By Derek Rake
The Chicago Marathon is one of the biggest and most prestigious road marathons in the world.
But it didn’t start that way. Although popular, it was initially a regional, second-tier marathon fixture.
Things changed when Bob Bright, an ex-Marine, joined the company that owned the Chicago Marathon.
During Bright’s leadership, the race grew to a first-class event. It’s now one of the seven World Marathon Majors–alongside Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin and New York.
Business guru Jim Collins asked Bright the secret to his success. He replied,
Never put your rifle on automatic.”
Bob Bright fought in Vietnam for eight years. There, he learned a crucial lesson–
When you have just a few people, and there is enemy all around you, the best thing is to say, ”You take this section from here to here and you take this section from here to here, and do not fire on automatic. Take one shot at a time.”
Don’t panic.
Well, the same thing applies to business—and it’s really important. Keep yourself focused on one shot at a time. If you don’t do that, you’re going to end up in a lot of trouble.
Of course, learning Shogun Method is not equal to marching a group of men into the jaws of death.
But here’s the thing. Just like in combat or business, your mastery of Shogun Method requires cognitive precision and focus. You must know what’s the most important thing, right here and right now. And then, do that one thing.
What’s your biggest sticking point?
Some Shoguns can’t talk to women. They should work on their Intrigue Pings.
Some Shoguns fear rejection. They should use the Saimin-Jitsu track to hypnotize themselves and destroy the fear.
Some Shoguns fall into the friend zone easily. They should focus on their anti-Contextual Rapport skills.
Some Shoguns struggle to build rapport with women. They should work on their Barnum Statements.
Some Shoguns lose their women from being too routine and boring. They should sharpen their Fractionation and storytelling skills.
Some Shoguns lose the respect of their women. They should reinforce their Frame Control and learn how to put her on the Compliance Ladder.
Some Shoguns struggle to escalate to the Enslavement stage. They should work on their execution of the Black Rose Sequence.
The Shogun Method knowledge universe will overwhelm you. The smartest way to tackle this vast body of wisdom is to obey Bob Bright’s rule:
Stay focused. Know what’s the most important thing, right here and right now. And do that one thing.
Never put your rifle on automatic.