Strategic Thinking Mastery: Learn From Ancient Greeks

Impress and outsmart others by applying the wisdom of the Greeks to improve your decisions in business, work and life.

What you'll learn

Apply the principles of Ancient Greek strategic thought to your own decisions in business, work and life

Identify the key strategic lessons from The Iliad, The Odyssey and Thucydides

Apply the strategies of comparative advantage, backward induction, tradeoffs, scarcity and value to your own decision-making

Explain to others the strategic choices faced by Odysseus and how they apply to modern strategic thought

Explain to others the significance of the History of the Peloponnesian War for modern strategising

Draw links between the strategic principles in Thucydides with your own strategic decision-making

Explain to others the significance of the balance of power and dominant power in strategic decision-making

Explain why certain business people, such as Elon Musk, recommend The Iliad as the greatest story ever

Re-evaluate your own strategies in business, work and life by applying the Ancient Greek framework of strategic thinking and decision-making

Requirements

No required skills or experience needed. You will learn everything from this course.

Description

In one of his tweets, Elon Musk recommended Homer's The Iliad as "the greatest story ever".What does this entrepreneur and investor find so fascinating about a poem written thousands of years ago?The story of The Iliad is certainly fascinating, but there is something more.There is something in The Iliad that makes this story directly relevant and applicable to our modern times. STRATEGIC WISDOMThe Iliad, The Odyssey and the History of the Peloponnesian war have two things in common.They are great stories.But they are also fundamental, if often forgotten, sources of strategic wisdom. Now, you may think: OK, but how are the stories written in Ancient Greece relevant to my business, work and life decisions in the 21st century?They are relevant because the lessons these masterpieces teach us are timeless.And here is something funny: The most powerful and wealthy people get it. They GET the importance of these ancient books and they learn from them religiously. Don't believe me?In 2022, J.P. Morgan Private Bank announced "its 23rd annual summer reading list, which has become the seasonal “it list” of literary status symbols for the ultra-wealthy"Among the books on leadership and NFTs is… Greek mythology.OK, so what does it mean for you?It means that in order to truly stand out from the crowd and make better-grounded, better-informed strategic decisions, you have to become fluent in the Ancient-Greek strategic thought. And this is precisely what this course will teach you in the form of highly-accessible video lectures, supported by downloadable material and practical exercises. This course is especially relevant to you if you:Have your own business or are planning to become an entrepreneur and would like to improve your strategic thinking but also impress others with your understanding of ancient Greek literatureWork in a corporation or anywhere where there are other people, and would like to impress your boss or simply make better decisions to advance your career fasterIf you are a student, or simply someone who is interested in Strategy and its ancient roots, this course will be a perfect fit for you.Here is an overview of what you will learn in this course:Apply the principles of Ancient Greek strategic thought to your own decisions in business, work and lifeIdentify the key strategic lessons from The Iliad, The Odyssey and ThucydidesApply the strategies of comparative advantage, backward induction, tradeoffs, scarcity and value to your own decision-makingExplain to others the strategic choices faced by Odysseus and how they apply to modern strategic thoughtExplain to others the significance of the History of the Peloponnesian War for modern strategisingDraw links between the strategic principles in Thucydides with your own strategic decision-makingExplain to others the significance of the balance of power and dominant power in strategic decision-makingExplain why certain business people, such as Elon Musk, recommend The Iliad as the greatest story everRe-evaluate your own strategies in business, work and life by applying the Ancient Greek framework of strategic thinking and decision-making

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Why You Should Master Strategy

Lecture 2 How Does Strategy Look Like

Lecture 3 Strategy and Ancient Greece

Lecture 4 What You Will Learn

Lecture 5 How You Will Learn

Lecture 6 Why Learning With Me

Section 2: Strategy in The Iliad and The Odyssey

Lecture 7 Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey

Lecture 8 Who Was Odysseus

Lecture 9 Odysseus and Strategic Thought

Lecture 10 Catching Up and Practical Task

Section 3: Strategic Lessons from Odysseus

Lecture 11 Odysseus and Practical Intelligence

Lecture 12 Mêtis as a Strategy for Success

Lecture 13 Mêtis Example 1 - Netflix

Lecture 14 Mêtis Example 2 - Richard Branson

Lecture 15 Practical Method to Develop Mêtis

Section 4: Odysseus and Comparative Advantage

Lecture 16 The Odyssey and Comparative Advantage

Lecture 17 Comparative Advantage as a Strategy

Lecture 18 Example 1 - Learning Programming

Lecture 19 Example 2 - Outsourcing Customer Support

Lecture 20 Example 3 - Doing Your Own Marketing

Lecture 21 Practical Exercise for Comparative Advantage

Section 5: Odysseus and Backward Induction

Lecture 22 The Odyssey and Backward Induction 1

Lecture 23 The Odyssey and Backward Induction 2

Lecture 24 Backward Induction as a Strategy

Lecture 25 Example 1 - Choosing a Job Offer

Lecture 26 Example 2 - Negotiating a Business Deal

Lecture 27 Example 3 - Learning a Foreign Language

Lecture 28 Practical Exercise for Backward Induction

Section 6: Odysseus and Tradeoffs, Scarcity and Value

Lecture 29 The Odyssey and Tradeoffs, Scarcity and Value 1

Lecture 30 The Odyssey and Tradeoffs, Scarcity and Value 2

Lecture 31 Tradeoffs, Scarcity and Value in Strategising

Lecture 32 Example 1 - Work - Life Balance

Lecture 33 Example 2 - Ethical Investing

Lecture 34 Practical Exercise for Tradeoffs, Scarcity and Value

Section 7: Summary 1 and What it All Means For You

Lecture 35 Catching Up

Lecture 36 Summary and What It All Means for You

Section 8: Strategy in Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War

Lecture 37 Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War

Lecture 38 Thucydides and Strategy

Lecture 39 Thucydides, US & China

Lecture 40 Catching Up and Practical Task

Section 9: Thucydides and the Changing Balance of Power

Lecture 41 Thucydides and the Balance of Power

Lecture 42 Balance of Power in Strategising

Lecture 43 Example 1 - Work Environment

Lecture 44 Example 2 - Facebook and WhatsApp

Lecture 45 Practical Exercise for the Balance of Power

Section 10: Thucydides and the Ethics of Dominant Power

Lecture 46 Thucydides and Melian Dialogue 1

Lecture 47 Thucydides and Melian Dialogue 2

Lecture 48 Strategising and Dominant Power

Lecture 49 Example 1 - Work and Business

Lecture 50 Example 2 - Supply Chains and Influencers

Lecture 51 Practical Exercise for Ethics and Balance of Power

Section 11: Summary 2 and What It All Means for You

Lecture 52 Catching Up

Lecture 53 Summarising Thucydides and Strategy

Lecture 54 What This Means For You

Section 12: Learning Resources

Lecture 55 Learning Resources

Experienced or aspiring professionals who want to improve their decision-making skills,Entrepreneurs and business owners who want to make better work-related decisions,Employees, consultants, managers and anyone who want to progress in their careers,Students and anyone who wants to learn about the Ancient Greek roots of strategic thought