The Flexible Method: Prepare to Prosper in the Next Global Crisis
James Burstall
Nicholas Brealey Publishing (July 2023)

“Every battle is won or lost before it is fought.” Sun Tzu

According to James Burstall, “The Flexible Method shows what you can do to future-proof your organization against the next crisis. It comprises a set of practical tools that distills hard-won experience into a hands-on guide to ensure you not only survive the next crisis but thrive.

“It is tried and tested. And it works.

“Although partly set in my industry, the world of entertainment, this book contains tools that anyone can use  and which are transferable to any sector.”

These are the core principles of the Flexible Method:

o Prepare
o Put your people first
o Lead with calm purpose
o Gather your “generals”
o Communicate, communicate, communicate
o Protect your cash
o Learn from history
o Hold onto your values
o Collaborate, connect
o Adapt
o Supercharge your creativity
o Seek help
o Care for your team’s mental health
o Mind your own health
o Set your future course
o Rest, reward, review

Yes, they are separate but also [begin italics] interdependent [end italics] and all are very important. Any one of them could be a  decisive factor, for better or worse.  Worse? How about preparing for the wrong competition at the wrong time in the wrong place?  How about seeking help from the wrong sources? How about setting a future course and then staying with it rather than making course corrections that unexpected developments require? You get the idea…

My take on James Burdstall is that he is an empiricist and pragmatist, determined to understand WHAT works best, what doesn’t, and WHY. As does the gambler in Don Schlitz’s popular song, he knows when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, when to walk away, and when to run. His mind reminds me of a Swiss Army knife.

As I read this book, I was again reminded of passages in others that illustrate the potential power of the Flexible Method. First, from Lao-tse’s Tao Te Ching :

“Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves.”

Next, from an essay written by Robert Greenleaf that was published in (1970);  “The servant-leader is servant first…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.”

Finally, from Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock (also in 1970): “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

Here are two concluding suggestions: Highlight key passages, and, keep a lined notebook near at hand while reading The Flexible Method  in which you record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines) and page references as well as your responses to questions or issues suggested by the material notably the set of “Tools” at the conclusion of most chapters. These two simple tactics will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.