My shortest blog EVER

Not that it makes it okay, but as I think we've all agreed on this topic, EVERYONE in cycling was doping at some point.  Looks like Lance's biggest nemesis was doing it as well.  I'm shocked (not).

Impact, part 2 by Brad

2 additional thoughts based on Marc's post:

1. BLUF = Executive Summary = Tell me what time it is, not how the watch works.

2. Marc, that was an awfully long post, I needed to look for the critical message pretty hard. Maybe that is why you are so averse to pictures accompanying blog posts?

Negative Impact

This topic keeps popping up, and every time it does it seems I have something to say about it.  Or rather I have something to repeat about it, because I can't remember what I said last time!

I did a quick search - you know, because I wanted as much information as possible - on information overload, and it turns out it's not a "new" phenomenon.  A guy wrote a book in 1970 (yes, the year I was born) about it.  In fact he coined a term that I intend to use on a regular basis from here on out because I love it so much: infobesity.  Even earlier than that (1964) Bertram Gross wrote these incredibly prophetic words, or at least prophetic in the way I've seen the Navy change over the years: "Information overload occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity.  Decision makers have fairly limited cognitive processing capability.  Consequently, when information overload occurs, it is likely that a reduction in decision quality will occur."  To use the terminology from your blog, Brad, lower decision quality = less impact.  

We've all been overloaded by information at varying levels.  Sometimes when we try to figure out where to get some dinner, too many options makes it a more difficult decision.  Or deciding where to grab some dinner with a large group… forget about it.  That's when somebody needs to make a command decision on behalf of the group.  Too much information means you'll be standing around starving while someone runs the group through the nominal group technique, a force field analysis, and then implements the Delphi model.  Geez!  Can we just eat??

But the ramifications on the larger scale can have consequences.  Most people are scared of POST decision analysis.  Every decision that turns out to be less than optimal gets ultra-analyzed, and it's at that point that someone will uncover the nugget of information that DID exist that the decision maker was not aware of that may have led to a different decision.  Post analysis sucks.  When you have a few months to waste and nothing else to read, check out the 9/11 Commission Report.  It's 450 pages of microscopic POST analysis.  As they always say, hindsight is 20/20.

Have you ever seen the acronym BLUF?  I see it a lot in the Navy.  It stands for Bottom Line Up Front.  I roughly translate it to: "What follows is a metric ass-ton of information, but let me summarize it all for you in one or two sentences right at the beginning."  I guess the fancier, professional terminology for BLUF would be "executive summary".  As a Navy leader I have to coach my subordinates so that they just get to the essential facts right up front.  If I need more information I'll ask for it, but in general I will trust that they've done due diligence (until I discover otherwise).  Just the facts Ma'am.  

I don't have a good answer for any of it, because the reality is that even if you want to pare down the information that you are getting as a leader, you have to figure out what information is important and what isn't.  That's the tricky part.  In dealing with situations as a (relatively new) Naval Officer, sometimes I realize that "the information exceeds my processing capability."  So when I go to talk to MY boss, I bring my Chief with me.  He knows the details, so I just bring him along.  It saves time and my "processing capability"!

Little did I know there is an organization that researches Information Overload.  The irony is not lost on me that they have a website with links to all kinds of research about information overload.

As far as impact in advertising…  I have very small hobby of observing the methods that direct mail advertisers use to get you to open the envelope.  Oddly enough, the ones that seem to work most effectively on me are the ones that don't have much of anything on the envelope except for my name and address.  Otherwise, they're all the same: return address on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.; important government entitlement change - open immediately; postmaster, it is a violation of federal law to deliver this to any other person than the addressee; extremely sensitive information enclosed.  Nice try jokers.  Pre-sorted First Class gives it away every time.  

One last thought… in the attempts to break through and have "impact", sometimes things can get pretty gimmicky.  A good example is 5K races.  They are a dime a dozen, and I've seen some pretty ridiculous gimmicks to try to make them stand out from the rest.  The races of choice that I've seen lately are the ones where you get absolutely covered in colored chalk at some point in the race.  That's almost as enticing as cattle prods.

Seems like I just kind of randomly ended there.  Yeah.  I feel infobese.  Done for now.

2013 Tour de France

I was reviewing the stages for the 2013 TDF and saw that stage 18 includes the famous Alpe d'Huez. Very cool, an 8.5-ish mile climb at an average grade of 8%. Amateurs who can get it done will break 60 minutes. See an account of the climb by an amateur here.

Here is the kicker...For the first time in the 100 year history of the Tour, On stage 18 they will climb Alpe d'Huez TWICE. That's pretty incredible.

Impact

It is increasingly difficult to make a difference or have an impact when in the midst of a sea of information and experiences. I run into this concept frequently, a few examples:

1. I was driving in a construction zone in Kansas City last weekend. There were so many signs, markers, cones, and warnings I had to come to a complete stop to figure out where I was supposed to drive. So with so many elements of warning none of them could provide the needed immediate impact of telling me where to drive.

2. There was a tornado warning today, it was the 3rd time in a couple weeks the sirens have gone off. In all cases there was no tornado. Johnson county has dropped their threshold for wind speed that triggers the sirens. How frequently do we need to hear these before people the impact is reduced and people begin to ignore them?

3. This is an obvious concept in marketing and advertising. Each of us are constantly bombarded by ads for everything from perfume to potato chips. How does a marketer have an impact?

4. The UI Children's Hospital groundbreaking on Friday was a truly impactful event. Why? Not because the normal roster of distinguished speakers (no offense, they are all super!) all spoke, but because they didn't. They were instead supplanted by children and parents who spoke about their very real experiences being treated at the UICH.

The same concept applies for fundraising events. Sheila and I could attend a chicken dinner event every week with a silent auction where you can get a Kirk Ferentz signed football helmet and a Fran McCafferey signed basketball. So how does a charitable organization make an impact on potential supporters to gain their attention, volunteerism, and philanthropic support?

The applications/situations of this dilution of impact are everywhere. And it is exhausting. I don't need to go to Hyvee and have 74 different options of cereal and 13 different brands of frozen tater tots. Enough!!!