09/13/2025
At the Florida Government Cybersecurity and AI Summit, this man you see on stage spoke about the OODA Loop. It's a decision-making model developed by a United States Air Force colonel, and its applications extend beyond dogfighting, and beyond cybersecurity. The acronym means: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. It happens sequentially, and upon observing the results of that action, you're already "looping" back to the start.
I've been obsessed with the idea. At the summit, we learned how a faster OODA Loop creates faster adaptations, giving an edge over cybersecurity attackers. AI, being incredibly fast at observing data, can help tighten the loop. This empowers people to focus more on big decisions and actions.
But I'm convinced that everything is an OODA Loop, in our minds. I don't see a single moment in my day-to-day life when I'm not observing, orienting to the information I'm taking in, deciding what to do next, and acting upon all of that.
In terms of our personal goals, we can facilitate our own adaptation by speeding up our loop. That basically means speeding up any of the steps in the sequence. I think about how Gary Vaynerchuk emphasizes failure: embracing it, learning from it, and readjusting, over and over again.
For me, I've been speeding up my loop by talking with a coach. Someone in my industry with more experience and a similar mindset, who asks me important questions. It lets me reflect on my own actions from a new perspective and expedites my ability to pivot. It's all in an effort to keep redirecting myself towards my goals in life and business. Because, man, it's not hard to start veering off course.
And for our goals, I think it's so fruitful to address the bottlenecks. Where do I feel stuck? How can I start flowing again? Is it a mindset shift? That's what the OODA Loop has me thinking about today.