Pretend we’ve landed in a new city and we want to get from our hotel, through the city, and to a great restaurant we’ve heard about. We would have three choices. We could use a map (paper or electronic), we could ask for help (from, say, a cabbie or concierge), or we could just start walking. The latter probably won’t work. And the first two are essentially the same: we’re relying on a map (on paper, inside a GPS, or in a trusted aid’s head).
Maps work because they reduce the terrain to its essence, tell us where we are, and show us how to get where we want to go.
Using the Four Questions to diagnose our organizations is like using a map instead of wandering around. They work because they reduce our business challenges to the essence and give us a complete, coherent view of our journey to better.
In your corner,
Mike
PS: Wherever you see an organization seeming to wander about, you’re seeing an organization without a map.