Comments on: Attacking Strategy Pt. 2 http://www.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/ Meditations on strategy and life Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:06:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Ryan Holiday http://www.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9325 Ryan Holiday Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:34:49 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9325 Those are good questions, and I'll attempt to address them in another post. When you attack tactics, you have very few options: Be faster, more efficient, do a better job at whatever the "thing" is. When you attack strategy, you have a limitless array of options to choose from as your path. Kerry (because he is an idiot) ran his campaign as "I am not a flip-flopper" because he was attacking the tactical maneuvers of the Bush camp. If he'd fought strategically, he could have been literally anything else "I'm an idealist," "I'm an outsider" "I'm an idealist who instead of talking gets things done," "I like to molest children," anything. When you rebel against something, you're still letting it define you. The Epictetus isn't a counter at all, and it has very little to do with the discussion. Those are good questions, and I’ll attempt to address them in another post.

When you attack tactics, you have very few options: Be faster, more efficient, do a better job at whatever the “thing” is. When you attack strategy, you have a limitless array of options to choose from as your path.

Kerry (because he is an idiot) ran his campaign as “I am not a flip-flopper” because he was attacking the tactical maneuvers of the Bush camp. If he’d fought strategically, he could have been literally anything else “I’m an idealist,” “I’m an outsider” “I’m an idealist who instead of talking gets things done,” “I like to molest children,” anything. When you rebel against something, you’re still letting it define you.

The Epictetus isn’t a counter at all, and it has very little to do with the discussion.

]]> By: Ilan Bouchard http://www.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9324 Ilan Bouchard Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:08:07 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9324 "The best possible position to be in is you. When you're you, you don't have to do any work." I'll counter that with a quote from Epictetus: "First, be who you would be. Then, do what you would do." It's easy to say that "being you" is the best choice if you're smart, eloquent, and ambitious. I may be missing the point of your post, but it sounds almost like the cliché that you should love yourself because you're great the way you are. (Though you're applying it to marketing.) What do you propose to the guy who lacks the talent and creativity to create anything better than knock-offs of popular Youtube videos? Truth be told, the last paragraph of your post here confused the hell out of me. I don't see the correlation between "refusing to be defined by other people" and attacking strategy (except, perhaps, that the former is a good defense against the latter). “The best possible position to be in is you. When you’re you, you don’t have to do any work.”

I’ll counter that with a quote from Epictetus: “First, be who you would be. Then, do what you would do.”

It’s easy to say that “being you” is the best choice if you’re smart, eloquent, and ambitious. I may be missing the point of your post, but it sounds almost like the cliché that you should love yourself because you’re great the way you are. (Though you’re applying it to marketing.) What do you propose to the guy who lacks the talent and creativity to create anything better than knock-offs of popular Youtube videos?

Truth be told, the last paragraph of your post here confused the hell out of me. I don’t see the correlation between “refusing to be defined by other people” and attacking strategy (except, perhaps, that the former is a good defense against the latter).

]]> By: Blank http://www.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9323 Blank Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:07:55 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9323 Well, you also have to look at how the Bush administration handled its job during elections in states like Ohio. The democrats focussed only on Cleveland, and the cities, but Bush's campaign took on the broad provincial districts and totally undercut the democratic effort. I recommend taking a look at a documentary called "...So goes the nation." They've been playing it often on IFC recently, and it provides an interesting look into the 04 election. Well, you also have to look at how the Bush administration handled its job during elections in states like Ohio. The democrats focussed only on Cleveland, and the cities, but Bush’s campaign took on the broad provincial districts and totally undercut the democratic effort. I recommend taking a look at a documentary called “…So goes the nation.” They’ve been playing it often on IFC recently, and it provides an interesting look into the 04 election.

]]> By: amphibian http://www.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9322 amphibian Sun, 30 Dec 2007 21:26:54 +0000 http://dev.ryanholiday.net/attacking-strategy-pt-2/#comment-9322 About two weeks ago, I was talking to my younger brother about presidential politics. I made it clear that I was not an expert, but we got into it. I said to him that Kerry letting himself be swiftboated and flip-flopped into losing the swing voters was the dumbest thing I've seen in presidential elections. The whole thing highlighted just how terrible Kerry was at communicating what he wanted to get across to the voters he needed. I think that inability to speak effectively comes from the fifty consultants saying "Be this guy on Monday, this on Tuesday and that on Wednesday and the voters will like you." About two weeks ago, I was talking to my younger brother about presidential politics. I made it clear that I was not an expert, but we got into it. I said to him that Kerry letting himself be swiftboated and flip-flopped into losing the swing voters was the dumbest thing I’ve seen in presidential elections.

The whole thing highlighted just how terrible Kerry was at communicating what he wanted to get across to the voters he needed. I think that inability to speak effectively comes from the fifty consultants saying “Be this guy on Monday, this on Tuesday and that on Wednesday and the voters will like you.”

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