Force-Multipliers

As I've been defining my "brand" of what I do well, one of my early attempts at a brand was "force-multiplier" or a creator of force-multipliers. I've found that most people don't have the (normally military) background to understand the term right away, so I wanted to write about how I came to the term. For me, it was webcomic Schlock Mercenary by Howard Tayler.

Schlock Mercenary January 16, 2011

The webcomic strip in question is above. It depicts the conversation between two characters, Lieutenant Doctor Bunnigus (leading a small team of mercenaries on a noncombat mission) and Sergeant Schock, her bodyguard. Schlock routinely carries a small arsenal in his mouth and has been referred to as an ambulatory weapon depot". Because they don't expect combat and the plasma cannon is a major fire risk on a poorly-maintained space station, Bunnigus needs Schlock to leave it behind. But Schlock loves his plasgun...

Transcript

SERGEANT SCHLOCK [Heavily-armed amorphous blob]: What if I promise not to take it out of my mouth?

LIEUTENANT DOCTOR BUNNIGUS: Can you fire it without taking it out of your mouth?

BUNNIGUS: Well? Can you?

SCHLOCK: Maybe.

BUNNIGUS: It stays on the bus.

SCHLOCK: It's not fair. You get to keep all of your force multipliers.

BUNNIGUS: Who taught you that term? Also, you're using it wrong. I'm not armed.

SCHLOCK: I'm not using it wrong. You're a doctor. You've got all your doctor tools, and you get to bring Tailor [fully-sapient robot with medical skills] along for surgery stuff. Those are doctorry force multipliers.

BUNNIGUS: In that case, so are you.

SCHLOCK: So am I what?

BUNNIGUS: You're a doctorry force multiplier. You help me be more effective by watching my back for me. I'm a better doctor when I'm not distracted.

SCHLOCK: So you'll be the best doctor if I have my plasma cannon.

BUNNIGUS: No, because I don't want to have to keep checking behind me to make sure you haven't set the station on fire and killed us all.

SCHLOCK: I could stand in front of you.

BUNNIGUS: It stays on the bus.

Force Multipliers

Force multipliers are equipment, tools, or techniques that increase a given team's ability to accomplish their mission in a way disproportionate to the inputs required. A classic example is the deployment of GPS in the first Gulf War, which enabled the US Army to cross otherwise unnavigible deserts and attack from unexpected directions. Low-observable ("stealth") aircraft like the F-117 or F-35 can enter heavily-defended areas to destroy anti-aircraft weapons, thus enabling the rest of an air force to operate where they were previously excluded. Aerial refueling tankers enable airplanes to reach targets far from their bases, meaning a smaller air force can hit more targets further away. The force these teams can exert has been multiplied rather than just added to.

Howard Tayler's big contribution to my thoughts was his linking "force multipliers" to situations that don't involve killing. And my super-power is freeing up time to work on hard problems. That's a force-multiplier for the whole organization: people spending less time on reports and fighting their ERP systems can instead spend those hours eliminating the root causes of problems. Those freed-up hours in problem-solving can even create a virtuous cycle where the time previously spent on fighting those problems can be used for yet more problem-solving.

My use of "force multiplier" was intuitive only to me, so I don't use it as part of my brand anymore. But I do still like it as a way to think about my tools as "project-mangerry force-multipliers" or "team-leaderry force-multipliers".

Just for fun, some examples of Schlock and his love of weapons

Schlock Mercenary February 21, 2012

Schlock Mercenary March 7, 2012

Schlock Mercenary September 5, 2011

Schlock Mercenary August 14, 2008