

00:48:02.260 your

00:48:02.440 goal

00:48:02.700 where you

00:48:03.060 want to

00:48:03.340 be

00:48:03.480 five

00:48:03.840 years

00:48:04.120 from

00:48:04.280 now

00:48:04.460 you

00:48:05.340 do

00:48:05.520 this

00:48:05.720 every

00:48:05.960 morning

00:48:06.320 now

00:48:07.540 the

00:48:07.700 example

00:48:08.060 I gave

00:48:08.520 about

00:48:08.800 being

00:48:09.060 the

00:48:09.360 marketing

00:48:09.880 manager

00:48:10.140 for

00:48:10.280 a

00:48:10.380 cosmetics

00:48:10.640 firm

00:48:10.940 L'Oreal

00:48:11.360 in

00:48:12.080 Lyon

00:48:12.300 France

00:48:12.640 that

00:48:13.140 informs

00:48:13.460 what you

00:48:13.680 do

00:48:13.780 in

00:48:13.880 the

00:48:13.960 morning

00:48:14.200 I

00:48:14.620 have

00:48:14.840 to

00:48:14.940 learn

00:48:15.120 French

00:48:15.560 so

00:48:16.240 I

00:48:16.340 study

00:48:16.540 my

00:48:16.700 French

00:48:16.980 first

00:48:17.280 thing

00:48:17.420 in

00:48:17.500 the

00:48:17.560 morning

00:48:17.740 for

00:48:18.000 five

00:48:18.480 minutes

00:48:18.780 I

00:48:18.960 seize

00:48:19.200 control

00:48:19.520 of

00:48:19.620 my

00:48:19.740 schedule

00:48:20.040 to

00:48:20.200 give

00:48:20.300 myself

00:48:20.580 a

00:48:20.760 psychological

00:48:21.260 boost

00:48:21.720 I'm

00:48:23.140 not

00:48:23.300 at the

00:48:24.280 mercy

00:48:24.900 of

00:48:25.740 dozens

00:48:26.260 of

00:48:26.460 people

00:48:26.740 on

00:48:27.100 email

00:48:27.380 trying to

00:48:27.820 reach

00:48:28.060 me

00:48:35.340 from

00:48:35.880 L'Oreal

00:48:36.380 I

00:48:37.180 read

00:48:37.360 the

00:48:37.500 trade

00:48:37.760 publications

00:48:38.320 on

00:48:38.800 cosmetics

00:48:39.580 I

00:48:40.260 learn

00:48:40.500 about

00:48:40.700 Lyon

00:48:40.980 France

00:48:41.400 because

00:48:41.580 that's

00:48:41.740 where

00:48:41.860 I

00:48:41.960 want

00:48:42.160 to

00:48:42.280 go

00:48:42.660 you

00:48:43.080 see

00:48:43.200 how

00:48:43.320 all

00:48:43.540 of

00:48:43.680 these

00:48:43.880 activities

00:48:44.440 in

00:48:44.940 the

00:48:45.060 morning

00:48:45.360 just

00:48:46.420 the

00:48:46.540 morning

00:48:46.720 alone

00:48:47.000 and

00:48:47.180 you

00:48:47.300 can

00:48:47.420 extend

00:48:47.700 them

00:48:47.860 of

00:48:47.980 course

00:48:48.220 are

00:48:49.460 designed

00:48:49.940 to

00:48:50.160 translate

00:48:50.680 that

00:48:51.060 goal

00:48:51.420 of

00:48:51.600 being

00:48:51.840 a

00:48:51.980 marketing

00:48:52.280 manager

00:48:52.720 five

00:48:53.080 years

00:48:53.320 from

00:48:53.500 now

00:48:53.720 into

00:48:54.180 policies

00:48:54.700 and

00:48:54.920 procedures

00:48:55.360 the

00:48:56.040 rock

00:48:56.340 bottom

00:48:56.740 task

00:48:57.520 that I

00:48:57.840 assign

00:48:58.180 people

00:48:58.480 if they

00:48:58.760 can't

00:48:59.000 think

00:48:59.140 of

00:48:59.260 anything

00:48:59.480 else

00:48:59.860 is

00:49:01.060 the

00:49:01.280 strategic

00:49:01.660 goal

00:49:02.100 of

00:49:02.260 to

00:49:02.440 improve

00:49:02.860 my

00:49:03.100 health

00:49:03.440 kind

00:49:04.300 of

00:49:04.360 lots

00:49:04.600 of

00:49:04.680 things

00:49:04.820 you

00:49:04.920 can

00:49:05.040 do

00:49:05.220 with

00:49:05.380 that

00:49:05.600 the

00:49:06.320 strategy

00:49:07.320 one

00:49:07.880 strategy

00:49:08.300 might

00:49:08.560 be

