Patrick Van Horne co-wrote Left of Bang and taught in the Marine Corps Combat Hunter program. The framework started as a way to help Marines spot insurgent threats in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mark “Moose” McGrath and I asked him how it works in business, investing and everyday life.
In Patrick’s terms, bang is any critical event that forces a reaction. Getting left of bang means you saw it coming, prepared for it and may be able to shape the outcome.
Three paths
Patrick explains that when disruption hits, organizations tend to follow one of three paths: collapse, a weaker survival, or adaptive growth. Which path they take depends on preparation, awareness and the ability to notice what others miss.
Baselines, watch points, action points
Patrick lays out the practical pieces. A baseline describes what normal looks like. Watch points are the indicators you monitor. Action points are the thresholds that trigger a decision. For a business leader that means systems that pick up weak signals and market shifts. For a security professional it sharpens threat recognition.
Left of bang and Boyd
We connect Left of Bang to John Boyd’s real OODA loop. Both reward adaptability, decentralized decisions and a deep understanding of a complex environment. Orientation sits at the center of Boyd’s loop, and a baseline is orientation you can write down.
What is your baseline, and when did you last check it?
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Written by Ponch Rivera with AI assistance in production. The full conversation is in the player below.