Consider what has been called: ‘The dichotomy of control’.
Is this thing I am considering in my control, or not?
In the words of Epictetus, a slave who lived early in the first millennium in the time of Nero, and a key figure in the evolution of stoic philosophy: ‘Some things are in our control, and others are not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, in a word, our own actions. Things that are not in our control are body, property, reputation, command and in a word, whatever are not our own actions’
These words recognise we are powerless over the conditions that affect us, but have absolute power over how we choose to respond.
We can and should very deliberately choose which strategies we deploy.
In a way, a slave 2,000 years ago was also laying the foundation for Daniel Kahneman to win a Nobel prize in 2002. His work identifying the ‘Fast and Slow’ nature of our behaviour and the impact those human processes have on the choices we make reflects the way we consider and respond to choice.
Given that ‘Strategy’ is at its core about choice, this distinction should be amongst the first we make in the evolution of a strategic plan. The choices then continue as we move from the macro of strategy down to the micro of tactical implementation.
Game theory is also a core strategic foundation. The question: if I do A, what response will that draw from competitors? Will it bring in new competitors? Will I succeed? Will my bosses approve? and so on. These are things that in commercial life need to be considered. They do influence the decision you take, but in the end, they are out of your control, and the best you can do is to anticipate, and accommodate the possible responses. However, it should not be a barrier to make that tough choice, as in the end, you cannot control, what others do. Trying to anticipate and calculate all possible competitive responses to a choice you might make is a great way to ensure you never make the choice, as most of us do not like to be wrong.
In commercial life, those that are successful are regularly making uncomfortable choices with less than all the information they might like. Nevertheless, they make the choice, take the action, while being sensitive to the feedback they are getting. When the choice made turns out to be good, double down, when it is not so good, back up. Either way, you have learnt from the experience.
Such a bias for action enables you to get inside the ‘competitive loop’ of your opposition, and even when you make a miscalculation, you can adjust faster than they can, and will turn out on top in the end. This is the basis of John Boyd’s not so famous but competitively essential idea of the ‘OODA loop’.
As an aside, I find it fascinating that the teachings of a Roman slave 2,000 years ago could have so much relevance to the competitive environment in which we need to survive today. It is a sure indication that while the tools and competitive environment will change, human nature and the way we think is evolutionary, over a very long period, and will not change at anything like the same rate.
I will finish this post with another quote from Epictetus that we should all take note of as we set about ‘aligning’ our activities across functional silos, and engaging others in a mission of change.
‘It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows’
Think about that the next time you fail to convince someone of the need for change.
If you wanted to take a dive into this ‘Stoic’ philosophy, a good place to start would be with the writing of Ryan Holiday.
