When the best strategy consist in just... asking.

Something amazing happened to me yesterday.

If you browse the list of my projects, you'll eventually hit project #32: Climb the Kilimanjaro.

I was talking about this before Christmas to a collegue and she found the idea so interesting that she decided to embark on the journey. Now this is a project I didn't plan to do before 3 to 5 years for other priorities.

Yet yesterday we were talking about this and I realized that Mr. Sneak was listening to our conversation. Mr. Sneak in a guy in the office that listens to most conversations, pretending doing some other work. But next thing you know, some of the ideas you are discussing in your department gets implemented in Mr. Sneak's department. Just like that. It must be magic of some sort... So when I became aware that he was listening, I grew worried that this nice gentleman would steal my idea. So I decided to beat him on speed and I posted my project on the company's electronic board, asking if there were people interested in the project and asking that any kind of help would be appreciated.

What came after just amazed me. My email became saturated with people asking for information, others wanted to join right out of sight. There were people sending their wishes for success. Other plainly offered to rise fund campains and I even got one that told me she couldn't come but she would be glad to act as our secretary in the organisation of the project!

Can you imagine that?

This proves that some times. The best strategy to accomplish a project is just to ask for help.

P.S. Do I have to say that project Kilimanjaro made a great improvement in its ranking of projects to fill? Now I aim for summer 2012 for this one. Further details will be posted.

Book suggestion

A few weeks ago I bought the book called "The Art of Strategy" by Avinash K. Dixit & Barry J. Nalebuff.

I bought this book only to realize that I already owned it. It was one of my mandatory reading when I was studying Economics at the university. Talk about consistancy! Re-buy a book that you liked several years latter. Only I didn't recognize it when I rebought it because they changed the cover and layout. And to my amasement, they updated it with some new examples and up to date data.

Honestly I recommend this book to any one interested in strategy and games theory. This book contain a lot of references, examples and day to day applications. It also contain the studies, research and mathematical equations for the more purist who would want information on the theoritrical part of it. But it's very easy to read and intertaining.

A very good read.

The Alynski Rules

In the 70s, Saul Alynski, hippy provocator, previous student in archeology, previous Al Capone gangster, founder of one of the main Union in the United-States, published a manual stating ten tactical rules to survive in society:

1. Power is not what you have but what you're surrounding thinks you have.
2. Get out of the experience spectrum of your opponent. Invent new battle fields to which he does not yet know how to behave on.
3. Fight your enemy with his own weapons. Use elements of his own book of conduct to fight him.
4. Humor is one of the strongest weapon in a verbal confrontation. If you can get to ridicule or better, get your opponent to ridicule himself, it gets very difficult for the opponent to come back.
5. A tactic shall never become routine. More so when it works.Repeat it to get to understand its full extent and then, change tactic. Adopt the total opposite tactic if may be.
6. Always keep your adversary on the defensive. He should never be able to have a moment to breathe, to recoup and reorganize. One should use all external means available to maintain the pressure.
7. Never bluff if you cannot deliver. If you do, you risk loosing all credibility.
8. Handicaps can become best assets. Reclaim all of your specificities as a force and not a weakness.
9. If you gain victory. You have to make sure that you can actually "occupy the land". You must have a program ready to replace the program you overtook.
10. Focus on the target and no mather what, stay focus on it through out the entire engagement. Your target must be the most narrow, precise and yet significant objective possible.

Books on Strategy

By reviewing the word Strategy of Wikipedia, I got the following list of books. These are interesting and I shall put them all on my wish list on Amazon.com


Political strategy:

The Prince, published in 1532 by Niccolò Machiavelli (own it)
Arthashastra, written in the 4th century BC by Chanakya
The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione

Military strategy:

The Art of War, written in the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu (own it)
The Art of War, written in the 19th century AD by Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini (own it)
The Book of Five Rings, written in the 17th century AD by Miyamoto Musashi (own it)
Strategikon, written in the 6th century AD by the Byzantine emperor Maurice
Taktikon, by the Byzantine emperor Leo VI the Wise
Reflexiones Militares by Santa Cruz de Marcenado
Essai général de la Tactique by Guibert (Jacques Antoine Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert)
On War, by Carl von Clausewitz (19th century)
Strategy, by B.H. Liddell Hart (own it)
On Guerrilla Warfare, by Mao Zedong
The Influence of Sea Power upon History, by Alfred Thayer Mahan
The Air Campaign, by Colonel John A. Warden, III
Makers of Modern Strategy, edited by Peter Paret
Strategy, by Edward N. Luttwak
The Strategy Makers, edited by Beatrice Heuser, ISBN 978-0-275-99826-4
OODA, by John Boyd
Sun tzu'

Economic strategy:

General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, published in 1936 by John Maynard Keynes (own it)
Business strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, 2005
Competitive Strategy, by Michael Porter
Strategy Concept I: Five Ps for Strategy and Strategy Concept II: Another Look at Why Organizations Need Strategies, by Henry Mintzberg
Winning In FastTime by John A. Warden, III and Leland A. Russell,
2002.
Designing Organization for Higher Performance by David P. Hanna, 1988.
Exploring Corporate Strategy by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes, 2001.
Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World by Dudley Lynch and Dr. Paul L. Kordis, 1988 (own it)

General strategy:

Strategy Safari, by Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph Lampel.
Strategic Studies-Intelligence and strategy, by Gagliano Giuseppe, Uniservice, Nov 2009

Others:

Marcel Détienne and Jean-Pierre Vernant, Les Ruses de l'intelligence, Paris: Flammarion, 1993 (on the role of the Greek Metis)

The virtues of public commitment

As you know one of my main objective in 2011 is to get the body of a Greek god by June 1st.

I've had this objective for several years now and for any reasons, good or bad, I always posponed. At one point I read about the concept of public commitment. By which one commits himself publicly to reach an objective. And some people go even farther by promizing that if they don't meet their objective, they'll punish themselves. Some promess to give money to relative as a bet and that kind of stuff. This thought of public commitment has always anoyed me for some reason. And I always thought to myself that "I don't need it... I'm strong enough by myself... I don't need to expose myself... bla bla bla..."

Well chapter 2, after a few years starting and stopping, avoyding, posponning. I came to the conclusion that I am not that good after all and I need to change tactic. The fly tactic does not work here. (The fly tactic consist in beating your head again and again against the window in order to get out of the house. Wishing for a different outcome out of the old same behavior over and over again.)

So enters... public commitment!

At work we have an electronic board on which anyone can post a message or ask a question. So last week I posted there that for June 1st 2010 I will have the body of a Greek god. When I posted it, my heart was beating at 100 miles/h and my hands were wet. Can you imagine that? What a physiological reaction for just a post on a board. And I entend to do the same commitment on my Facebook account. So all my friends and familly will know.

I even went further. I committed that, if I don't get to my objective, I will give 100$ to a charitable association. So if I fail, the pain will not only be public humiliation. It will also affect my wallet.

And to my surprise the reaction has been good so far. I am getting a lot of encouragement. People asking me to join. And some funny comments too like this girl stating "Wohoo! I can't wait to see the after picture! I want to be among the judges. Please!"

So this is to be continued...

The case of my friend Eric

As you know by now one of my fundamental aim in life is to be totally independent of fortune. I find that if one wants to live strategically, one must not depend on anyone else for one financial survival.

Before Christmas I went to lunch with my friend Eric. And I asked him how it went at work. Then he started saying that he will not meet his sales goals for this year and that he will not receive his bonus. Now he needs his bonus for some stuff he needs to pay. But he won't get it because it is unlikely that he will make his numbers. Why? Because his market are the governmental and municipal software departments. And as of last August, all government and municipal instances had freeze their spending for budgetary reasons. Leaving my friend flat on his belly.

Now that is what I call job dependent: relying solely on your current job to generate revenues. And believe it or not. My friend is no exception. This is the norm! Most people live like that. Lacking the initiative, the will or the awareness that they need to escape from that trap which companies are more than happy to keep their employees. Making them good sheeps. Doing mostly what ever the company wants. Trapping them in the company's logic.