00:49:08.860 diet

00:49:10.200 it

00:49:11.440 might

00:49:11.620 be

00:49:11.760 working

00:49:12.040 out

00:49:12.220 at

00:49:12.300 the

00:49:12.400 gym

00:49:12.640 but

00:49:13.460 why

00:49:13.660 I

00:49:13.840 advocate

00:49:14.180 is

00:49:14.680 hydration

00:49:15.460 hydration

00:49:16.880 that's

00:49:18.640 the

00:49:18.820 strategy

00:49:19.280 how do

00:49:20.480 we

00:49:20.560 translate

00:49:20.980 this

00:49:21.220 strategy

00:49:21.580 of

00:49:21.700 hydration

00:49:22.040 well

00:49:22.400 the

00:49:23.020 policies

00:49:23.540 would

00:49:23.780 be

00:49:23.920 daily

00:49:24.260 action

00:49:24.720 I'm

00:49:25.400 going

00:49:25.500 to

00:49:25.600 drink

00:49:25.780 water

00:49:26.080 every

00:49:27.060 day

00:49:27.320 the

00:49:27.780 procedure

00:49:28.100 I'm

00:49:28.660 sorry

00:49:28.800 the

00:49:29.180 procedure

00:49:29.660 is

00:49:30.920 to

00:49:31.240 drink

00:49:31.440 that

00:49:31.600 glass

00:49:31.860 of

00:49:32.000 water

00:49:32.240 first

00:49:32.780 thing

00:49:33.000 in

00:49:33.100 the

00:49:33.200 morning

00:49:33.440 as

00:49:33.900 part

00:49:34.140 of

00:49:34.260 my

00:49:34.420 one

00:49:34.620 thing

00:49:34.920 in

00:49:35.260 the

00:49:35.380 morning

00:49:35.600 which

00:49:35.840 is

00:49:36.080 a

00:49:36.300 task

00:49:37.020 that

00:49:37.180 takes

00:49:37.380 five

00:49:37.680 minutes

00:49:37.980 that's

00:49:38.560 a

00:49:38.660 task

00:49:38.920 that

00:49:39.060 takes

00:49:39.260 30

00:49:39.500 seconds

00:49:39.840 to

00:49:40.040 drink

00:49:40.300 a

00:49:40.480 tall

00:49:40.820 glass

00:49:41.160 of

00:49:41.340 water

00:49:41.640 doing

00:49:43.140 this

00:49:43.420 one

00:49:43.680 task

00:49:44.120 first

00:49:44.500 thing

00:49:44.640 in

00:49:44.740 the

00:49:44.840 morning

00:49:45.120 seems

00:49:45.900 so

00:49:46.180 inconsequential

00:49:46.980 to

00:49:47.180 people

00:49:47.460 even

00:49:47.660 though

00:49:47.800 it

00:49:47.880 has

00:49:48.020 these

00:49:48.160 long

00:49:48.400 term

00:49:48.600 effects

00:49:49.060 it

00:49:49.600 tends

00:49:49.840 to

00:49:50.020 be

00:49:50.140 abandoned

00:49:50.540 very

00:49:50.860 quickly

00:49:51.240 much

00:49:52.240 to

00:49:52.440 their

00:49:52.620 detriment

00:49:53.020 you

00:49:53.500 have

00:49:53.780 to

00:49:53.920 keep

00:49:54.160 doing

00:49:54.480 it

00:49:54.660 and

00:49:54.840 the

00:49:55.040 whole

00:49:55.280 idea

00:49:55.700 of

00:49:56.080 working

00:49:56.860 towards

00:49:57.420 a

00:49:57.640 long

00:49:57.940 term

00:49:58.200 goal

00:49:58.600 in

00:49:59.180 writing

00:49:59.640 a

00:49:59.800 novel

00:50:00.020 you

00:50:00.160 have

00:50:00.280 to

00:50:00.360 write

00:50:00.500 a

00:50:00.600 page

00:50:00.880 a

00:50:01.020 day

00:50:01.280 to

00:50:01.600 reach

00:50:03.360 a

00:50:03.500 goal

00:50:03.720 of

00:50:03.860 say

00:50:04.000 300

00:50:04.460 pages

00:50:05.380 that's

00:50:06.240 the

00:50:06.380 example

00:50:06.720 that I

00:50:06.940 would

00:50:07.080 give

00:50:07.380 to

00:50:07.880 people

00:50:08.220 to

00:50:08.880 where

00:50:09.100 you

00:50:09.240 want

00:50:09.400 to

00:50:09.480 be

00:50:10.420 five

00:50:10.700 years

00:50:10.900 from

00:50:11.060 now

00:50:11.280 and

00:50:11.860 then

00:50:12.040 translate

00:50:12.480 that

00:50:12.720 into

00:50:12.880 policies

