There is nothing more useful than a graphic representation to explain something to someone who does not understand, and in this case, even a diagram scribbled on a piece of envelope, becomes magic !
In management, it's the same thing, there is nothing more powerful than a graph to formalize a problem and make people converge towards the same and unique solution.
Being able to represent a complex situation in one page and bring out the essential is, in my opinion, the height of excellence. Journalists or consultants know how to do this very well. In one image, they summarize the problematic of their article or expose the main lines of their intervention. Immediately, everyone understands what they are talking about, what the variables in the equation are.
A graph has multiple advantages:
First, it simplifies an extremely complex situation to the extreme.
Secondly, it transcends cultural filters, it speaks directly to the subconscious mind by overcoming the constraints of a vocabulary that is too often restrictive and always too slow.
But also, it links the ins and outs of a situation together to bring out their interdependencies, the causal links, and to point out the knots. It separates the symptoms from root causes to better put the issues into perspective.
It also acts like a map, i.e. a geographical representation that prioritizes the lines of action over time.
Finally, it helps management to discern a path, to take the first steps, to make the first decisions.
A graph is an evocative "visual synopsis", everyone can understand the situation at his level, seen from his reality, his own flight altitude, his perspectives, and this, whether he is a simple operator or CEO.
Beyond its "pedagogical" qualities, it is an excellent management tool; in a single page, it puts people face to face with their responsibilities, illustrates the challenges, and from time to time confronts their contradictions.
In a single page, the picture is drawn, there is nowhere to turn away from, from a simply drawn reality. It is a fantastic way to create emotion.
Displayed at the beginning of each meeting, it serves as a red thread for a discussion, a project, a #postfusionintegration. It highlights what needs to be done now, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, it underlines the urgency and the trajectory to follow.
Repetitive, it guarantees the coherence of the action, underlines the perseverance in the goal settled, it allows to manage the possible resistances by reiterating the merits of the action and the gains which result from it.
Every leader should always have a sheet of paper and a "pencil and eraser" at his disposal, nothing better to give meaning to his action!
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