This is what I want to avoid for myself. I've been a cubicle prisoner for 20 years or so. And I say it's enough! NO MORE!

Now. Imagine my friend living my strategy. He is a good seller. And I believe that he should use his skills for himself. For his own purpose. So if lets say, on January 1st 2010, he would have developed his own company. Online store or what ever. And now lets imagine that by August, at the time the budget freeze has arrived, he's making money coming from his company. How would he have reacted? Well at least with a lot less stress don't you think? Knowing that he's able to generate revenues on his side.

Now lets go further, in my friend's current reality. Lets sit with him at his annual review. It will probably look something like this:

Boss: Well hello Eric, sit down would you.

Eric (stressed): thanks

Boss: Now Eric, lets get to the point. You have not met your target last year.

Eric: I know but it was not my fault. It's because...

Boss: Now Eric. Let's not fools ourselves. You had targets. Ones that you agreed to at the beginning of the year. And you didn't meet your target. True or not?

Eric: True but...

Boss: Well that's it. Lets keep it to the bottom line. Your didn't meet your target. Therefore I cannot give you you're bonus.

Eric: ...

Boss: That will be all Eric. And please don't take it bad. I know you are a good and hard working employee. That is why I fought to the board to keep you, even if you didn't meet your target. You will just have to work harder next year.

Ends the meeting.

Now lets take this very same meeting but imagine my friend adopting my independence strategy from January 1st 2010 and his business is going well.

Boss: Well hello Eric, sit down would you.

Eric (relaxed): thanks. (He leans back on the chair).

Boss: Now Eric, lets get to the point. You have not met your target last year.

Eric: That's true

Boss (caught a little off guard): Ok then can you explain to me why this is so?

Eric: Well boss, as you are well aware, because we discussed that several times, there was a freeze on budget dating last August.

Boss: Yeah I know but you understand that we are looking for people who will finds ways, think out of the box... bla bla bla (insert here the fashionable buzz word of the day)...

Eric: I see.

Boss (now not knowing how to handle my friend): Well, you know we expected better and therefore I cannot give you you're bonus. I'm sorry.

Eric (still relaxed): That's ok.

Boss (getting confused because he really don't understand my friend's reaction): Look Eric. Don't take it bad. Next year if you work harder then may be...

Eric (with a very soft voice): Listen. With all due respect. I don't take it bad. You don't have to over do it. I understand your means and I accept it. I like to work here and that is why I stay. Now if this is all. If you don't mind, I have customers to call. (With a disarm full smile) If you will excuse me. And thank you for taking the time.

Now. Can you begin to grasp the endless power one acquire over its employer when one does not need it for his/her financial survival. The employer just plainly loose any edge on his/her employee.

Getting to this stage, the employer will have only two courses of action. 1. He will freak out and fire the employee. Not knowing what to do with it. 2. He will not know how to handle his/her employee. And feeling there is danger here in this unknown, unprecedented situation, the employer will leave the employee alone. And focus on the other employees that shows their fears.

And believe me. I know it works. I live to tell.

Food for thought people.

My objectives

Out of over a hundred objectives I want to achieve, the three ones I will focus on in 2011 are:

1. Have the body of a Greek god

2. Generate at least $10k with an alternative income source (outside the workplace).

3. Become a PUA.

Have the body of a Greek god

Starting on January 1st 2011. I want to get to my objective by June 1st 2011.

My main tactics will be

1. Cut on sugar

2. Cut fat

3. Shorter portion when I eat

4. Make a public commitment to reach my goal

5. Cardio training

6. Wieght training

7. Abs training.

8 Follow the 4 hour body concept

Generate $10k with an alternate income source (outside the workplace)

The idea here is to experiment and put down the basis that will help me get the my Grand Strategy goal of being totally financially independent.

My tactics will be:

1. Generate revenues coming from Forex.

2. Generate revenues coming from the stock market.

3. Generate revenues coming from a muse.

Little more detailed on the tactics. For Forex I will use this scalping system: click here

For the stock market I will use this system: click here

And for the muse I will develop an online business.

