So how does this short history lesson on military doctrine relate to business?  Like warfighting, things change, and things have changed rapidly in the business sphere - the 'speed of business' is matching the quantum increase in the 'speed of life' - leading us to the need for another 'revolution in business affairs'.  This revolution for us is 'Business Unusual".

Some of the key lessons from the revolution in military affairs that have shaped Duncan's approach to business have been:

• The move from Orders being given to line up, blow the whistle and hope for the best to; Decisive Event planning, Method planning and Mission Command.
• Battle Space Operating Systems - understanding that the military, like business, is really the 'whole' working together in a synchronised and cohesive way.
• The introduction of Centre of Gravity - looking at what makes something work, what it needs to keep working and what vulnerabilities it has..
• Leadership - understanding that people are now much smarter, more empowered and that true leadership is tied into trust and empowerment.
• The application of 'Maneuver  warfare' - shaping the battlespace and the opposition to do what you want (or in other terms - winning by being smart, cunning and flexible!)

So how does this come together in Business Unusual to actually help business?

Critical to understand is that Business Unusual came about as a reaction to the traditional ways of doing business.  This saw business owners write a detailed business plan, with 'this event', 'this time', 'this amount' prescribed to the cent and second.  The business plan was generally referred to regularly as money was sought, and as the business prepared for trade.  Slowly (or in some cases rapidly) the business plan lost its connection with reality and began to gather dust on the shelf....  Much like blowing the whistle leaping out of the trench and running it by the seat of your pants after weeks of detailed planning.  Modern military planning now takes a different approach - and so should business.  A plan should be dynamic, the business should be synchronised to do the best it can, and it must be led by a leader and crewed by a team!

The first key is Business Navigation™ - Mission, Method, and End State Planning.  Essentially, by first knowing what it is that we want to achieve, or what our purpose is - we can begin to reverse engineer the best way to achieve it.  Starting with the Vision for the business (or End State if you prefer) we examine the owners goals and perceptions as to what they want their business to be.  This can be fixed to a time (usually reasonably medium term), or just a 'purpose'.  It is here that the business owner begins to articulate how the business will support their lifestyle (hopefully NOT how their lifestyle will support their business!).  From this point, we can begin to examine the Method by which the business will achieve this End State.  The Method statements are usually broad - this provides flexibility to the actual application (as one thing we do know is that things change, and they change rapidly!).  Finally the mission is the action part - giving us immediate direction and meaning to the business.

The next key is understanding what makes the business tick functionally.  This is where the Business Operating Systems (BOS) come into play.  The BOS is the place by which we can document the processes, intellectual property and 'way' we do business.  These will almost certainly change regularly as things evolve (new software, new customer wants, better ways of doing it...).  The BOS is the physical system that we create that begins to build an asset out of the business, rather than a job out of the business.  If we have a BOS - we can standardise (expanding easier); put workable solutions in place that need less supervision (support a lifestyle for the owner) and build goodwill into the business (realising our efforts as capital gain on sale).

Centre of Gravity (COG) is the final major key to the Business Unusual approach.  Just like a good old SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat) assessment, the COG maps out the capabilities, strengths and weaknesses of a business.  Not only as they are now, but also as they should be to achieve the mission!  The COG construct does not stop there however, the most important aspect is the identification and exploration of 'requirements'.  These requirements are the actual things that people can do to make the business stronger, to mitigate or overcome weaknesses and to build a strong centre of gravity to sustain the business.  The requirements often become systems (or to-do's) in the BOS.

Leadership and the application of the maneuver approach in business are the intangible aspects.  This about shaping people, process and the business to achieve a desired outcome - be it a sale, efficiency, loyalty or a better deal.  Key underlying principles to these concepts are; an acknowledgement of the empowered individual, the speed of life (the 'Blur'), setting conditions, and perhaps most importantly - being human and having some fun in business.  Tactical Marketing and Tactical Sales focus predominantly on these areas, and provide practical ways that business people can apply this simply and to great effect.

Certainly - these military principles alone do not provide business with all the answers, but they help us create a framework that begins to engage the realities of business today in an e-enabled world, where people, processes and products have been forever changed by technology.  Mixed within this framework are the conventional, and unconventional traditional business school approaches. Business Unusual provides a simple system by which anyone can start doing business more effectively, with more understanding and control, and with a set of tools that have been shaped by today's environment.

For those not comfortable with the military analogy - I offer this more simplistic view.

Like a captain of a ship - you set out for a voyage to the island of your dreams (End State).  You need a vessel that will weather the seas and be capable for the journey (COG).  A course must be plotted to the island and alternatives prepared for changes in the weather (Method Planning). Your crew must be trained in the procedures and drills for an effective and safe journey (BOS). You must have a crew you can trust, one that knows where the journey is going (Mission), and be able to take the wheel while you get some rest (Leadership).  With all these things in place - you can then start tuning the motor (Profit Drivers), improving the ship (COG), looking at the weather and charts (Tactical Marketing), improving your crew (Tactical Sales) and setting out for your idyllic vision (Doing business!).