Gathering Intelligence

  1. Investing resource for us in a specific competitive situation seems to be a must. Money and manpower already committed to one conflict cannot be used for another.
  2. Competitive actions will continue and the competitors attempt to position themselves or one decisive encounter. Smart executives win victories, achieve understanding and surpass others. They know critical information in advance. They know the minds of the targeted constituents
  3. Critical advance information, is not provided by wishful thinking nor speculation.
  4. Really useful intelligence comes from people who have the first hand knowledge and personal experience with the competition and constituents.
  5. Intelligence has two distinct goals. The first is to obtain accurate, timely information of the objectives, resources and activities of the competitors and the second, to provide the competition with misleading information about your own.
  6. A powerful but mysterious network should be created. This network is the most precious asset of the chief executive officer.
  7. Local sources are good channels for disseminating misleading information to confuse the competition. 
  8. Internal sources of information are people working for or with the competition or important constituents who have access to important data.
  9. The most valuable agents are those of competition. Use them for own benefit. 
  10. Provide the competition with misleading information. 
  11. No activity is more closely tied to our success then effectively gathering and disseminating intelligence. 
  12. Only supremely wise and superbly subtle executive can make effective intelligence. 
  13. As the impact of intelligence is universal, no activity is useless.
  14. If plans for gathering and disseminating intelligence are known, all involved will be doomed to failure.
  15. It does not matter what type of competitive actions are planned or whose reputation is to be attacked, it is necessary to know the names of those involved.
  16. The rise and fall of many executives and organization is the direct result of the effective use of intelligence. 
  17. Smart executives employ only the most capable people in their intelligence networks. Intelligence is the essence and foundation of all competitive actions.

(Source : The Art of War for Executives, Donald G. Krause)


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