Can You Connect the Dots?

Most of us can remember solving ‘connect the dots’ puzzles as children.  They were often used as a fun way to learn counting skills by simply starting at the number one, then drawing lines between the numbered dots in the right sequence.  In the end, you would end up with a visual of some sort that you could then color; all great fun and educational.  However, life isn’t usually that simple and the dots we see before us aren’t typically numbered.  How do you connect the dots then when there seems to be no start point and little context to guide you?

I love puzzles and the more obscure the better.  When you do a picture puzzle for instance, you often have the box top with the finished representation as context.  This helps get you started but the hundreds (or even thousands) of individual pieces laid out on the table may at first look overwhelming.  With the context set before you, most start by finding all the edge pieces and working from the outside in, eventually finding the right place for each piece.  This is a great strategy if you have the context and can identify the edge pieces, but what if you don’t even have that?

The technique I use most often is to create one or more plausible contexts and look for patterns that begin to paint a picture.  If you start by assuming only one context, then you will just as likely end up with a jumbled mess as you will a finished product.  Keep an open mind in the beginning and be willing to consider multiple scenarios.  Second, as you begin connecting dots, you’ll find ways to build one upon the other.  In other words, if you connect these three dots in this way, it creates an intermediate result that you can then use to consider how others may fit in with it.  It’s a very similar approach to a picture puzzle where you build out sections as they fit only to later put them into the larger puzzle where it makes sense.  It’s a highly iterative approach and you often find yourself pulling the pieces apart and reconfiguring them over and over again.  Rarely do you find things just ‘falling into place’ the first or even second time around.

It’s good every once in a while to walk away and come back with fresh eyes or even better, use someone else’s eyes on the puzzle.  How many times have you been working on a puzzle and reached a brick wall only to return to it sometime later and the solution jumps right out at you?  It’s the old ‘forest through the trees’ analogy and stepping back occasionally allows you to view the situation from a different vantage point.  Using other people is also helpful because they bring their own perspectives and a simple ‘have you considered?’ question can open entirely new possibilities.

Developing a strategy is no different than solving a puzzle with a multitude of unnumbered dots on a blank paper.  If strategy was as easy as those childhood connect the numbers types of problems, then every company would look similar and it would be difficult to differentiate yourself.  This is one reason why strategy can be a very significant challenge for organizations.  How you choose to connect the dots will result in the picture you paint.  Where the analogy departs though is that a strategy (unlike a puzzle) consists of ‘dots’ that are constantly changing and many of those changing dots are living human beings.  Further, it often seems that at the point your picture starts to come into focus, the market changes, a new technology gets introduced, or people change their minds.  Imagine if you will a puzzle where the pieces were floating in free space and moving around; it's often like in business.  Therefore, it’s important to latch onto some of the key pieces and leave the others to fit in where/when it makes sense.  And in business, you don’t have to connect every dot on the page as long as the ones you use make sense and create a consistent image.

For context, use the vision of the organization and make sure the dots you connect are consistent with the company’s intent.  This is very similar to finding the edge pieces first and working from the outside, in.  Beyond that, begin iterating through potential connections until a picture begins to emerge.  Keep your options open and don’t rush too quickly to what seems to be a logical end.  Evaluate how other companies in your market have chosen to connect the dots or postulate how they might solve the puzzle then look for new connections they may have overlooked.  Use non-traditional resources for inspiration.  I often look outside the industry my client is in including things like sports, science, academia, and even nature.  Connections are accessible to you everywhere if you keep your eyes and minds open.  Finally, even if you’ve invested significant time and energy in building out the puzzle you have, be willing to tear parts of it (or even the entire thing) apart if the picture that starts to emerge isn’t going to work.

Duane Grove is founder of Connect2Action, a strategy execution specialist at the intersection of employee engagement and executive leadership, igniting innovation as a lever to accelerate your growth.  Follow Duane on Twitter @connect2action and connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+.  Learn more by visiting www.connect2action.com.