Category Archives: cool strategies

Mismatch – the Heart of a Strategy

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Bill Carson

Trick question Question 1:  What do successful strategies for drilling a board, catching a pass and winning a dogfight have in common?  Answer:  a mismatch between an advantage and a vulnerability. Question 2:  In what way is Question 1 a trick question? Answer:  because at bottom all successful strategies are based on a mismatch – it has nothing to do with the specifics of the 3 examples. And that’s the point. To have a successful strategy of any kind, you have to arrange for a mismatch that will result in getting to your objective. And what is a mismatch?  It’s a disparity in some … Continue reading →

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Creative Thinking and the Destruction of a Game: External Strategy Factors

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Bill Carson

At a conference in Kunming, southern China, I saw a really good example of a spontaneous strategy devised to win a contest – and a comical outcome.  The participants were a number of bright young managers from Asian companies that distribute electronic components.  It was a long day and to keep everyone’s interest, conference organizers inserted the contest between sessions. The simple game worked like this:  a moderator would ask two questions.  The first person raising his hand and correctly answering both questions would win a prize.  Simple.  There was to be a series of pairs of questions and prizes. Wait.  Before going on, … Continue reading →

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