DISTRICT LINE — It’s not really business as usual. Starting a business involves a whole lot more stuff than you expect. It’s not over whelming, but it is a pain in the possum.
And because these are different times I have taken advantage of the pace to walk a gaggle of 11-year-old girls to school each morning — one of which is mine. Tuesday, the smallest one called her father on her exciting new mobile phone:
“Where are you?” he asked.
I could hear her trying to answer: “I am under a sign that says The Family.” (ITV, Wednesdays at 9 pm). Which was a perfectly good answer. As would have been “Standing next to Emma,” or “In my shoes.” But that’s not what he was really asking.
The question should have been: “Where are you in relation to me, or explained by milestones or coordinates that I can understand?”
So when people in companies ask “What are we doing?” they often get and answer like “We’re standing in the boardroom discussing the Congo file.” And what they are really asking… or what they should really be asking… is: “What are we doing in relation to the business strategy and objectives, or versus the plan for the year…?”
If more of us focused on the big picture in making small decisions, we would make better decisions.
/df
P.S. Yes, of course, it would help if we knew what the business strategy, objectives and and annual plan were. Ask your comms people. Or call us. We can help!
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Earlier this year I volunteered at the opening of the “Out from Under” exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (http://www.rom.on.ca/news/releases/public.php?mediakey=z5f6kagiut). As many of the guests were from the disabled “community” (including Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor), volunteers received sensitivity training on how to offer valued assistance without offending. I remember that the most useful piece of advice was if we were assisting a person with impaired vision. We were instructed to not just say “I’m going to sit you on a bench,” but to also say where the bench was in relation to the rest of the room, approximately how many people were at the event, what individuals were nearby, etc. Ergo, when one is phrasing an answer to the (location) where, perhaps it would be best to think of the information-recipient as being blind (literally or metaphorically). I wonder if a child would be persuaded by a request phrased that way?
Congrats on the new consultancy, David. And I’m delighted that you are continuing to blog.
Cheers, David! Good to c u keep blogging! I’ll keep reading! C u in Lisbon one of these days!