DMGFeedback Loops
I just read a great post by VC guy Dave McClure where he talks about coaching people on their "elevator pitch." He says [sic]:
"Ok folks... if there's ONE thing i can help you with tonight, it's how to pitch. it's very simple, and i can teach you in about 5 minutes."
"Here's the secret: PITCH THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION."
"That's it. done! that's all there is... just tell me the problem FIRST, not the SOLUTION. the reason is, i may not be able to understand what your solution does, but if you connect emotionally with me on what the problem is -- and i hopefully i also have the problem, or know someone who does -- then i'll give you PERMISSION to tell me more about how you're going to solve the problem."
after that, i handed the mike back to the entrepreneur... and you can guess what they did.
yoo betcha.
they pitched their solution.
and i interrupted them, RUDELY & WITHOUT MERCY.
i grabbed the mike back and said:
"THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. THAT WAS YOUR SOLUTION. DO IT *AGAIN*."
Awesome. Just awesome. It sounds like there was nearly no gap between screwing up the pitch and getting slapped by Dave. That's the way to learn. Immediate feedback.
(Incidentally, this is also the reason there's no substitute for sparring when learning a martial art. Make a mistake, pay for it immediately.)
In a business setting, many discussions that sound like they're about priorities are actually about feedback loops.
Promotional techniques (short feedback loop) vs. brand image (long feedback loop). Quick, expedient hacks (short) vs. maintainability (long). Being careful (short) vs. writing automated tests (long).