Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

No Plan Survives First Contact

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

- Mike Tyson

Dear A,

In 1871, Prussian field marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder stated, "One cannot be at all sure th...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The Power of Sua Sponte

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

Dear A,

I wa...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Nike's New Slogan is Concerning

“The cowards never started. The weak died along the way. That leaves just us.”

- Phil Knight, Co-Founder of Nike

Dear A,

On Friday, my wife sent me a text saying that athletic apparel...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The Spotlight Effect

“You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Dear A,

Ever walked into a room convinced that everyone noticed your mismatched sock...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Time to Get a Bigger Frying Pan

“Blame no one. Expect nothing. DO SOMETHING!”

- Bill Parcells

Dear A,

Nick Saban tells a story about a man who went fishing and kept tossing back the biggest catches. When asked why, the...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

If Nick Saban Ran Your Company

“You don’t win because you do extraordinary things on game day - you win because you did ordinary things with extraordinary discipline every day before it.” — Nick Saban

Dear A,

If Nick Saban...

 Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The CIA's "Alice in Wonderland Technique" Explained

“The aim of the Alice in Wonderland, or confusion, technique is to confound the expectations and conditioned reactions of the interrogatee... Now he is likely to make signifi...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

How to Think Fast When the Room Goes Silent

“The only difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is how high you raise your foot.”

– Benny Lewis

Dear A,

The room is thick with tension. A group of executives sit a...

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

“Blame no one. Expect nothing. DO SOMETHING!”

- Bill Parcells

Dear A,

Nick Saban tells a story about a man who went fishing and kept tossing back the biggest catches. When asked why, the man replied, “My frying pan at home is only nine inches wide.”

I...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual firepower for security professionals

Fear is the Enemy of Progress

“Limits, like fear, are often an illusion.”

– Michael Jordan

Dear A,

Fear will kill your dreams.  Fear will murder your ambitions.  And worst of all, fear will rob you of the life you w...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual firepower for security professionals

It's What You Do in That Six Minutes

“When you're finished changing, you're finished.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Dear A,

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the classic high school wrestling film Vision Quest. As a te...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual firepower for security professionals

Red Queen Hypothesis

“When you're finished changing, you're finished.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Dear A,

The Red Queen Hypothesis is one of my favorite metaphors for the modern business world — and life in general. It comes ...