In the early
1950’s there was a fighter pilot/tactician named John Boyd, who set out to
determine how one pilot gained an advantage on another in a dog fight. He put his thoughts down in a tactical
concept that became known as the OODA Loop.
His thoughts and theories are still taught as a basis for military decision-making.
He broke
down decision-making into four simple and separable steps each of which is
critical to success. OODA stands for
Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. He
believed if you can turn inside your opponent’s decision-making process, if you
can react quicker then he or she, you would come out victorious.
Observe - What
is the situation, what is your opponent doing or is likely to do?
Orient –
What is your relative position to the opponent or the problem?
Decide –
What course of action brings you into a position of advantage based on the
first two?
Act –
quickly take decisive action to implement your decision, but as you do begin observing
to determine your next action.
I think this remains good advice for us in normal life as well as when pulling 9 g’s in a
turning fight at 30,000 feet.
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