Intelligence agencies separate their goals into Learn, then Confirm. Many field agents are tasked solely with observation, and desk analysts compile information from multiple sources to spot patterns and form hypotheses of enemy action and intent. This means they are acting on facts. (There are notable exceptions to this - usually ranging from embarrassing to horrific.)
A long time ago, when I was a shy programmer faced with a room full of 200 people who I had to get to know, her advice was, “Smile through the pain and learn to make an exit.” Great advice for working a room. So what can spies and diplomats teach us about gathering information?
Well, they don’t just blurt out their hypotheses.
"So, are you going to increase investment in African minerals to compete with China?"This is a faux pas, especially before everyone's had a chance to enjoy the Allegro. You won't be invited back to the next quartet.
Instead, diplomats know how to get people talking, and they know how to control the pace of the conversation, to skim from one subject to the next, or to circle around an interesting signal. In Customer Development, we can do this by knowing a few handy Softball, Anchor and Deflection questions. After all, Customer Development is a process, but conversation is a skill.
Getting your customers talking about their world leads to interesting clues. At the time of the conversation, it’s not clear which clues are going to lead to a working strategy, so it’s important to record them all, and analyse them in aggregate later.
Observe, then analyse. Learn, then confirm.
I’m on the Kernel Stewards team, where we help ~2,000 fellows understand the what the development of blockchains mean to humanity on anthropological scales. I’m particularly interested in enabling fellows to build things with blockchains that are altruistic and prudent.
I’m also building a communication tool for community groups and unconferences. It focuses on autonomising teams rather than “coordinating”.
In the past, I've designed peer-learning programs for Oxford, UCL, Techstars, Microsoft Ventures and The Royal Academy Of Engineering, careering from startups to humanitech and engineering. I also played a role in the Lean Startup methodology, and the European startup ecosystem. You can read about this here.
Conjuring Alice and Bob: Cryptographic Deities (2023)
Menus and kitchens (2023)
Retreats for remote teams (2023)
What do you need right now? (2023)
Making sense of DAOs (2022)
Building ecosystems with grant programs (2021)
Safe spaces make for better learning (2021)
Choose happiness (2021)
Working 'Remote' after 10 years (2020)
Emotional Vocabulary (2020)
Project portfolios (2020)
Expectations (2019)
Amperage - the inconvenient truth about energy for Africa's off-grid. (2018)
The history Of Lean Startup (2016)
Get your loved ones off Facebook (2015)
Entrepreneurship is craft (2014)