Hey. You can call me Nick.
Before this website came to life I spent the better part of a decade working up to the highest levels of Psychological Operations within the Special Operations community —PSYOP.
Yes, that PSYOP.
While that may sound spooky, or even nefarious, it's really just brutally effective communication driven by brutally effective strategy, planning, and execution.
THE PROBLEM
“PSYOP Soldiers are assessed and selected for their intellect, critical and analytical thinking skills, adaptability and mental resilience. They analyze operational environments, physical targets and target audiences; advise on psychological effects; plan influence options; develop actions and messages targeting psychological vulnerabilities; deliver optimally timed actions and messages; and assess influence effectiveness. Operating in small, autonomous teams, PSYOP units conduct military information support operations; Department of Defense deception activities; build partner influence capacity; and, when called upon by the President, provide civil authority information support.”
Ever felt like your message is hitting a brick wall?
That’s because most people focus too much on what they’re trying to say rather than what’s actually important: the people you’re trying to reach.
Influence will always be people first.
AHA!
Every year in PSYOP made it painfully obvious how countless founders, campaigns, and even the big corporations could do so much more if they got their influence operations right. It blows my mind how much they’re missing the mark.
Influence operations need to be approached deliberately. The approach needs to be mission-driven with a cohesive strategy making it all come together.
And for the most part, getting it right would really only take a few subtle tweaks. A change in words here. A change in framing there.
On my last deployment I remember coming back to the team house after a long day. The crew had the TV on and AI was getting some buzz (shocker). Whoever was in charge of their PR was really missing the mark. They were focusing too much on fear—the easy button—when hope would've been a much better tool.
I think that's when I knew…
(side note: Yes, I put in those em dashes myself. I like em dashes.)
A WAY FORWARD
Even the supposed AI geniuses were getting it wrong. That was a bittersweet lightbulb moment for me.
My experience in PSYOP taught me how to move people. I speak to their hearts not just the logic of their minds. I’ve learned to identify and connect with the right people systematically.
It's an effective system. And it’s efficient. Despite what’s on the news, the Army really hates spending money.
I’ve taken those years of experience in influence operations and distilled them into a toolkit to support your ideas.
Brilliant people do brilliant work every day. More than I ever could. But they often shoot themselves in the foot when they talk about it or try to rally others to their cause. Like when the narrative surrounding AI works against the very people it should be serving.
Moving people takes more than just great work. Just because you built it, doesn't mean they'll come. Your growth depends on a deliberate strategy to get the right people to do the right thing at the right time.
What’s your plan to identify, reach, and connect with those people?
How will you rally them to your side?
Building something great is hard enough. And in the short run, there are plenty of marketers out there to help you make more sales or reach more people. They do an awesome job at it.
But for something more enduring, something that will truly compound growth on its own, getting your influence strategy right is what will actually set you apart.
I've had the privilege of moving nations with a small team and little else. If that same strategic discipline can shift the perspective of an entire region, imagine what it can do for you?
SOF Truth #1
Humans are more important than hardware
I'm fueled by great coffee (Hello, my name is Nick and I'm a specialty coffee nerd), great company, and hard workouts. Bonus points for a beautiful natural landscape, and combining the three with a nice sunrise or sunset.
But that's enough about me. Thanks for stopping by. And thank you for listening to my story.
I want to hear more about what you're working on. Feel free to just say hello or share what you're most excited about right now.
Send me an email to nicholas@novembertango.com
P.S. Here’s a cool video of my past life…