Before the internet, small companies didn’t stand a chance against the Goliaths, but today large multinationals and small boutiques have access to the same weapon to fight the war of commerce and that’s: Intelligence. By gathering actionable data and acting on it immediately, by using it to predict next moves and spot opportunities, the agility of small businesses can and are taking down the big ones without a drop of blood being shed, here are a few tips for small business in acquiring and using intelligence:

We cast our net broadly to include leaders of strictly hierarchical organizations as well as others whose followers may owe no formal duty to the leader but who look to that person for inspiration and guidance. Some of our leaders, are visionaries who inspire others to follow them toward a goal only they may see clearly; others, rescue institutions in trouble. Some, such as sports coaches, compete and win; others, like social entrepreneurs, cooperate and give.