How To Lead A Quest

12 Viable Alternative Options

If our default is the option we choose automatically in the absence of viable alternatives — and if default thinking is what leads us closer to the path of decline and the Inevitable Kraken of Doom — then the fruits of our quest become the very antidote and salvation.

But before we hand our gathered intelligence over, we need to ensure it is packaged appropriately. Akin to not serving 30-year-old whisky in a polystyrene cup, we don't want to simply deliver a viable alternative strategic option as a PowerPoint presentation attached to an email.

PACKAGING INTELLIGENCE

This book is a form of packaged intelligence. I've taken great pains to convey the paradoxical complexity of leading a quest in a way that's practical and actionable. Some will say that I should ‘dumb it down' and provide more ‘top tips' and ‘practical, how-to steps' — but that's just the Curse of Efficiency speaking, looking for quick fixes.^[1] Now, I could have done this; in fact, I could have presented this intelligence as a simple, prescriptive list of what enterprise leaders must do if they want to secure enduring relevance. But, such an approach is both patronising and arrogant. It doesn't inspire thorough thinking and nor does it allow the reader to own the process. Instead, they are simply following instructions, like a robot.

When you're thinking about how you present viable ...