The PowerPoint decks of charts and endless bullet points are so common in the corporate world that they have become the subject of countless jokes. How often do you come to a meeting to make a tough decision or to learn more about an issue and leave with nothing but the PowerPoint deck?
Seems like a fairly common scenario. I know I have sat through presentations by internal and external consultants that were chocked full of data, charts, and options. All good, but what was lacking was a method for making a clear decision about which direction was best for the organization. There is a better way and I think that Nilofer Merchant, who is a consultant and strategy officer here in the San Francisco Bay Area, has found it.
Intriguingly, she calls one of her process steps “murder boarding” which is a technique to eliminate options and help lead the decision making process. I have attached a chapter from her new book that describes the murder boarding process for you to enjoy. Her book, which will be published very soon by O’Reilly, is called The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy.
What I like best about Nilofer is that she is grounded and real. She uses simple graphics to illustrate her ideas and focuses on her own experiences in the tough process of creating good strategies. She has good stories and examples to illustrate her approach and that makes the book very readable.
However, you don’t have to just read her book. You can also hear her talk about her ideas and the upcoming book, as well as ask any questions you have, at a free webinar The Future of Talent Institute is presenting on December 10th at 10 am. Click on the link above for registration information.
Clear strategies always make the difference. No idea or product achieves success without a strategy, a process and focus.
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