One of the things that I love most about working in a large organization, is the availability of tremendous amounts of knowledge and wisdom that lies in pockets of people throughout the vast expanse of human resources. Much like tide pools by the shore, in these individuals you can find a rich spectrum of experience, and if you are willing to dig a little and pay attention, you will be pleasantly rewarded with nuggets such as this one.
I was in a meeting yesterday, discussing an upcoming presentation to our executive, in which I was advised to employ a certain methodology for framing my content for an executive audience. This type of audience is typically dealing with the broader strokes of the situation, looking at Interactions between different threads of action, as they weave the fabric of business activity in an organization. Given this approach, they typically want information presented to them in more succinct ways, thus allowing them to prioritize action and make choices about who is the most appropriate resource to deal with a situation in a way that will most closely deliver desired outcomes.
I do have a love for mnemonics in acronyms, so I have chosen CIA for this one. Aside from the obvious Central Intelligence Agency meaning of the acronym, in Spanish, it is also short-form for company (which may well be why they call the CIA “the company”).
Now, here is the breakdown for CIA as a framework for presenting to executives:
CONTEXT – what is the situation, and what is the context in terms that are relevant to me? What are some of the key things I need to know, and perhaps some of the key players?
IMPACT – this is the “so what?”. How will this situation and it’s potential outcomes impact me? What potential do the players in the situation have to impact me or my domain of authority in the organization? What are the relevant risks that the situation presents to me and my delivering against objectives and expectations?
ACTION – what are the recommended next steps in terms of what needs to happen? What are some of the mitigation strategies that you suggest to deal with the impact of the situation and its associated risks?
I have used this methodology in the past, but have never quite put it into words. I have employed it with much success, giving executives just the right amount of information to make decisions at a strategic level that can then be actioned at an operational/tactical level.
The moral of the story is, we are all busy, and if we take the time to synthesize information in a way that is appropriate to our intended audiences, not only will we have a better chance of them reciprocating with information that we need, we will also be valued for our appreciation of the fact that time is a limited and precious commodity.
