Comments on: SEO and OODA Loops

By: Kpop Starz

Kpop Starz — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:12:47 +0000

Thanks for the link and book recomendation

By: Daniel Hayes

Daniel Hayes — Sun, 01 May 2011 13:14:58 +0000

Rhea-
Fantastic post! I served nearly 27 years in the military and the OODA loop is a big part of the USAF culture and used far beyond the air-war spectrum it was conceived for. Another we use is See First-Understand First-Act First. They both strive to give the user an advantage by getting into their opponent’s decision cycle and you captured that brilliantly. Thanks!

By the way, my Mom is a “Rhea” and my daughter’s middle name is, as well. Of course that doesn’t bias me toward the brilliance of your post at all… ;)

By: Gabriele Maidecchi

Gabriele Maidecchi — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:43:02 +0000

The human brain has the natural tendency to prefer breaking down complex situations into smaller actionable ones, which is why the GTD approach works so good. Without observing carefully you can’t plan a strategy which allows you to overcome the situation. And as you mention, you have to make sure you are properly trained for it, otherwise nothing of this even applies.

The best point you make though is about admitting one’s mistakes. I see a lot of people approaching mistakes with denial, as they are some sort of god who can’t ever be wrong. Truth is mistakes are the fastest way to learn something, admitting you have the right mind-set for them. An open mind which can learn, adapt and act.

By: Rhea Drysdale

Rhea Drysdale — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 02:39:36 +0000

Hi Bill, thanks for the link and the book recommendation, I’ll have to grab a copy. It’s really interesting to see how well the concept applies to product development and innovation. Glad to see it’s getting attention, because, to your point, Boyd really did incorporate some classic ideas. The “Tao Te Ching” is a personal favorite and the sections on enemies was a huge influence on Boyd. I find myself returning to it often for a variety of reasons. Along those lines, a friend recently recommended translations of Marcus Aurelius in the “The Emperor’s Handbook,” which I’m hoping to read soon, too. I’ve always liked being informed by the original concept of something and so much of modern business strategy is built on these ancient texts. Boyd had a great mind for connecting those dots, if only he’d spent some more time with his family. :)

By: Bill Garnett

Bill Garnett — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:10:12 +0000

Great post, Rhea. I’ve been thinking about John Boyd lately. I first learned about Boyd in the mid-90s from an old Marine Corps buddy and read Coram’s book when it came out. It is well worth reading. Boyd was brilliant, if flawed, and his achievements went far beyond his skill as a fighter pilot. One thing that is particularly fascinating is how he went all the way back to classical philosophers and moved forward through modern physics in both his tactical/strategic concepts and in designing the F-16.
A good roundup of his impact on the military, particularly the Marines who applied his ideas to ground combat, can be found at http://www.parapundit.com/archives/000950.html . There is a book that applies his thinking to business – Certain to Win: The Strategy of John Boyd, Applied to Business by Chet Richards. I haven’t read it but it comes highly recommended.

Recently I heard Eric Ries talk about his new book The Lean Startup. Eric put up a diagram of his concept showing a loop of “Ideas > Build > Product > Measure > Data > Learn > Ideas…” The thought that came to mind was “that’s a Boyd Loop.” And it is, but adapted to product (in this case software) development. Eric advocates turning an idea into a “minimum viable product quickly, getting it out to users, gather in solid data about what users do or do not find useful about it, then quickly pivoting to a new idea when solid data tells you the original idea is not meeting user needs. Not exactly a Boyd Loop, but conceptually the same. There’s been a lot of discussion lately about ideas like this and your post is a valuable addition.

By: Rhea Drysdale

Rhea Drysdale — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:13:57 +0000

Blog post today, win the Internet tomorrow. :D

Also, yes please to the rhetorical question. The hardest part for me is recognition of paralysis, which can sometimes be disguised as an attempt to collect more information and/or assure myself of something. That’s where trust comes into play and I know that’s a big part of the OODA loop in war, right? You have to trust the team to know the mission and move forward.

An interesting example I’ve thought a lot about is a situation a few months back where an employee expressed concern about client communication and I didn’t act on it as much as I should have. I jumped into client cheerleader mode and trusted them over my team member. What I didn’t understand was that when an employee talks to a boss about anything, they’re going to do their best to be polite and restrained. That means any concerns they express should typically be magnified by five. The employee was struggling so much that they chose to come to me, which means it’s already a problem. I have to trust their experience with the situation. If I don’t, that’s a different problem.

Trust. Communication. Somehow everything comes back to that.

By: Rhea Drysdale

Rhea Drysdale — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:58:11 +0000

Lalit – lol, you’re welcome! Will see if there’s a natural second chapter. It looks like Amanda has some ideas on that below. :)

By: Rhea Drysdale

Rhea Drysdale — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:57:25 +0000

James – good points, sometimes the best tool for the job is the oldest, simplest and most trusted.

By: Rhea Drysdale

Rhea Drysdale — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:56:29 +0000

Alan, I like how the 12 step process makes you look at where you want to be. It’s probably assumed with the OODA loop that you know your goal/vision, but having to stop and really think about it has to do wonders. Thank you for sharing that stage of your life.

By: Maciej Fita

Maciej Fita — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:44:53 +0000

Everyone has a process to their madness. I like the approach above it seems very calculated and methodical. Will have to check out that book and see what it is all about.