The big question: Why not How?

I've tricked you.

You probably thought this ramble was about the importance of purpose and context over process and method.

I mean, that's really important too, but it's not what this is about.

Before I get into why I made you click on the link that brought you here, I'm going to tell you why I take time out to write stuff like this, and why I'd never use AI to create it.

Don't get me wrong, I do use AI.

Quite a lot actually.

But I use it to do different things - research new topics, perform labour intensive and laborious tasks, help me understand new things quickly, re-format long form data and quickly summarise big datasets.

But not for "thought leadership", which is what I class this as in my little taxonomy organ.

Recently, we had a bit of debate in the office - we were discussing thought leadership, and the importance of getting more of our people to do it more often.

Somebody in the room said:

"But its OK for you - you can write."

What a weird statement.

Thought leadership isn't writing, it's thinking - that's why it's called thought leadership.

It's about taking the time to think, deliberately, about a subject.? To toss it around in your mind like a salad and fathom out things you hadn't previously had a resolved opinion on.?

I've mentioned this in the past, but the term 'resolved' is one that designers use when perfecting a complex design - like car designers who have to resolve form and function into a working, practical, reliable product. My brother Graham Browne uses it often in sentences like "I'm just resolving the front end of the new Bentley Continental...".

He says these things nonchalantly, in the same way that some people I work with say "I'm just finishing off a functional spec for a sales order interface...". Although I'm not sure SAP architects think of themselves as 'resolving' the design of enterprise architecture with quite the same elegance and grace.

You toss thought salad, and you write your thoughts down. But you don't have to write - you can get your thoughts out as scribbles, sketches, diagrams or models.?

But, until you put them out there, they're just thoughts - and that's really OK.?

Because this is where thought and writing diverge - one is the salad in your head and the other is the garnish on the plate you serve up.

The reason I don't use AI for my stuff is because it means I haven't really done the thinking bit.? Which means that I don't really understand it, nor do I necessarily agree with it.

Writing = Think > Understand > Resolve > Write > Publish

vs.

AI = Prompt > Pause > Cut > Paste > Publish

Writing is a really important part of thought leadership, because it's what kickstarts the polish and publish phase. Writing means you get to test your thoughts out on others.

And some thinking doesn't make its way to the writing stage. It just blows around the understanding phase like a plastic bag on a windy day.

Which is OK too.

"That's not writing it's typing."

Truman Capote said that of Jack Kerouac's work.

And, he's right.

Not of Jack Kerouac necessarily, but of people in general. The big fat middle of the normal distribution curve don't really write. They physically type, but they don't write.

I once heard Wayne Bennett, the world's best Rugby League coach say of a player..

"He can tackle but he can't defend."

Having played and coached, I know exactly what he meant by that - being able to physically tackle a person is very different from putting yourself in the right position to make the tackle. Even the best tacklers can't tackle if they're in the wrong place.

There are nuances in most areas that make it complex in composite for people establish them as true abilities. Same goes for writing.? Anyone can type, but writing also means positioning yourself correctly.? Getting your head in the right space, and considering all of the factors that matter *.

*Matter is one of my favourite 5 words by the way.

The difference between writing and typing is hard to explain but easy to appreciate.? And, you can't simply Google a master checklist of things you can do shift your typing to writing.

There's a lot of trial and error, practice, bravery and humility involved.

"Banging on on the keyboard like a chimpanzee - that ain't workin'..."

Like art, writing has style.?

Good writers know the elements of their style, and over time, these elements become unconscious.? To the extent that, for them, their typing is writing - just like a great rugby player who's unconsciously in the right position to make that perfect tackle.

Connected defence.

Even if you don't use AI, you can be guilty of typing and not really writing.? So, with AI, can typing be converted to writing?

"Yes", you may say, you can have AI write in a style - just upload examples of your prose and AI will use them as a reference.?

Prompt: "I want you to write in the style of the love child of a mad Victorian scientist and Stevie Nicks."

Prompt: "Now write a song about the 4th industrial revolution in a 1960s beatnik style."

And it will oblige, right?

This kind of AI magic fools most people, especially fools.

But AI can't really clone a writers style.?

Not properly.

I don't know what I'd have had to prompt ChatGPT with if I'd have wanted it to drop random tangential misquoted Dire Straits lyrics into my ramble today for example.

That bit was for me, not you.

How would AI know to insert content solely for it's own self amusement?

It's the infinite monkey theorem in reverse - what would I have to have prompted to get this exact ramble? Is it even possible?

On the thinking, typing, writing spectrum, AI does the thinking for you - freeing you from your own independent thought. Then, it types for you, making a half-ass job of a proper writing style, but tricking you that it's done a great job.

At least, that's what I think, having thought about it.

In my mind.

So, why "Why not How"?

Lets get to that soon.

First, let's talk about competition.

