details versus definitions
Words matter. Definitions matter. Details less so. I am not saying details don’t matter in execution, but rather definitions matter in terms of strategic direction and getting things done with progress in mind, rather than simply doing.
Simplistically, details are about ‘what to do’ and definitions are about ‘where to go.’ The former dictates control, the latter embraces freedom. This is actually about control, trust, freedom, adapting and destinations versus achievements. I would also argue this is actually about reality versus perceptions.
What we gain by making a term more narrow (details), we regain manifold by clarifying what I am actually talking about (definition).
The devil isn’t just in the details. It’s in the definitions. (The Listening Society, Freinacht). And, most of all, it’s in the analytical distinctions: in the ability to tell one thing apart from another, one thought distinctly from another. To not mix up things by following detail but rather seek clarify through definition.
Think about “scaling.”
Every business desires scalability. The implication is “something done well, replicated, will create not only efficiencies, but expected exponential value output.”
Scale gets discussed this way:
That’s detail. Details get replicated on a continuum. It implies controlled growth.
Here is what scale actually looks like:
That’s where definition comes into play. Details get convoluted, progress diminished as people realize the details lose value in new context. Definitions provide adaptability & some agility to maintain progress toward a vision, yet, the ‘details’ can adapt contextually.
When people understand intent, definition with clarity, it creates a coherence of actions & behavior with lily pads of consistency.
Definitions, instead of details, offer two main advantages:
- “Corrective measures were taken immediately”: organizations are typically horrible at disseminating responsibility to the outer edges of its organization. This is most typically exhibited in, well, ‘detailed instructions.’ A well articulated definition permits those closest to the opportunity, or problem, some freedom to do what is right <even if it may not exactly math the details>.
- Uneven progress: business has an unhealthy relationship with evenness. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves” is often code for (a) losing control & (b) missed opportunities. Let’s be honest. We all know windows of opportunity can close fast and sometimes to jump thru it you need to worry less about whether it fits the details, but rather does it fit the definition
Suffice it to say, details, tied to consistency, erode value as contexts multiple, definitions find new value in coherence as contexts multiply.
Look. I am not against details, but I am more for definitions. What I have found is if things are well defined then people are more likely to actually do the details you want within the context of their skills, abilities to contribute, context of the implementation and toward a vision/objective.
I would also suggest the world, and business (creating, selling, buying) revolves around one thing: People. People perform better when they are cognitively attached to what they are asked to do.
Details tell, definitions involve.
Think of this as stories. Yes. I believe definitions are a version of stories.
Details are a way to rush through thinking and avoid giving the whole story. I will state, in general, we are far too often guilty of taking a headline thought, or a thought out of context, and reapplying it to some specific details simply to get people to do the details.
In other words. I take a generalization and apply to some specific thought, attitude, opinion and even a behavior to get people to do specific tasks details>.
Truth, more often than not, resides in the full story.
Facts, more often than not, resides in the full story.
That is why the full story matters. With only half the story, or maybe just the headline of a story, I miss out on half the story to maybe even 90% of the story to maybe even the entire point of the story <definition>. What I do know is that fortune cookie wisdom thrives on half stories.
Regardless. Here is what I know about why the full story matters.
The search for truth lies somewhere within the full story, not ‘halfisms.’ If I do not embark on the search and end up settling for half the story, I then end up with something less.
Less than the full story.
Less than the full truth.
Less than the full conclusion.
Less than the full facts.
In other words, just more details.
Suffice it to say it is something “less than.” It is ‘halfism.’ Worse? Its dangerous. Details is not wisdom, it is halfism and I need ‘wholism’ in a complex world.
Business demands more than details, soundbites and fortune cookie wisdom.
People, and humanity, demands more than soundbites and fortune cookie wisdom.
Yeah. The full story matters.
Yeah. Definitions matter.
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