maneuver warfare is in every way superior to fighting battles of attrition.
attrition says: grind it out—more effort, more resources, more compliance, more time.
maneuver says: be surprising—think faster, move smarter. be what and where they least expect.
i recently started a new job. i was asked to provide a bio and a picture. i ignored the request.
for over a week.
not what you’d expect from the new guy.
and that’s the point. do the unexpected. be surprising.
it would have been one thing for me to ignore the request for a bio for a week and then turn in something bland and boring at the last minute.
but instead, i escalated.
i sent this:
“I've been mulling over how to introduce myself to the company. I've decided on the following.
Let's play two truths and a lie. Three stories. You decide which are true and which is the lie.”
here was the response:
attrition is about wearing down. maneuver is about breaking through.
one tries to overwhelm resistance. the other bypasses it entirely.
you don’t win by exhausting yourself. you win by surprising your target before they even understand what’s happening.
anthroponautics teaches maneuver warfare in the human domain.
it’s how i move through my career, train my body, lead my family, and write my book.
Colin
p.s. i have 1 more opening left for 1-1 consulting. reply “i’m in” if you want it.