The punk strategy guide to the logical thinking process (2019)

I recently purchase a Wacom graphics tablet to use during Zoom meetings.

It is astonishing how often there is a call going, with parties from different parts of the firm, where it's clear that everyone has a different idea about what the problem is.

Just being able to draw out the "flow" of the components or even making a list helps everyone first visualize and then understand the problem. Zoom's whiteboard feature is great at this as it allows you to undo, erase "objects" (e.g. a line you just drew instead of the pixels) and you can easily save what you drew.

PS If you don't have a graphics tablet, just listing out what the issues are in a shared Excel or Google Sheets also works wonders.

I attended one of Bill Dettmer's workshops a few years ago and it was extremely insightful. The blueprint ("Future Reality Tree") we built for a topic in my organization turned out to be spot on. It's not magic, but it helps to clarify your thoughts, present a consistent argument and understand which problems to address first. (Unfortunately, I didn't do well on the execution part at that time... sigh)

I would imagine that some of the success of these techniques can be attributed to the medium itself. That is, writing something down (i.e., it becomes less abstract abd more visual) gets everyone on the same page (literally). Also, by adding the visualization the brains involved are forced to process the information differently (than if it only spoken), and that can help surface possibilities as well.

It would be interesting to be able to understand if using a screen-based tool has any different impact than using (say) an old fashioned whiteboard. For me, there's something to be said for a large whiteboard and "observing" your jotted down thoughts from the other side of the room.

I first discovered the Theory of Constraints and Eli‘s work in about 1992. I was also able to get a copy of Bill Dettmer‘s course notes for the course he was teaching at USC at the time on the Thinking Processes.

I’ve been a fan of TOC and the TP ever since.

That being said, I think there is a certain kind of danger for certain people. It’s possible to spend a great deal of time and effort building paper tigers. That happened to me, probably because of certain aspects of my personality at the time.

The danger as I see it is that as possible to spend too much time in your head and not enough time out actually interacting with people in the real world working to accomplish your goals.

So I recommend TOC and the TP to people. But they’re also not enough, especially if you’re prone to investing large amounts of time in analysis and planning and not much time in actually executing. Both are needed.

I don't care for punk and it's no longer seen as rebellious, it's a strip mall fixture more than anything counterculture these days. Blue haired grannies shouting at you for using the wrong pronouns are who I think of when I think "punk." Trying hard to be cool.

How about this - Nazi strategy guide? Bolshevik?