Four Phases of a Life Cycle: Using a Bell Curve for Evaluating Strategy Components

In the counter terrorism profession, most of what we do involves looking for patterns and trends. We draw conclusions from those patterns and use them to help us predict the time and place where we should confront our adversaries. Getting this right can be the difference between mission success and failure, and even life and death on a target. Things are usually not this dramatic in the counter trafficking world or in the business world, but getting it right remains of paramount importance.

Applying four simple questions to events that are impacting your success can be very helpful for maximizing your strategic gains. When we look for patterns and trends and try to predict where they are heading, our strategy becomes more forward leaning and adaptive.