Running in All Directions (The Tool Circus Nobody Asked For)
The Problem
Letting everyone pick their own tools and approaches, creating 3, 5, or 10 different ways to do the same thing. Technology teams love new shiny tools. Getting technologists excited about the latest thing is easy. But with too many choices, everyone grabs something different and runs with it, convinced they're innovating. The result? Chaos. Fragmentation. Three teams implementing three different data catalog vendors. Some building custom, others buying commercial. Same vendor used five different ways. Everyone thinks they're maturing the organization. Nobody realizes they're killing it.
The Principle
SHARED DIRECTION OVER INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM: Progress requires everyone running down the SAME side of the road together. When everyone picks different paths, you see small pockets of value team by team, but as a whole it diminishes your organization's fitness. Create a clear mountaintop: Make it crystal clear where you're going as ONE team. Paint the picture. Show the destination. Then audit for duplication—find where you're doing the same thing multiple ways. Standardize strategically: Pick ONE way for ONE thing. Doesn't mean one tool for everything—it means one approach per problem. Stop new fragmentation—any new initiative must answer "how does this align with our shared direction?" Retire competing approaches gradually. Communicate the WHY before making people climb. If you asked "where is your organization doing the same thing 3 different ways?" and have multiple examples, you're fragmented, not fit. Fix that first.
3 Steps to Take Action
Draw the Mountaintop: One page. Where are we going as ONE team? What's the future state? Make it crystal clear. Get leadership buy-in.
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