All the details on the developments of my objectives will be posted on the blog. Which is part of the strategy: record every progress. Successes and failure. And adapt, refocus, change, in order to maximize in order to win.

Become a PUA

I'll be honest with you. I've been married for eleven years. Then I escaped fro that hell. I've been three years in a couple that didn't work out. Call it the rebound period if you want. Then I've had a girlfriend for 8 years. It went sour. So either I am not gifted with relationships or I am plainly not made for that. Now some people have said to me that I should work it out with another woman and make sure I work on the parts I don't handle well. Ok. May be one day. But for now I want to live the Hugh Hefner lifestyle.

And I'll go further than that. I'm asking myself "why would Hefner approach, way of life or strategy of a relationship should be any worst or wrong than any other way of life? So I want to try this for a while. But not now. For now I want to develop my skills with the other sex. For I am a very shy guy. And I need to improve myself on that plane of my personality.

So my tactic will be to do the assignments in the book Rules of the game by Neil Strauss. And then hit the field with my friends and practice my game with a mix of Mystery method and Cocky & funny method.

Grand Strategy

The Grand Strategy is the basic purpose. The root. The why I want to engage in any endeavour. Any subsequent objectives are subordinate to the purpose of the Grand Strategy. Some may want to call in their life meaning or their true calling. What ever.

My Grand Strategy is to become an Übermensch. I want to be a model. First to my kids. And then to my community or anybody that would recognize what I do and what I want to achieve.

Since Nietzsche was not very clear on what is a Übermensch anyway, I designed it for myself as

"One who is totally free and independant. One that realise is dreams, what ever they may be. One that grows, learns and always push further. Aiming higher, farther and stronger."

In the day to day life this can be transpose as the realisation of what ever objective I choose to follow which is in accordance to the Grand Strategy. For example. Going to work in the office every morning is not following my Grand Strategy. I do it because it serves a very pragmatic need for now: it pays the bills. But in time, I will have to leave my job and fly on my own. Because being my own boss is in line with getting power and bringing me closer to be a Übermensch.

Seams familiar? "Anyone has dreams and wants to fill them" you would say? But how many really do? How many puts the steps forward day after day to get closer to their dream? Or just postpone in favor of the rat race? Way too many people. So while fulfilling my dreams ( I should say while fulfilling my destiny), I want to become the "possibility". A lighthouse in the fog. An inspiration to my kids. And when I am talking about dreams, I am not referring to getting from an appartment to a house or buying a better car. I am talking of huge dreams. You know the ones that you keep in your mind and don't tell anyone because you are afraid of being laughed at? Those are the ones I am talking about.

So this is it. I want to learn. Grow. Increase my power. And fill my dreams (which I have many).

Is the Euro zone doomed?

My friend sent me this article the other day.

Basically it states that the countries outside the eurozone are better off than the countries inside it. That makes me laugh irronically. I remember when they were building the euro zone. The countries that most wanted it were adressing the other countries around, with a bit of scorn, that if they missed the boat, the countries outside would starve to develop, denied the access of this vast market they were about to form. Who's laughing to whom now?

I believe that the euro is doomed and it is only a question of time. This idea, good in principle, was flawed from the beginning. Among other things, they introduced the possibility for a country to make bankrupcy which is a major flaw in design. Let me explain. Take the United-States for example. Right now it is heavily under debt. But can it crash? The answer is no. Because by definition a country is immortal, sooner or later the USA will pay their debt. What ever the time it takes. And if Uncle Sam wanted (wouldn't be wise to do so but...) he could print more money and pay the debt with it. The US government has the hability to do so. Therefore it can never make bankrupcy. This is not so for a country in the euro zone. In the euro zone the members gave that right away. So the only thing they can do to stimulate their economy is borrow some money and spend on the economy. Therefore creating debt that the country is not yet sure it can repay.

