Do You Think in PowerPoint Continued...

In my previous post, I looked at executives who have very organized thoughts: seeing ideas from a three-bullet point perspective, i.e., "Thinking in PowerPoint." There are definite scenarios where this type of highly structured thinking works well (just think how it worked for the logical Mr. Spock saving the day for Kirk et al.).


Anti-PowerPoint Thinking

But there are many other paradigms for effective executive thinking. I know many business leaders whose minds would never see the world in terms of an ordered list. Their brains are just whirring with ideas but not necessarily in a logical structure. Sort of anti-PPT thinking.

Random thoughts and ideas strewn all around their cerebellum. Think of dozens of different colored marbles, each representing a CXO thought: the current sales model...competitive tactics...economic downturn...staff reviews...product innovation...navigating for the upturn...customer loyalty. To an outsider, this might seem like a cluttered mind. Not so.

Connect the Dots Thinking

But if you look closer at what some execs do with these ideas, you WILL see an order. They connect disparate thoughts to form logical connections.

• IF the economy continues spiraling down, THEN what will that do to our sales strategy?
• IF we modify our sales strategy, THEN how will that impact what our competitors do; will they ramp-up?
• IF we increase customer satisfaction,THEN how will that impact customer loyalty?
• IF we release product X early, THEN how will that impact innovation?
  

Read the original blog entry...