What the SAS Raid on Pebble Island Teaches You About Trading Focus

Pebble Island was a minuscule island in the Falklands. British territory, just invaded by Argentina, and the prime minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher, wanted it back…

First job?

Send the SAS in to take out eleven aircraft that could tear into the British landing force when it came ashore.

The plan was locked in.

Fly in from an aircraft carrier by helicopter.
Destroy the aircraft, clear the settlement, deal with any contact, and get the f out…

All in less than ninety minutes.

But on the night, the helicopter flight took longer than planned. The wind changed and that ninety-minute window they’d been training for turned to thirty.

So they had to make a decision.

1. Pull back and leave it
2. Strip the mission back to the essentials and push on

They chose number 2.

They landed, destroyed all the planes, and made it out of there. Two men wounded, no one killed, and a hot breakfast waiting for them on the ship… (A full English to the rescue!)

By now you know there’s a trading angle… this ain’t no history channel.

Two things.

1. These soldiers played to their strengths. Surprise, nightfall, and skill. Put those three together, and they could do what they needed to do before reinforcements could arrive.
   
   Play to your strengths. We can’t compete with Goldman or Jane Street, but we do have certain advantages, and when focused properly we can be in and out before anyone notices.
   
2. One goal. When the mission got derailed, they focused on the main thing. Get those aircraft grounded.
   
   What’s your one goal? Improving your RvR? Holding trades longer? Sticking to your rules?

The SAS would have loved to clear the aircraft, the settlement, and the enemy soldiers, but they just couldn’t in the time they had.

So they didn’t try to do a little of everything.

They did one thing well. The most important.

Focusing on the one biggest thing beats dabbling in many.

Those brave lads that night didn’t succeed because they had the biggest numbers or the best weapons.

They took their unfair advantages and laser-focused them on the one thing that mattered.

Pick your aircraft, ignore the rest.