Forth Pillar of Stratagem — Design the change

Chapter 1: Understanding Themis and creating degrees of freedom

The foundational step in crafting a strategy is understanding reality, achieved in the previous chapter. The subsequent pivotal step involves change — both in oneself and in other stakeholders. Before delving into the intricacies, Themis, the Goddess of constant order, merits further discussion. Themis embodies everything dictated by the physical, biological, economical, and social order.

Recognizing our boundaries, imposed by factors like budget and time, opens the avenue to create degrees of freedom — methods to manipulate these boundaries. ‘Manipulation,’ often viewed negatively, is embraced in strategy as a clever means to induce change. Positive manipulation, such as assisting a colleague with the expectation of reciprocity, creates a degree of freedom — an extra resource to leverage when needed.

Chapter 2: Understanding Methis and self-cunningness — Proactive initiative that creates reality

To secure the sovereignty of the heavens, Zeus wed Methis and Themis. Methis, the goddess of change, stands as the powerful force in this union. This chapter explores the Holy Grail of strategy — self-change through intentional self-manipulation.

Manipulation is not merely a trick but a tool for intentional change. Consider the example of incidental self-manipulation, where altering a routine leads to newfound insights. Intentional self-manipulation involves acting against one’s nature to overcome personality and habit barriers hindering goal achievement. Creating habits and practicing proactiveness are initial steps. Proactively identifying challenging tasks, potential procrastination, and moments of potential conflict allows for wise action, overcoming inherent tendencies.

The pinnacle of self-cunningness lies in using negation for change. Engage in a mini systemic inquiry from the perspective of a red team — someone aiming for your failure. Identify weaknesses and blind spots, then make strategic changes to thwart potential failure.

Chapter 3: Formation

Armed with a comprehensive map of the ecosystem, motivations, abilities, external constraints, and personal weak spots, the focus now shifts from understanding to explaining. Your strategy, at this juncture, is an articulate explanation integrating all learned and researched elements relevant to the tasks ahead.

4th pillar — implementation

Implementation marks the transition from planning to action, demanding commitment and suspicion.

• Commitment: You know what needs to be done; execute it.
• Suspicion: Continuously scrutinize for blind spots. If your actions unequivocally lead closer to your goals, proceed. If uncertainty arises, revisit step 1.

This pillar underscores the importance of unwavering commitment alongside a vigilant eye for potential pitfalls, ensuring that strategic endeavors remain aligned with the overarching goals.