The Tactics Whereby We Conquer

Or- Doing what you can with what you have

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Think.

Today’s subtitle comes from the Saul Alinsky quote, “Tactics mean doing what you can with what you have.”

The most basic definition of tactics is “a device for accomplishing an end.” As Sun Tzu put it:

"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved." ~ Sun Tzu

Tactics are easy to see. We can all pick out the things that set successful people apart from everyone else.

The hard part is knowing what tactics we should use, and then establishing the battle rhythm of using them — consistently.

Rather than randomly applying someone else’s tactics to our situation we need to do a little mission analysis.

We know our strategic vision.

We have determined the operational objectives that will move us toward it.

Now we need to plan a series of tactical missions to seize the objective.

In the military, a mission statement is a “clear and concise statement of what the unit is assigned to accomplish”.

This covers the When, Who, What, Where, and Why.

There are a lot of similarities between a well-written mission statement and the SMART goal framework we went over last week. A proper mission statement might look like this:

(WHEN) No later than 0630 each morning

(WHO) I

(WHAT) will execute my workout

(WHERE) per the schedule

(WHY) In order to prepare for the Mountain to Sea Trail 50K.

As long as I have developed my training schedule, I will know by roughly 0730 each morning if I have completed my workout and achieved a tactical victory for the day.

I’m more likely to accomplish it since my tactical actions are directly related to an operational goal (the 50K), and the 50K is aligned with one of the stars in my constellation (Having Adventures) a necessary component of which is a dedication to lifelong fitness.

What this means is that I am not waking up in the morning wondering if I should work out, or why I need to, or trying to meet some arbitrary goal.

I know that I define myself as someone who works out and that each workout further confirms and solidifies that belief. Each workout is moving me along the route from the tactical to the operational to the strategic to achieve the things I want most in my life.

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Read. Untethered Mind

Alex Mathers

I am a big fan of Alex’s writing. This post is a great reminder that it is often best to do less to achieve more.

The problem with society's obsession with more

Write.

Your journal prompt this week is to develop mission statements for the top three tactical victories you want to achieve in support of your operational objective.

Please send me some of your mission statements. I’d love to see them!

Repeat.

Words of wisdom from those who said it best.

“He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.” – Leonardo da Vinci

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See you next Thursday!

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