Austin Caroe started writing during COVID, drawing on thinkers like Nassim Taleb. He is an Army officer, and he joined us speaking for himself. Mark “Moose” McGrath and I asked him about Afghanistan, strategy and his Substack, The Distro.
Afghanistan
Austin reflects on the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He wrote an essay about it that resonated widely. He also shares accounts from his own time there, and what they taught him about strategy.
Kriegspiel
Austin introduces Kriegspiel, a chess variant where you can’t see your opponent’s pieces. Each player has to plan with partial information. Austin ties it to military command, and to business, where adaptability matters as much as the plan. He talks about mapping and stakeholder planning, from platoon leader to company commander.
The lazy leader
Austin makes a case for laziness in leadership, inspired by an article he read. Doing less can prevent ripple effects nobody intended. A leader who holds back gives ground-level leaders room to make decisions.
For us, that links to orientation. People closest to the problem often see it best, and a leader’s restraint lets them act on what they see.
Austin also has a YouTube channel with more of these stories.
When did holding back as a leader get you a better result?
Listen and watch:
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No Way Out on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/@nowayoutpodcast