Force Multipliers

If you’re an aspiring business owner who’s excited to learn how to run your business, you probably come across a lot of jargon. Business self-help literature is notorious for words and phrases like synergy, low-hanging fruit, pivot, and scale.

Don’t get me wrong—these are important topics for any business owner to understand; it’s just that there’s an awful lot more fluff than substance out there, and cutting through the noise can be difficult. And, boiling down a complex idea into a pithy slogan runs the risk of oversimplifying a situation, and maybe even making it worse.

I’m saying: with great power comes great responsibility.

One of those slogans I’ve heard more frequently in martial arts than in business is “force multipliers.” This entered the lexicons of both judo and jiu jitsu through the military, where leaders noticed that certain factors dramatically and disproportionately determined the outcome of battles.

A classic thought experiment is to imagine something like ten US Army soldiers taking on a hundred Roman legionnaires. The modern equipment and tactics are, collectively, a huge force multiplier for the present-day soldiers.

When business thinkers borrowed the term, they were certainly thinking about this type of revolutionary, game-changing idea. Over time, the term has lost its teeth and has come to mean virtually anything that improves the business, but I want to focus on the revolutionary type that at least doubles your output.

Jiu jitsu and judo are full of force multipliers. If you want to see this in action, watch a tiny human throw a much bigger person, or observe how a particular grip can cause an entire body to move. Leverage is the key here, and that implies judiciously using whatever force you have.

I will often half-joke with students that being lazy is the ultimate goal.

I’m turning someone over with a Kimura here

The force you can apply here seems greater than the sum of its parts, and this makes me think about emergence in nature (and everywhere, really)—the idea that something unexpectedly complex or powerful can arise from a relatively simple system.

However, there’s certainly something to watch out for.

Force multipliers are just that: multipliers of force. They aren’t intention multipliers. There’s a stark difference.

All technology is a double-edged sword, and this idea is no different. Being able to multiply force by maximizing leverage (literal or metaphorical) can help you reach your goals, but you can sometimes be shocked by how quickly unintended side effects crop up.

We need some examples.

In jiu jitsu, maybe you’ve multiplied your effectiveness on the mat with a much better understanding of leverage (both physical and metaphorical). This means you’re now much, much more likely to get someone into a position where you can hurt them. With great something comes great something.

Or, you automate something on a grand scale, multiplying your individual effort many times over.

Unfortunately, you can’t foresee everything that’s going to happen when you turn this knob all the way up. Sometimes, you end up being the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, just trying to keep your head above water for the time being.

One fundamental problem here is that all of the faults and tiny mistakes are also subject to being amplified, so if something has flown under the radar, this too will be amplified. Anything baked into the algorithmic cake is subject to this Mickey Mouse effect.

Social media is probably the ultimate cautionary tale for force multipliers. Suddenly, it was vastly easier to do business with people all over the world.

For better or worse, social media is not only a connection and communication tool—it is a primary source of information for billions of people, a powerful commerce driver, and a pivotal element of global culture.

The rise of fake news, increased awareness of significant data privacy issues, and growing concerns about the mental health implications of constant connectivity have sparked widespread concern. We find ourselves navigating an ever-changing landscape, still learning to negotiate its twists and turns.

So, what’s to be done if you want to experience the benefits of force multipliers, but want to avoid as much of the unintended side effects as possible? The answer is simple, but not easy.

Remember how I was saying that intelligence breaks down into architecture and energy? You can make up for less energy with better architecture, or more careful thinking. In other words, if you’re going to do something that is going to amplify your leverage in life, you need to be very mindful about surprises that might arise.

You can’t always foresee issues, but knowing that there could be problems might allow you to have your foot hovering over the brake, so to speak. You might do some defensive driving for a while, making sure the multiplier is actually helping you reach your goals much more than whatever surprises happen.

You’re probably thinking I could have saved a few hundred words and just said, “look before you leap!” Maybe you’re right, but this can be a bit more nuanced because you don’t always see where you’re jumping so clearly. You might look and then leap, and still be surprised.

No, this is more about understanding and accepting the trade-offs when you use force multipliers.