The Gaps

You've noticed the gaps. Someone describes a plan and it goes: "We are not going to be able to rely upon revenue from our traditional sources and so we can close Operation X, merge Operations Y and Z and then, with the money that has been saved, create a whole new market by using social media."

Say again?

I like bold ideas as much as the next person but the scars on my ancient carcass start to itch when great reliance is placed upon extremely vague plans. I want to know the details of how we get from A to B and if any descriptions sound like magic, nervousness sets in. The problem often resembles what some people have called Chinese Math, where organizations present optimistic projections of how much business can be done in the massive Chinese market without taking into account the enormous difficulty encountered when selling small amounts to folks just across town.

We all like to play Grand Strategy. It can be great fun. But in the end, someone is having to slog through the mud and over the barbed wire and we need to take that into account.

Spare us the magic. Give us the details.