Look at Greece. I don't know for you but if it were my money I wouldn't grant a penny of loan to them. Seriously. Someone comes to you and ask for money because he is crumbling under debt. And he says to you: "My monthly expenses are way more than my monthly revenues. But don't you worry. I will repay you... in time... I... I promess. And if you don't finance me, I'm getting out of the game anyway." Would you lend some money to him? I doubt that.

Europe lend Greece the money needed because it was the thing to do to put the problem under the carpet since they didn't know what to do with the problem. Can we blame them not knowing? These events are unprecedented in history. Their main motive at the time was to save the eurozone... and fast! So in simple terms, the idea of the unknown of the world after a euro colapse is more painful than lending the money now to a country that will not be able to repay. That's very short term strategy to me. And from what I've seen throu out history, you always finish worst off if you adopt a short term strategy instead of seeing farther than your nose.

But who I'm I to tell? Poor little mosquito in the big game of the world.

History will tell anyway.

Do you remeber the dominos theory? It was stating that once a country adopt communism, the neighbouring countries should follow. All falling one after another like dominos. Well that's exactly what I think will happen for the euro zone. First there was Greece, now its Ireland's turn. Next should be Spain. Then which one? Portugal, Italy... who's next?

Just take your bet.

Objectives

The domain of strategy can be applied to a variety of subjects and day to day situations. It can become a way of life. But strategy doesn't come alone. In order to establish a strategy, you must first determine what will be the objective to fill. A strategy without an objective is pointless and random.

There is about a hundred projects to which I could and will apply strategies. But for now I will state only three. They are personal objectives. Ones that have been eluding me for years now and that I need to adress once and for all. They are:

• The monetary aspect
• My body and general health
• To increase my power of seduction over the members of the other sex

Let's approach these three objectives with a strategic point of view. First lets clarify the objectives. A clear objective aims for clear actions in order to fulfill it.

The monetary aspect

Being totally monetarilly independant. This means being totally out of debt and generating an annual income of $80k by my own (without the help of employment) by at least three different sources of income. Having a emergency account of $40k (6 months of income in order to maintain current lifestyle).

Time frame: 5 years.

My body and general health

I want to have a body with the shape of a greek god. I want to eat healthy food, cut on sugar and fat. And I want to develop my endurance to be able to run a sprint triathlon.

Increase my power of seduction

I want to be able to open any woman I decide at any time I feel appropriate and anywhere I want it to happen. I want to be able to engage in genuine conversation and through mid game with the openned woman. Finally I want to be able to close any woman I bring into mid game.

More details on my objectives in the coming posts.

In the beginning - The emergence and creation of strategism

Good day all.

I am a strategist. I've been one for several years but just discovered lately that I was one.

See. We all live the game of life. And to do so, we all go about it adopting some kind of strategy. Some effective. Some not. But never the less strategy. Even if we are not aware of it, we do. We assess, estimate, test, and decide the best route to undertake.

I read a post on a blog lately that made me realize that I've been a strategist for quite some time now. I just didn't have a name for it.

I choose to live my life as a strategist. Now what does that means? Well to me it means simply that I will live my life choosing among the best strategies and tactics in order to fulfill my objectives. I will study the art of strategy, history and any sources that may help me found ways that will help me fulfill the objectives I set. What ever objective I may choose. Now. Some would say "not very different from what we all do." This is mostly true. The difference resides into the fact that the strategist decides consciously to live as such. Therefore his calculations, moves, tactics, are well thought and sound before he actually implement them. And while implemented, he will always assess if the strategy and tactics adopted are still effective. As a conscious process. And if they're not. He will change tactics or even strategy in order to fulfill his goal. Coldly, mathematically if may be.

This blog will discuss different aspects of life situations, of business and career. Issues in couples and friendship or among a group of people. Money, courtship, sex. Even our own body. Problems that we'll scrutinize under the eye of a strategist. We will discuss games, books, history, theories and experiments. Anything that can be useful in order to solves problems that we may encounter.

We can see life as a journey. Or a game. Some sees it as a war. What ever the point of view, strategy is useful in order to attain what ever objective we may set for ourselves, our family, our community, our business, career or any aspect of our lives.

Strategism is the philosophy of living your life strategically.