Wow, my colleagues are stressed. No, infuriated! At a monthly briefing, the CEO announced presented some early analysis that seemed to be looking to define the future state of our organisation. Who was doing this work? What were the criteria for assessment? Why was the development team blind to this? How should the development team influence this? All the thinking was in the murky detail, eurrrgh that makes me uncomfortable!
Something did not seem as straight forward as my colleagues were making it seem to be. Einstein said "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." This situation was more complex with more angles than at first glance. But what were they?
I took inspiration from Sun Tze and a translation of this great warriors strategies into the business context (see 3 Stratagems for Business). What were the possible end games? Who were the players here? What levers or advantage could the brief analysis provide?
I explored this in conversation with the Director. It felt as if lead weights were being applied to each word. I had to concentrate and physically float up to keep the necessary perspective of the whole battlefield and not be distracted by irrelevant detail. Then there it was, the answer.
The analysis was merely to "put false blossoms on the tree" to put the organisation in a good light and provide a hook for a conversation with the fund holders of our organisation. Times are tight, a review of funded bodies is happening. This analysis, as basic and as incomplete as it was, was bait on a line to "disturb the water to catch a fish".
The fish being continued funding. The development team were not being written out. In fact, this work, if successful, would give the development team extra life.
How different things can look through the looking glass.
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