In 1993, author Robert X. Cringely introduced a model of the three very different stages of evolving a successful business in his book “Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can’t Get a Date”.
While his model is military in nature and was initially presented to explain the successes and failures of various dot-com startups, I have found over the years the distinctions are useful in a wide variety of more peaceful contexts, ranging from therapy to understanding working-styles to achieving long-term goals to marriage. (And then occasionally back to therapy :-).
Here are the three styles/stages, not necessarily as Cringely originally described or even intended them but as I have used them over the years to enhance my own understanding of how long-term projects evolve and why people behave in the ways that they do.
It is important to note that these are simply preferred operating styles, and it is possible (and often necessary) to switch between them in different contexts…
1. The Commando
“Who Dares Wins.”
-motto of the British and Israeli Special Forces
While the commando’s ability to focus on one goal and work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week towards the achievement of that goal no matter what is extremely powerful, it is also unsustainable for any extended period of time.
This is why commandos are so useful in the startup phase of a project but can quickly become obsolete and even detrimental in the long-term.
If you like to work very intensely on short-term projects and use your incredible focus and passion to take risks and make things happen, (then quickly move on to the next thing, you will be one of life’s great commando’s.
Other traits of the Commando style:
*In romance, the commando may be a genius at sweeping a girl or guy off their feet but have difficulty sustaining the relationship once the original rush of passion and excitement has faded.
*In business, you will be fantastic at reaching short-term objectives but have almost no patience for rules and regulations or office politics.
*As an investor, the commando will likely go for the ‘quick kill’, day trading, spread betting, flipping properties, or anything else that lets them get in and get out quickly and (hopefully) with an instant profit.
*As a therapist or coach, you will be drawn to more dramatic approaches of ‘lightning therapy’ like NLP, TFT, and some forms of hypnotherapy.
*As a writer, you might write weekly coaching tips instead of full length books… :-)
2. The Infantry
“It Will Be Done.”
-motto of the V Corps
The infantry’s job is to solidify the gains made by the commandos and turn them into a sustainable infrastructure. As Cringely says in ‘Accidental Empires’, “ While the commandos make success possible, it's the infantry that makes success happen.”
If you like setting long-term goals, maintaining a vision, and setting up structures for success, chances are you’re a master of the infantry approach.
Other traits of the Infantry style:
*In romance, the infantry will be planning the wedding, choosing the first home, designing the baby’s nursery, and beginning saving for the college fund for the kids as early as the first date.
*In business, you will feel more comfortable working in established companies with a clear sense of mission, goals and objectives.
*As an investor, your long-term objectives will guide your every decision, and you are unlikely to get caught up in the rise or fall or each new trend. Warren Buffet is like a god to you!
*As a therapist or coach, you will prefer longer-term client relationships and more structured approaches.
*As a writer, you will excel at working on longer projects (novels, screenplays, etc.), though they may find it extremely difficult to get started.
3. The Police
“To protect and to serve.”
-motto of the Los Angeles Police Department
Once the commandos have gotten things started and the infantry have stabilized them and created some structure around them, it’s up to the police to make sure that best practices continue to be followed and that people stay on task and within the rules.
If you have a strong sense of right and wrong, a great respect for the rules, and a willingness to put yourself on the line to defend that, you will serve as an excellent part of the “police force” in any company or long-term enterprise.
Other traits of the Police style:
*In romance, you will want to make sure that things are proceeding according to plan, including at best how you treat each other and at worst how often you make love.
*In business, you will be a great enforcer of company policy and protocol, for better and for worse. Your greatest fear (and/or source of pride) may be that without you, chaos, anarchy and entropy would ensue and long-term growth would likely be completely unsustainable.
*As an investor, you will want to follow an established system with clear rules and guidelines for what, when, and how long to invest.
*As a therapist or coach, you will choose your field carefully and be a wonderful example of practicing that form or therapy or coaching as it was intended to be done. You are likely to be actively involved in any organization that establishes or protects the standards for your field.
*As a writer you will meet every deadline and you will double and triple check the formatting and spelling of every piece of writing you turn in. People may accuse you of being a bit ‘formulaic’ in your approach.
Today’s Experiment
1. To increase the clarity and usefulness of this distinction in your own life, seek out three people that you know who seem to you to be the archetypes of these three operating styles and ask them about what is important to them about what they do and how they do it.
2. Find contexts or situations in your life where you have operated outside of your normal or preferred style. What enabled or forced you to do so? What did you learn?
3. This week, become aware of any areas of your life where your preferred operating style is getting in the way of your success. What do you need to do differently to get where you want to go?
Have fun and learn heaps!