Go Follow These

Introduction: I was going to write an article on presenting solutions, but that conversation isn’t really done in real life, so it can wait a week. Instead, I followed a Repost by someone and it led me to someone reposting interesting infographics on subjects that I think are important. I wanted to take a look at some of them. Thanks to the Liker and to David Sym-Smith for reposting these and making the sources and information visible. I have followed him and hunted down some of the sources. You might want to do the same. Infographics are a hit and miss thing, as they can be pretty but misleading by being incomplete or wrong. These seem pretty good.

Integrity: There is an old Scottish proverb to “Leave things better than you found them.” Some of that is skill and knowledge, but an important part is personal and professional honor, so I was very happy to find the above graphic. “Living with Honor” is unfortunately a brand name, but the principles reflected are an old fashioned way of life that is fundamental to the survival and thriving of individuals, organizations, and society. It’s not about “me”, the money, the power, or the fame – it’s about doing what is right. This is harder than we think, because we are short sighted, self-deceiving, and tend to think that what we want is good. For example, we are rightly suspicious of ministers who are “called by God” to a higher salary, but we respect people who humbly sacrifice to make things better. These principles are things that some business cultures and the entertainment system are actively at war with. Nevertheless, the principles are fundamental. Cultivate them in yourself. Be aware of your personal limitations and negative tendencies, act against those faults, and aspire to support the good and act with honor. The picture cames from a website with additional free information that that I recommend thinking through. The information is a useful reminder of things you should already know, but occasionally need to remind yourself and reinforce. Truth, respect, commitment, ethics, responsibility, bravery, and soul are all things that need constantly renewed. I praise the DP Golden Rules for covering DP fundamentals, but the above chart shows something even more fundamental. Healthy cultures inculcate these things. Schools used to be about that. Skills, knowledge, and procedures aren’t enough. Positive purpose is the foundation.

Hidden: Most people have problems seeing the big picture and its implications. We like to jump to answers. I recommend taking time to see and understand the whole process, so we can understand problems, solutions, and the consequences of each. Of course, I like a picture like this. It misses some obvious things like training and material, but includes some less obvious factors that need considered when making decisions. Just because we are aware of factors doesn’t mean we will use them properly. Some people manage reputation risk by hiding information (that’s called deceit), and many people looking at immediate cost get buried by long term costs (vendor paradise). It is important to realize that everything has a cost, look for them, understand them, and include them in decision making. This includes considering the perspectives of people in different positions, people who think differently, and those with different information and experience. Low finance is mechanical cash flow, but good management and business means much more. One is quantifiable accounting, but the other is the art of good business and management. In the current, overly financialized, short term environment, this needs to be remembered. Long term value builds and pays. The picture has two sources, Frank Sonnenberg who provided the information and the people who made the picture. If you go to their blog , you can see similar interesting pictures.

Communication: This is another great summary picture, which shows important elements well, but I think that I would probably change a few things. The 7Cs checklist is great, but some of the 7Cs are in competition. For example, I struggle with being concise while being complete. I know that being pithy is fundamental to good communication, even skipping information the right way brings it to the reader’s mind, but because I work in a technical field, I need to pack a lot of content and tend to to long. So concise and complete are competing principles that need balanced. They use the term “necessary details” to balance things, but definitions of necessary will vary. Other examples include being so clear or concrete that the message subtext is unintentionally insulting, being so concise that the message is no longer correct or coherent, being so accurate or complete that no one understands, or being so polite that there is no message. There are always trade-offs involved, but the graphic doesn’t really show them as such. It presents the important factors that need considered and balanced. Clear communication is vital and the 7Cs are a useful reminder. The picture is from Justin Mecham . I followed him, as he has more interesting pictures.

Others: I could start listing DP people whose opinions I value, but that is a little divisive. Obviously, the MTS DP Committee, IMCA, and some class societies are worth following. As always, use your own head rather than theirs.

Conclusion: I was going to write about personal responsibility, understanding other people’s positions, and clear communication, in the context of presenting solutions, but other people wrote better things and made better pictures. Go have a look at their work.