00:50:13.260 and

00:50:13.480 procedures

00:50:13.840 to

00:50:14.660 inform

00:50:15.060 your

00:50:15.200 life

00:50:15.540 today

00:50:16.400 well

00:50:16.980 Stan

00:50:17.160 this

00:50:17.280 has

00:50:17.320 been

00:50:17.420 a

00:50:17.520 great

00:50:17.680 conversation

00:50:18.220 is there

00:50:18.460 some

00:50:18.620 place

00:50:18.800 people

00:50:18.980 can

00:50:19.100 go

00:50:19.240 to

00:50:19.400 learn

00:50:19.540 more

00:50:19.700 about

00:50:19.900 your

00:50:20.040 work

00:50:20.320 well

00:50:21.560 yeah

00:50:21.740 you

00:50:21.960 I

00:50:22.160 highly

00:50:22.660 recommend

00:50:23.140 my

00:50:23.360 strategic

00:50:23.720 thinking

00:50:24.060 skills

00:50:24.500 course

00:50:24.900 at

00:50:25.580 the

00:50:26.060 great

00:50:26.300 courses

00:50:26.740 dot

00:50:27.060 com

00:50:27.420 and

00:50:28.040 you

00:50:28.160 can

00:50:28.480 see

00:50:31.680 some

00:50:31.900 examples

00:50:32.340 of

00:50:32.720 what

00:50:33.260 I

00:50:33.400 do

00:50:33.520 there

00:50:33.800 you

00:50:34.200 can

00:50:34.300 also

00:50:34.580 it

00:50:35.340 comes

00:50:35.540 with

00:50:35.640 a

00:50:35.760 study

00:50:35.980 guide

00:50:36.360 a

00:50:36.660 transcript

00:50:37.060 if

00:50:37.340 you

00:50:37.440 will

00:50:37.660 of

00:50:38.380 the

00:50:38.780 lectures

00:50:39.160 I

00:50:39.780 do

00:50:39.900 have

00:50:40.160 coming

00:50:40.460 up

00:50:40.780 in

00:50:41.160 the

00:50:41.300 spring

00:50:41.600 of

00:50:41.820 2022

00:50:42.980 a

00:50:43.900 new

00:50:44.040 book

00:50:44.220 coming

00:50:44.440 out

00:50:44.620 called

00:50:44.860 brutal

00:50:45.320 minds

00:50:46.040 by

00:50:46.380 humanics

00:50:47.080 publishing

00:50:47.720 humanics

00:50:48.200 books

00:50:48.520 I'm

00:50:49.140 not

00:50:49.240 going

00:50:49.340 to

00:50:49.400 tell

00:50:49.500 you

00:50:49.560 what

00:50:49.660 it's

00:50:49.740 about

00:50:49.980 just

00:50:50.360 going

00:50:50.480 to

00:50:50.540 tell

00:50:50.680 you

00:50:50.760 the

00:50:50.880 title

00:50:51.120 brutal

00:50:51.440 minds

00:50:51.860 and

00:50:52.420 perhaps

00:50:52.800 at

00:50:53.560 that

00:50:53.780 point

00:50:54.000 we

00:50:54.200 can

00:50:54.540 get

00:50:55.100 back

00:50:55.320 together

00:50:55.640 and I

00:50:55.940 can

00:50:56.100 tell

00:50:56.540 you

00:50:56.680 a

00:50:56.920 little

00:50:57.020 bit

00:50:57.160 about

00:50:57.360 that

00:50:57.700 it

00:50:58.280 sounds

00:50:58.520 intriguing

00:50:58.940 well

00:50:59.140 Stanley

00:50:59.400 originally

00:50:59.680 thanks

00:50:59.920 for your

00:51:00.080 time

00:51:00.220 it's

00:51:00.340 been

00:51:00.440 a

00:51:00.540 pleasure

00:51:00.800 thanks

00:51:01.500 so

00:51:01.640 much

00:51:01.780 Brett

00:51:02.040 you

00:51:02.440 take

00:51:02.660 care

00:51:02.880 and

00:51:03.040 good

00:51:04.040 luck

00:51:04.220 and

00:51:04.340 God

00:51:04.500 speak

00:51:04.640 to

00:51:04.840 you

00:51:05.000 my

00:51:05.980 guest

00:51:06.200 here

00:51:06.300 is

00:51:06.400 Stanley

00:51:06.680 originally

00:51:07.080 he's

00:51:07.460 the

00:51:07.600 lecturer

00:51:07.940 of the

00:51:08.160 great

00:51:08.320 courses

00:51:08.640 course

00:51:08.860 strategic

00:51:09.340 thinking

00:51:09.680 skills

00:51:10.000 it's

00:51:10.200 available

00:51:10.500 on

00:51:11.160 what

