You probably don’t often think about the circulation of your blood, but if you did, and decided to take a look at what was going on,
you’d probably think “Blimey! That looks complicated.”
It isn’t complicated really. There’s just a lot going on.
But if someone presented you with a simplified diagram of how the system works:
You’d probably think, “Ah! That’s how it works! Show me the details.”
And if you were a surgeon looking to operate on or around the lungs of a patient, what really helps is to have a 3d print of the artieries of the actual patient, so you know exactly what you’re looking at on the operating table:
Then you’d probably say “Brilliant! I know exactly what do do.”
If you want every member of your team to be able to confidently say “Brilliant! I know exactly what do do.”, so they don’t have to come and ask you, or worse, do nothing, or even worse, do the wrong thing, you need to create an explanation of how your business works that is independent of you.
Most of us start explaining at the level of a CT scan, boring ourselves and confusing our audience.
What’s needed is something more schematic, with levels that can be explored more deeply at will. Supplemented by the occasional concrete representation to support complete autonomy.
Of course producing that kind of explanation takes time and effort, and it really helps if the person drafting it is an outsider. They can ask the stupid questions, challenge the way you think you do things, and produce something that shows how your business really is.
There’s an awful lot going on, but it’s not really that complicated. Nowhere near as complicated as the circulation of the blood.
Which means everyone in it could run parts of it, maybe even all of it, just as well as you can. especially if you automate the drudgery in it.
Which in turn means that to expand it, all you need to do is add more people. And all you need to do to be able to leave it, temporarily or permanently, is to leave them to it.
Discipline makes Daring possible.
