The OODA Loop and How It Can Benefit Your Thought Leadership Strategy

Did you know that pilot error is responsible for 80 per cent of all aviation accidents? Many of these accidents result from instructors failing to recognise risk and resource management when training pilots. It's a scary statistic, especially if you have a flight to catch soon, but it highlights how communicating the correct information can prevent the worst-case scenario.

We recently learned about the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) — a four-step approach to decision-making developed by military strategist John Boyd.

Here's what you need to know.

The OODA Loop teaches pilots to:

1. Collect relevant information when making decisions in the skies (observe).
2. Recognise that information, including any potential biases that might influence decision-making (orient).
3. Choose the best course of action (decide).
4. Follow through with that course of action (act).

Pilots repeat the above process when new information becomes available.

Here's an excellent summary from TechTarget with more detail about the OODA Loop.

Boyd used the OODA Loop to combat operations during military campaigns, but we think his principles apply to marketers wanting to master thought leadership, too. That's because the main takeaway from Boyd's approach is essentially "think before you act."

Ask yourself:

●     Do marketing professionals in your organisation always collect and recognise information when making decisions?

●     Do they think about the best course of action before making decisions?

●     Do they consider new information when it becomes available?

If the answer to those questions is "no," you might consider the OODA Loop. It could help marketing professionals create more effective thought leadership content.

OODA, Explained

The OODA Loop isn't a new concept. After all, Boyd developed it in the 1950s during U.S. military campaigns. However, OODA has remained in the public consciousness, and law enforcement, security officers, and the military still use it today.

Boyd theorised that the quicker the OODA Loop happens—or instead, the quicker pilots observe, orient, decide, and act—the more they can outsmart their opponents in battle. Pilots can make faster, smarter decisions and avert disaster.

How Does This Apply to Your Thought Leadership Strategy?

Brands want to create more successful thought leadership content. That's a given. But those businesses don't want marketing professionals who act impulsively or fail to think about their actions before making decisions. That's when thought leadership goes terribly.

Imagine a senior marketer being the guest speaker at an important business conference streamed online to thousands of industry professionals. The marketer says something they regret after receiving a question from the event's moderator. Perhaps they reveal a company secret that jeopardises future sales and gives ammunition to that company's competitors. Or maybe they say something defamatory about a competitor that leads to an expensive lawsuit.

If the presentation resulted in thought leadership videos or a thought leadership podcast, that gaffe could be broadcast to an even wider audience. The blunder could even harm current thought leadership marketing strategies.

In the above situation, the marketer should have collected relevant information when deciding to embarrass themselves or their company. Nor did they recognise that information. They certainly didn't choose the best course of action. They didn't think. They acted.

Now imagine a scenario where a senior marketer attends a business conference and:

●     Collects relevant follow-up information after the moderator's question (observe).

●     Recognises that information and their audience - and any potential biases (orient).

●     Decides on the best angle for their response, based upon the audience (decide).

●     Responds with their organisation and the audience in mind and with the best intentions (act).

That marketer is the type that other people want to follow. They think before they act. They make the right decisions when creating thought leadership. They gain an advantage over your competitors.

OODA as a Weapon in Your Marketing Arsenal

When applied to successful thought leadership, OODA provides a thought leadership framework for comparing your decision cycle with that of a competitor. It allows thought leaders to collect and recognise information quickly, even if it is incomplete. OODA enables marketers to decide how to act or know what to say before making a decision that could impact your entire company. That foresight improves your overall thought leadership marketing strategy.

Marketing professionals with lots of social media followers can also use OODA as a backup—a weapon in their arsenal for those off-the-cuff moments that can (and probably will) occur in the future. For example, OODA is helpful when deciding what to say during a live Instagram video or taking impromptu questions from a captive audience. In these scenarios, Boyd's 70-year-old principles can come into play and help influential marketers make the right decisions.

The OODA Loop applies not only to in-the-moment situations but long-term marketing. Marketers, like pilots, can observe, orient, decide, and act when creating a thought leadership marketing plan or a series of data-driven marketing blog posts about successful thought leadership. A marketer can also use Boyd's principles when deciding what to write or how to convey information to an audience over time.

OODA helps brands improve their reputation and avoid saying anything ill-considered on social media. Marketers who manage social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers can easily mess up because they need the skillset and tools to navigate everyday challenges and worst-case scenarios. Creating thought leadership with OODA principles can create a more successful long-term social media marketing strategy for brands.

OODA and Thought Leadership: Final Word

The OODA Loop originated in the '50s as a way for pilots to make smarter decisions during combat. We've applied its principles to marketing thought leadership. The observe-orient-decide-act cycle can help even the most successful and influential marketers improve their decision-making processes, especially during spontaneous scenarios.

Of course, OODA isn't an all-encompassing theory that marketers will always use. However, it still proves valuable for emergencies and long-term marketing campaigns, helping your brand realise its thought leadership goals.