00:51:11.440 was

00:51:11.560 once

00:51:11.720 called

00:51:11.920 the

00:51:12.040 great

00:51:12.200 courses

00:51:12.460 plus

00:51:12.720 it's

00:51:12.880 called

00:51:13.060 one

00:51:13.280 dirium

00:51:13.640 dot

00:51:13.880 com

00:51:14.240 check

00:51:14.540 it

00:51:14.660 out

00:51:14.820 it's

00:51:14.960 a

00:51:15.040 really

00:51:15.200 great

00:51:15.420 lecture

00:51:15.680 series

00:51:16.000 also

00:51:16.360 check

00:51:16.540 out

00:51:16.620 our

00:51:16.700 show

00:51:16.880 notes

00:51:17.080 at

00:51:17.220 aom.is

00:51:18.040 strategic

00:51:18.560 thinking

00:51:19.040 where we

00:51:19.360 find links

00:51:19.720 to

00:51:19.840 resources

00:51:20.260 we delve

00:51:20.620 deeper

00:51:20.900 into

00:51:21.080 this

00:51:21.220 topic

00:51:21.600 well

00:51:29.000 that

00:51:29.200 wraps

00:51:29.440 up

00:51:29.620 another

00:51:29.900 edition

00:51:30.180 of

00:51:30.300 the

00:51:30.440 aom

00:51:30.720 podcast

00:51:31.080 check

00:51:31.460 out

00:51:31.560 our

00:51:31.640 website

00:51:31.880 at

00:51:32.020 art

00:51:32.120 of

00:51:32.220 manless

00:51:32.480 dot

00:51:32.660 com

00:51:32.880 where

00:51:32.980 you

00:51:33.040 find

00:51:33.160 our

00:51:33.280 podcast

00:51:33.800 archives

00:51:34.320 as well

00:51:34.500 as

00:51:34.620 thousands

00:51:34.880 of

00:51:35.020 articles

00:51:35.300 written

00:51:35.540 over the

00:51:35.720 years

00:51:35.820 about

00:51:36.000 pretty

00:51:36.280 much

00:51:36.440 anything

00:51:36.720 you

00:51:36.880 think

00:51:37.100 of

00:51:37.300 and

00:51:37.500 if

00:51:37.620 you'd

00:51:37.660 like

00:51:37.760 to

00:51:37.860 enjoy

00:51:38.080 ad

00:51:38.380 free

00:51:38.600 episodes

00:51:38.940 of

00:51:39.060 the

00:51:39.140 AOM

00:51:39.320 podcast

00:51:39.680 you can

00:51:40.040 do

00:51:40.180 so

00:51:40.320 on

00:51:40.400 Stitcher

00:51:40.640 premium

00:51:40.960 head

00:51:41.320 over

00:51:41.460 to

00:51:41.580 stitcher

00:51:41.780 sign

00:51:42.780 up

00:51:42.940 use

00:51:43.120 code

00:51:43.380 manliness

00:51:43.820 to

00:51:43.940 check

00:51:44.120 out

00:51:44.240 for

00:51:44.380 a

00:51:44.480 free

00:51:44.580 month

00:51:44.720 trial

00:51:45.000 once

00:51:45.420 you're

00:51:45.540 signed

00:51:45.680 up

00:51:45.840 download

00:51:46.200 the

00:51:46.360 stitcher

00:51:46.560 app

00:51:46.680 on

00:51:46.800 Android

00:51:47.160 or

00:51:47.320 iOS

00:51:47.580 and

00:51:47.780 you

00:51:47.860 start

00:51:48.040 enjoying

00:51:48.320 ad

00:51:48.640 free

00:51:48.820 episodes

00:51:49.220 of

00:51:49.360 the

00:51:49.460 AOM

00:51:49.680 podcast

00:51:50.080 and if

00:51:50.640 you haven't done so

00:51:51.080 already

00:51:51.300 I'd appreciate it if you take one minute to give us a review an Apple podcast or Stitcher

00:51:54.300 it helps out a lot

00:51:54.980 if you've done that already thank you

00:51:56.360 please consider sharing the show with a friend or family member

00:51:59.060 if you think we get something out of it

00:52:00.320 as always thank you for the continued support

00:52:01.940 until next time this is Brett McKay

00:52:03.060 reminding you to only listen to anyone podcast but put what you've heard into action

The Art of Manliness - July 31, 2025

Think More Strategically

Episode Stats

Misogynist Sentences

Hate Speech Sentences

Summary

Transcript