Speed Kills: The OODA Loop for Faster, Better Decisions (with Col. Alex Vohr, USMC Ret.)

Justin Fortier interviews retired Marine Colonel Alex Vohr about his book, Speed Kills, which analyzes John Boyd’s OODA loop and its influence on Marine Corps maneuver warfare and business. Vohr explains learning the model during the 1980s doctrinal shift under General Al Gray, why he treats OODA as a theoretical framework rather than a checklist, and how organizations can improve observation, orientation (worldview and biases), decision-making, action, and honest feedback. They discuss complex adaptive systems, uncertainty, luck, and OODA as a parallel to the scientific method where feedback closes the gap between perception and reality. The conversation covers fog and friction, AI-driven ad testing as accelerated OODA cycles, decentralizing authority and leadership by walking around, relative tempo and seizing initiative, nested OODA loops in organizations, resisting ossification, and using principles, culture, and commander’s intent to align decisions at every level.Get the book at https://toolkit.fm/speedkills00:00 Podcast Intro00:38 Marine Corps Doctrine Shift03:07 John Boyd and OODA05:09 Applying OODA in Organizations07:16 Complexity and Feedback10:41 OODA as Scientific Method12:26 AI Accelerates the Loop17:09 Fog and Friction Explained21:14 Decentralized Decisions24:10 Speed and Initiative27:23 Tempo Forces Mistakes28:49 Speed Versus Accuracy30:41 Nested OODA Loops33:15 Staying Relevant Over Time36:25 Turnarounds And New Leaders39:42 Walmart Beats Kmart45:01 Defense And Holding Talent48:02 Principles Shape Culture49:25 Commanders Intent At Scale51:40 Wrap Up And Resources