“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be a more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks." ~ Warren Buffet
Ever since the pandemic has taken over and dominated our lives, everyone seems to be talking and writing about “curves.” Not just the shape of the curve, although important in the context of flattening, but also getting ahead of it. Here are three recent headlines that demonstrate my point, “Was Your State Ahead of the Coronavirus Curve?”, “Getting Ahead of the Curve — in Hopes of Flattening the Curve”, and “How Did Germany Get Ahead of the Curve?”
What does ahead of the curve even mean? I did some research. It means, “When one is more advanced than others, or ahead of current thinking or practices.” More research into the origins of the phrase led me to the classic Bell Curve model used to visualize data showing low, average, and above average performances. If you are “ahead of the curve” you are on the right side of the bell shape and above average in whatever was measured.
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Inside the Curve |
“Getting inside the Curve”, is another phrase often used by military strategist. Getting inside the curve refers to a fighter pilot being able to maneuver into an advantageous position by getting inside the turning radius of an opposing aircraft. A more expansive meaning is used in maneuver strategies and refers to thinking ahead of an opponent and acting in a way that gives you an advantage.