Choices

Choice

What is the right number of choices to feel a sense of autonomy but avoid overwhelm? If one visits an Apple Store, there are typically three or fewer models available in any given product line. The intention is that one of these models will fit the needs of the majority of customers, and there is always the opportunity to customize online.

When you ask your stakeholders for advice, do you offer two or three thoughtful choices? Or do you overpower them with a carnival-prize-tent level of options?

Choices

When do choices become overwhelming? Does the scale of the decision make it more or less essential to have greater choices? When buying a toothbrush, do you want an expansive selection? When selecting a new CEO for your cause, do you want an equal number of choices for the final round? Do the consequences of our choice change the options desired?

Choices

I consistently rely on Simon Sinek’s work to add depth and dimension to conversations in many settings. Seat mates on airplanes to professional consulting engagements receive some mention of Simon’s frameworks.

Two assessment points come to mind when evaluating intentions. First, does the enterprise embed its core values into its work without fail? Second, are the choices made consistent with the story it is telling?

Watching and listening to the things that matter can tell us a lot about a cause’s status.