Work on Your 2X2 Matricies
Give me good 2X2 matrix and I can change the world! So many times we are working with our clients and a good picture is necessary to illustrate the dynamics in a given situation. I find it helpful to train yourself to learn how to apply the 2X2 matrix spontaneously. Sure the basic 2X2 has been much aligned, as overused, too simplistic, etc. However, the more I work, the more I see that many times, simple isn’t easy, and complex is overrated.
What I offer today is a great book and a great tool. They both require investment on your part. Time and money. Neither is cheap. But learning never has been either easy or cheap for me.
First the Book: The Power of the 2X2 Matrix: Using 2X2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions. by Alex Lowy and Phil Hood. You can get the print version or delivered to your Kindle. I have the kindle version, because I refer to it often. On Amazon, they allow you to peek inside. Do it. You will like what you see.
Although it’s not vogue, I happen to like Cartesian thinking. This book helps me frame problems, discuss them in more depth, and it lends itself to creating a visual dialogue, which I find most helpful. The beauty of this work is that the authors take the time to go under the hood and examine the thinking process behind each of their examples. I find this helps me as a consultant become a better thinker, analyzer, and catalyst. If that last thought doesn’t appeal to you, the other reason I find this book so valuable is it saves me time. If I can’t remember the what goes on the axes of the Johari Window, I am a few clicks away on my Kindle.
In partnership with this book, I use Omnigraffle, a mac application for creating organizational diagrams. Well it turns out, some kind soul (ideapod) developed a stencil within Omnigaffle, that creates a 2X2 matrix – instantly! Now I can create these on the fly and have them available quickly. In my downtime, I have been building them and storing them for future use. Here is an example that I put together in about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
