There is a lot going on in the news these days.
The turbulence and drama range from the challenges our economy faces here at home, to the potential conflicts in North Korea, to the ongoing combat operations in the Middle East.
Leaders in both business and government must understand the various elements of national power often referred to as “DIME” and know how to drive them.
DIME is an easy to remember acronym for “Diplomatic”, “Informational”, “Military”, and “Economic”.
In the US Government, different Cabinet Departments and Agencies lead different elements of national power. The US Department of State leads the “D”, DoD leads the “M”, while the Department of Treasury and Commerce each have parts of the “E”.
The informational “I” element of national power is critical but frankly, the US has not done a good job developing a well-coordinated interagency informational program designed to get the word out. We need work.
Each element of national power can impact the other. Great companies and great governments will take all elements of power into consideration and develop a solid strategy and a supporting set of plans to optimally design a gameplan that uses the right element of national power for the given situation.