OODA Loop by Royal Air Force officer Richard Merrick.

Embracing uncertainty in a world that rewards those who appear certain requires us to balance the two. To act confidently whilst understanding that whatever we do will create further uncertainty. The challenge often is not so much to be certain, and more to be less uncertain than those around us.

John Boyd was a Colonel in the US Air Force, a brilliant fighter pilot, and a natural rebel, whose challenges and insights made him both deeply unpopular amongst the military establishment, whilst at the same time arguably the foremost strategist of the twentieth century who earned the trust of Presidents, and whose fingermarks can still be found on todays military and political strategies.

He was a deep, systemic thinker, who left us with a number of models still very much in use today, and applicable well beyond matters of combat strategy. In our time together, we will investigate the thinking behind his “OODA Loop”, how it can provide an overarching framework for anybody whose work involves embracing the uncertain, and consider the questions it asks of us.

Richard Merrick - After earning a degree in economics, I trained as an officer at R.A.F. College Cranwell and served in various roles in the UK and the Middle East, notably in Cyprus during a sensitive post-war period.

This experience shaped my career in business as a divisional CEO of a global technology firm, where I managed mergers, established ventures in China and Switzerland, and navigated complex uncertainties. Driven by a passion for leadership and strategy, I earned post graduate qualifications in coaching from Strathclyde University and in the neuroscience of Leadership with the Neuroleadership Institute. I worked in partnership with two leading coaches, Tim Gallwey and Myles Downey and spent ten years as a director and trustee of the Leadership Trust.

In 2012, I launched my own practice, guiding senior leaders through transitions in industries like finance and media. By 2020, on reaching the age of seventy, I curtailed my practice to work with a small number of senior clients in Health, Agriculture and The Diplomatic Sector to address the complex challenges presented by Technology, Regenerative Approaches, and the role of Generalists in a world of specialists.