I like napkins. I spend time in coffee shops and inevitably end up showing ideas and sharing models on napkins. The subtitle of the first version of Do More Great Work was “napkin-size solutions to stop the busywork”. So I was delighted to speak to Dan Roam, author of the deservedly popular book The Back of a Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures. Dan – who’s just released a workbook version called Unfolding the Napkin – has done a masterful job at explaining just how to make your ideas – your Great Work ideas – powerful, focused and useful.
In this interview we get into:
- Why we must abandon our “endless bullet points and endless paragraphs” if we want our ideas to stick
- Why simplicity isn’t a goal in and of itself – but clarity is
- How drawing a circle – and another and another – can help untangle any problem (Dan explains just how)
- And why we need to stop the meeting madness!
You can follow Dan at Digital Roam and on his blog.
Listen to my interview with Dan Roam
If you enjoyed this interview, you’ll also enjoy my conversations with:
- John McWade, editor of Before + After magazine
- Susan Scott, author of “Fierce Conversations” and “Fierce Leadership”