If you've ever been through a Private Equity process you'll know that every dimension of your business is intensely scrutinised by experts really wanting to invest money, but not wanting to get fired for making a bad investment.

Their scrutiny is tough.

I remember being in half a dozen final PE presentations when Resulting IT secured our investment and being asked a lot of tough questions. One in particular stood out:

"Who's your competition...?"

Resulting sits between SAP customers and their Systems Integrators - we're 100% independent and work customer-side.? Due to this conscious perverse positioning, it's hyper niche and there really aren't many companies who do what we do.

Which makes the "competition" question even harder to answer.

"We don't really have any..."

...isn't an answer.?

More specifically, it's a real dick's answer, and wouldn't have got me very far.

My response to this tough question was always the same...

"Our biggest competitors are Arrogance and Apathy."

Companies who don't realise they have a problem, think they can do things themselves, or don't really get how dark of a shade of shit they're actually in? - they're our main competitive force against growth.

With 25,000+ companies wrangling the challenge of migrating from SAP ECC to S/4HANA, the addressable market is big enough - as long as we don't waste our time focusing on Arrogance and Apathy.

Sometimes Systems Integrators stray into our space - trying to be independent of themselves or each other. Go figure.

And, there are other small companies doing similar stuff to us.

I've heard from a couple of 3rd parties that one such small company classes us as their competitor, which is really flattering. But weirdly, we don't view them as a competitor at all.? We've never lost any business to them and I'm pretty confident if we pitched against them competitively, we'd face palm them into row Z as we evaded their weak positioning and inability ability to tackle big challenges if they're ever in the right place to front up to them.

But, I do still like to poke them with a cocktail stick occasionally.

Well, not them, their owner.

And here's why not How...

First, How is very good typist. He soellechexks carefully and is highly adept at jumbling homophones (complementary vs complimentary) - so much so, that he's managed to write a book that compliments people.

"Oooh, I really like that hat..."

Second, AI helps How do a lot of his though leadership. At least that's my best guess. If I'm wrong (and I may be) I'm really concerned if this material emits from a real human mind.

But third, and most prosaic is the way How goes about what he does.

Having modelled his business persona on the typing of Daniel Priestley, How is a self-confessed self-promoting expert (and SAP Guru). Oversubscribed has probably replaced the Gideon Bible in every hotel room he's stayed in.

Big plate anyone?

How is a best selling author (1,794,313 on Amazon) and even makes his complimentary book available for free. Buy it here.

But, every book that sells one copy is in Amazon's best seller ranking.

I know, because my book that I wrote 18 years ago sits 1,778,765 - just 15,548 places higher that How's best seller - but I don't really like to talk about mine. And, I certainly don't rank it as a best seller - great for starting bonfires, but not a best seller.

He has a multi-award winning company. Although the awards are mysteriously anonymous.

That said, he could be like us and not really feel the need to talk about being a 6x Northern Tech 100 Fastest Growing Companies Awards winner (#18 in 2024) on his website, leaving that to the people giving away the awards to mention it in their PR instead.

But, it's How's social media posts that are just too juicy for me to ignore.

I love them.

When I see one, my heart flutters with excitement like a teenager with a crush.

I'm desperate to read the joint typing that How and ChatGPT have worked on together for 3 minutes, with their cute numbered lists and emojis, covering all things great about, but weirdly tangential to digital transformation.

Sometimes I write How a response that even I am too sensible to press Post on.

Sometimes a colleague catches me mid-response to How and says "You can't say that."

And, I either don't say that, or I do later when they're not looking.

But mostly, when I read them, I just smile at the warm feeling I get that posts like this take me 2-3 hours of my own time to write, and that I receive comments and messages of thanks for my rambling, and that people tell me they forward them to their friends, wives and kids, who enjoy them too.

I very rarely write about digital transformation, because it's really dull.

I occasionally mention SAP, because it's what Resulting IT does best. And, if you're wrangling SAP challenges, it's harder for you to forget that we exist if I write this shit.

But I mainly write for me. And my thought process.

Honestly.

And, if you've read this far, for you too.

Thank for reading.

P.S. Neil, this is an open letter of apology for my constant prods at your content.? I only do it to amuse myself (and others who message me to say thanks). I don't do it in any competitive way as I don't see you as a competitor (remember Arrogance and Apathy are everywhere) and I'd like to encourage you and ChatGPT to keep up the great work.

P.P.S. I also think you're relatively cool for not blocking me like the guy from Westernacher who thinks he's Zeus. I'd actually buy you a beer if I were in a bar with you, just for being a good sport. I also think it'd be a really cheap night too TBH.

Finally, I'm in Chicago running and S/4HANA Masterclass next week - 23rd October if any readers are interested in meeting up and hearing me ramble for 7 hours straight about everything you need to think about if you're moving to S/4HANA...