ISR – Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, is an ever present need to often ignored in our business. Too many assume their inventions and innovations are useful based on a quick look at what is sold in the market. But that is a static view which assumes you are the only active and creative player. No Grasshopper, the environment is constantly changing. After all, what makes a market? Many players trading goods. The university, government lab, or research company down the road may be emerging competition. So to the ones on the other side of the world. The real question is never what is there today, but what will be there when your technology is ready to go to market. We use this chapter, whose title translates to “marching and countermarching on the part of the two armies with a view to discovering each other's condition” to explore how to stay on top of your competition,
Comments on Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, edited by Dick Cooledge, Comptche Press, 1927.
Sun Tzu: “There is a lesson from the warriors of ancient times: first avoid defeat, then seek opportunities to defeat the opponent. The former is something we can control, the latter requires the opponent to slip up. A good fighter focuses on avoiding defeat which waiting for opportunity to win. This is the meaning of the adage: You can know how to succeed without being able to do it.”
Raven: “Before I cross the road, I look both ways for vehicles.”
Poor Richard: “Cash flow is the life of business, so any merchant worth his salt avoids negative cash flow as it is the path to bankruptcy. The elements of cash flow are simple – money in, money out. When more money comes in than out, the company survives. When it does not, it dies. So why is it that so many organizations ignore this precept? Because they are run by day laborers rather than actual merchants. The day laborer focuses on take home pay. A merchant focuses on the health and future of the business. The former only looks at what must be done in their work today. The latter looks at both today’s work and what others are doing so that there is also work tomorrow.”