Kettle Thoughts... #6 Where are all the wordsmiths?

It's been a busy start to the year in more ways than one. Not only has work started with a bang, but I also decided to run a marathon this year. Paris if you are wondering, on my birthday of all days... its fair to say that my trusty little Moka Pot has been working overtime in the first 6 weeks of this year.

It seems that with geopoltics, the economy, and numerous challenges in the industry I work - the pace, tension and heat has gone up a level. The desire for speed, simplicity and order could not be greater.

The modern work environment full of short, sharp meetings, a digital age where the average Tik Tok video is 35 seconds and, even more shocking, the adult attention span is now down to 8.25 seconds - communication, decision making and discourse is being synthesised to the minutiae.

I was struck recently by Alex M H Smith 's post about why most businesses can't think strategically (see here), and particularly by the idea of "Managerialism". The idea that most things in business are aimed at the "efficient and predicatable management of large systems" and so are "rationalistic, empirical, results driven, scientific, bureaucratic and systematised."

All those things are needed, but are the antithesis of strategic thinking, creativity, distruption and (if I might be so bold) foresight. I might also go a step further, and suggest that Managerialism is designed to get in the way of developing theories, of explaining complex problems and in-depth analysis, research and storytelling.

Strategy is complicated and theoretical, it requires space and room to breathe. Planning on the other hand is not. It's a list, it's ordered and it's managed. Not my words, but those of Roger Martin, author and former Dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

"Strategy has a theory... That theory has to be coherent. It has to be doable. You have to be able to translate that into actions for it to be a great strategy. Planning does not have to have any such coherence." - Roger Martin

In modern business we seem to distill everything to simple exec summaries. Unfortunately, strategy isnt that simple. It's a theory, it's unique (it has to be to be find competitive advantage), and it will never be 100% right - it can't be - because you are making a bet about the future. And most importantly, to convince others of why that "bet" is the right move, the theory requires storytelling.

One of my favourite quotes ever...

"No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story." - Daniel Kahneman

I think that we are losing the art of wordsmithing, of storytelling, and of prose in business, particularly in Strategy.

Ask yourself - when was the last time you printed something off and sat away from your computer to read it? When was the last time pondered its content or better yet, went for a walk to think about what you'd just read? What about the last time you wrote something that long, and sent it to someone more senior to consider and reflect?

A very smart person once said to me:

"The solution to a complex problem can be simple, but the journey to solve it should be complex for it to succeed"

Why do we insist on distilling things to the smallest detail and process - can't we leave space for the theoretical, the complex, the general and the plausible? Can't we tell stories and rediscover the art of persuasion and wordsmithing?

Now... I'm not suggesting we do away with snappy presentations, financial analysis & simple summaries. But I am saying that the modern business world is not making enough space for strategic thinking. Ultimately its a question of balance. We seem to be losing the power of words in an effort to create order and move fast. Great stories can inspire action, shape perspectives, and foster empathy. Great plans make sure things get done.

As Danny says - few decisions get made without the former.

My writing and opinions are my own and not reflective of the views of my current or past employers.