You are too slow
Speed is the ultimate weapon. Use John Boyd’s OODA Loop to cycle faster than your competitors and confuse them into submission.
Col. John Boyd (USAF Fighter Pilot) proved that you don’t need a faster plane to win; you need a faster brain.
He created the OODA Loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
Whoever completes this loop fastest wins.
Most corporations get stuck in “Orient” (Analysis Paralysis) or “Decide” (Committee approval). By the time they “Act,” the market has moved, and their observation is obsolete.
If your decision cycle is slower than the market, you are already dead.
The Prompt
Act as a Military Strategist (John Boyd OODA Loop).
We are facing a market change/competitor move: [Insert Situation].
We are currently stuck.
Diagnose our OODA Loop:
1. Observe: Do we have real-time data, or are we looking at last month's report?
2. Orient: Are we paralysed by "Analysis Paralysis"? What cultural bias is stopping us from seeing the truth?
3. Decide: Who is the bottlenecks? (Is it a person or a process?).
4. Act: Script the "Minimum Viable Move" we can make *today* to disrupt the competitor's rhythm.
The Executive Upgrade: Subscribers Only
The 100% Certainty Myth
General Colin Powell had a rule: The 40-70 Rule.
If you have less than 40% of the information, don’t decide.
If you wait for more than 70% of the information, you are too late.
You must train your team to pull the trigger at 70%. The cost of being wrong is usually less than the cost of being slow.
Here are the two Governance Protocols to force speed.
Follow-Up Prompt 1: The One-Way Door Test
(Use this to stop over-thinking)
Act as a Decision Architect (Jeff Bezos framework).
I am facing a decision: [Insert Decision].
I am hesitating because I want more data.
Classify this decision:
1. Type 1 (One-Way Door): Irreversible. High Consequence. (Take your time).
2. Type 2 (Two-Way Door): Reversible. Low Consequence. (Decide immediately).
If it is Type 2, give me a "Bias for Action" plan to execute it by close of business today.
Follow-Up Prompt 2: The “disagree and Commit” Accelerator
(Use this when the team is gridlocked)
Act as a Chief of Staff.
My team is stuck in the "Orient" phase debating [Topic].
They are waiting for "Consensus."
Draft a directive to the team that:
1. Declares that "Consensus" is not the goal.
2. Assigns a deadline for the decision (e.g., 2 hours).
3. States that if they cannot agree, I will make the decision based on the 70% information we have now, and we will fix it later if we are wrong.