My head hurts. I don't know what I do!
Ernest Hemingway famously wrote a valid short story (that he could easily defend) in 6 words. "For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn."
In the following post I think I've completely failed to improve on that. But got mine to 12 words. Oh and it's not really a short story. Hmm.
What am I rambling on about? Well, we had one of those profound meetings the other day. One of those great meetings where we met a fellow crusader or two, and after 15 years the same question keeps on coming - "What do you really do?" - and it caused the same fumbling tail-spin of a reply.
Well I said the following - at the very least! And as I spoke I could feel the usual sense I get of missing on all cylinders.
"We use collaborative means, co-creative approaches to solving complex problems. We do this through logical and visual frameworks, changing the way business thinks and works. We are all about enabling the client to avoid solving the wrong problem really well. This delivers rapid innovation, creates visions, produces transformative roadmaps, develops better customer experiences! Blah, blah." - STOP!
At the same time we showed the results of our work with clients. Comprehensive rigorous visual 'calculations' that are developed in 'real-time' with senior folk. They are overpowering things to take in.
Then came words of sheer profundity. "Don't tell people everything it can do. They won't believe you and it is too much to absorb."
Right! 100% right!
So what do I do now?!
What is it? What is the message about it? How do we answer that question! What is enough to tell? What will people get? So I started to rethink the thing. We have imagined everything. We have written what we do in countless ways, confusing even ourselves. So back to telling 'it' shortly, here goes
It Makes You Think. It Shows The Way. It Keeps You True.
It Makes You Think.
We've witnessed major problems with a large majority of people within enterprises today - they've lost the art of 'thinking critically'. It isn't that they don't want to think - but that there is no real process that encourages it.
The enterprise needs far better thinking around every aspect of what it does. From how to perform to how to succeed. We tease this creativity and innovation out by stimulating thought in a fun yet subtly structured way.
It Shows The Way.
Visualising the journey, the vision, the way things should operate alongside precise measures and maths of success is a highly valuable tool for the whole enterprise. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well it's also 12x faster to convey any amount of information - and most people think visually. By working this way we align everyone, create simplicity and clarity and engage everyone with their own plan for getting to the future.
It Keeps You True.
Most strategy, transformation and change fails (or subsides over time) unless it is kept healthy. And that is a serious waste of resource and energy. It's also potentially fatal in an increasingly competitive world.
Co-creating value within the right tools and equipment is proven to be the best way to sustain any program. Without ownership and palpable belief in a new 'shared system' of change then it is highly likely to fail!
Think about that!
If you can help me get this more succinct and still tell the story then I would be eternally grateful!
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