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Communication
Connecting File – The most reliable form of communication
Summary: A connecting file is a deliberate connection point between two units or departments to ensure reliable communication Communication is best done directly from the leader to subordinates when possible Meetings should be done in person, via video conference,...
Conditions Set – How the infantry drives dynamic timelines
Summary The infantry uses ‘conditions set’ timelines to execute complex attacks and maneuvers. Instead of time-based, or on command, the condition set specifies certain criteria that need to be met before the next phase starts. This allows the subordinate leaders to...
Decision Making
Combined Arms Dilemma – Make sure your enemy is always wrong
Summary: A Combined Arms Dilemma puts your competition into a bind where they have no good choices You can do this by finding the two most important areas where you compete and pressuring those hard to force your competition’s hand. WAR Imagine that...
Economies of Force – the military principle to do LESS
SUMMARY Any dollar or hour of time spent on things that aren’t advancing your biggest opportunity should be pulled, until your biggest opportunity is well-funded and staffed. You will need to say no to good teams with good ideas. It is the leader's responsibility to...
Massing – Winning at the decisive point
Summery: The principle of massing is to concentrate as much of your resources as possible on a decisive point to give yourself an overall advantage over your competition. This means limiting resources going to other areas that could use them. If you had to win in...
OODA Loop – Developing your decision making
Summary: Good decisions are made by people who have done a deep analysis of the most relevant information and who have experience with similar situations. Develop your observation by deliberately seeking the information you need to make the next decision. Develop your...
Leadership
Flow of forces – how to gain a foothold on a market
SUMMARY Don't commit too many resources before you have established a foothold. When establishing the foothold make sure the team is well-supported. WAR Imagine that you are a Marine squad leader with 11 infantry Marines reporting to you. Your entire...
Goal Teams not silos – how the infantry organizes teams
SUMMARY: Setup 'goal teams' that are dedicated to working on your companies most important goal Those teams should have every person directly assigned that they need to be successful and report to a single responsible leader WAR Over the last 100...
Team Discipline – Why the Marine Corps has it and how to get it
SUMMARY Consistency + A Standard = Discipline Set standards collaboratively with the team and make sure the expectation to meet them is well understood Consistency is driven by leadership supervision of the standard WAR Imagine that you are a Marine...
Unity of Command – How the military assigns responsibility
Summary: Assigned a single person who’s responsible to solve a problem When it’s a cross functional team setup a project team that has a singler leader with a team that has the capabilities to solve the problem WAR Unity of command is one of the nine...
Planning
Phased planning – simple planning for easier execution
Summary Break any plan down into at least three phases This will help make it much easier to understand and execute WAR Imagine that you’re a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. You are commanding a platoon of 40 infantry Marines. Your commanding officer has...
BAMCIS – A business planning process
Summary: All Marine leaders are taught a basic effective planning process. This helps them quickly make and execute good decisions. I recommend three steps for a high-level planning process: 1.) analyze the problem and come up with options to solve it, 2.) actively...