Alarm bells ring. Power plays trigger. Snakes and rats unite.

Consultants sing. Personnel scream. Teams are appointed.

Then come the reports, projections and recommendations.

Expand into new markets.
Create another product line.
Build another facility.
Spend more on advertising.

Everyone has a solution. Yay.

And eventually, someone has to make the decision.

A lot of money, time and other people’s lives can go into getting it right.

Not everyone will share the responsibility.

So here’s the bit that interests me:

What if everyone does their job?

The reports are excellent.
The strategy is approved.
The money is spent.
The plan is executed.

And the problem is still there?

What does that cost next?

Another $700m?

Or is there a hidden layer of the problem worth reaching before deciding what fixing it should actually cost?

That’s the part I tend to fixate on.

Because if everything had worked as planned, there’d be very little reason for me to be here.