John Braddock's Blog, page 5

The Framework (And Strategy) Of Left-Center-Right Politics

The framework in A Spy’s Guide To Strategy is a powerful tool. It’s useful for simplifying complex strategic situations. So you can make decisions. So you can take action.It can even simplify one of the more complex situations in the modern world:  Politics.Especially, Left-Center-Right politics.First, we look forward. All the way to the Endgame.There are three possible Endgames of Left-Center-Right politics:The Left takes the leadership role.The Center takes the leadership role.The Right tak...

The First Step Of A Leader

In A Spy’s Guide To Strategy, we talk about three steps every strategist must take:1. Imagine the Endgame2. Reason Backward3. Take ActionFor most people, the difficult part is reasoning backward. That’s why A Spy’s Guide To Strategy spends a lot of time on a simple shortcut: the framework of Positive-Sum and Zero-Sum Games.For most people, imagining an Endgame and taking action are easier.Unless, you’re a leader. If you’re a leader, the most difficult part can be getting people to imagine the...

The Conflict And "Institutions" Of Endgames

The First Rule Of Strategy is "Look forward and reason backward."Looking forward requires imagination. Looking forward means you imagine a future. A future with people in a place with things to sustain it. A future where people are happy to be together. A future that's a Positive-Sum Game. If that Positive-Sum Game is the last game you can imagine, it's also your Endgame. From your Endgame, you reason backward. That's the beginning of strategy. You imagine an Endgame and reason backward.But y...

The Hero's Journey As A Strategy

An astute reader of A Spy’s Guide To Strategy wrote, “I've known about the Hero’s Journey concept for years as a storytelling formula but never thought of it as a strategy!”The “Hero’s Journey” was famously described by Joseph Campbell. He said it’s in stories. It’s in myths. It’s even in religious sacraments and psychological development. He also called it the “monomyth.”If you want to learn more, read Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces.The connection to strategy is this: Both...

A Throwback Strategic Solution For North Korea (But The Modern World Won't Use It)

North Korea is a problem. It's a problem for theUnited Nations. It's a problem for the United States. It's a problem for China. It's a problem for South Korea. And it's a problem for Japan. But a lot of people, including a lot of very smart people, don't see it for the type of problem it is. They think it's a diplomatic problem. Or a military problem. Or a humanitarian problem. The truth is it's all of those problems. Which means it's a bigger problem. North Korea is a strategic problem. When...

The Opening Of "A Spy's Guide To Strategy"

A Spy's Guide To Strategy is now available in the Amazon Kindle store. Here's the opening:-----------He told me a lie.And then, more lies. A whole bunch of lies.But that wasn’t the problem.Lies are normal, when you’re a spy.The problem was that it was the wrong kind of lie.Usually, a spy’s lies:Conceal something and/or;Protect the spy.Sometimes, a spy’s lies do both. But these lies didn’t. They didn’t do either one. They did the opposite.The lies exposed him. And didn’t protect him. The lies...

The Opening Of A Spy's Guide To Strategy

A Spy's Guide To Strategy is available in the Amazon Kindle store on 12 August. Here's the opening:-----------He told me a lie.And then, more lies. A whole bunch of lies.But that wasn’t the problem.Lies are normal, when you’re a spy.The problem was that it was the wrong kind of lie.Usually, a spy’s lies:Conceal something and/or;Protect the spy.Sometimes, a spy’s lies do both. But these lies didn’t. They didn’t do either one. They did the opposite.The lies exposed him. And didn’t protect him....

Early Reviews For "A Spy's Guide To Strategy"

Last week, I asked subscribers to the Spy's Guide email list to read A Spy's Guide To Strategy. Of the dozens of volunteers, I chose ten. Of the ten, seven provided feedback by the deadline.Here's what the early readers said: "Your last book made me find out more about game theory and I bought the book 'Art of Strategy', which you mentioned in this book, too. So I was already familiar with some of the ideas and still your unique perspective and writing style presented these thought processes...

The Strategy Of Positive Thinking

A strand through American history is "positive thinking." From Ben Franklin's advice to the "health and wealth gospel" of the 19th century to bestselling books by Anthony Robbins, Americans of all ages have heard, practiced and used "positive thinking."For a history of positive thinking, see:One of the more influential purveyors of positive thinking was Norman Vincent Peale. The Washington Post says: "At his peak, Peale reached millions through radio and television shows and a syndicated news...

Bin Laden Before And After 9/11

When Bin Laden attacked on 9/11, a lot of people said we should have seen it coming.He had declared war on the United States in 1996. He had bombed American embassies in Africa. He had the will to attack.But Bin Laden still appeared a distant threat.Because it takes more than will to attack. It also takes the capability to attack.Threats come from someone with both the capability and the will to attack.It looks like this:Before 9/11, few understood Bin Laden’s capability.Before 9/11, most peo...