Owners and Managers readily consult professional opinions when faced with business challenges and complex Issues, Deficiencies, Obstacles and Shortcomings. Yet any challenge can be dealt with by simply applying some deep Understanding. Unfortunately, the first port of call is a ‘quick-fix’ remedy and not clarity by means of understanding. Yet without a deep understanding we will continue to falter in any Approach and not recognise the most obvious business landscapes populated by cause-and-effect, which present multiple forms of Solutions and Opportunities. On the one hand ‘quick fixes’ indicate a lack of discipline that denies the organisation the joys of Discovery which challenges and exercises our thinking; on the opposing hand is an opportunist mentality that seeks an easy gain. This begs the question, are today’s business leaders really ‘Leaders’ or mere ‘Pirates’ at heart?

If our business executives and managers are truly Leaders, then why do their words speak differently to their actions and results? When words spoken are far removed from structured tasks, we are hearing early warning signs of modern day Pirates whose intentions are fickle and ruthless. Pirates hinge their gains on surprise, pure luck and fortuitous results; there is no formula for longevity.

For a start, we have moved far from good theory that explains and delivers an Outcome. Profit is an outcome, yet we try to ‘make it’ and in the process neglect the inputs of excellence required to yield the desired outcome. Again, our Approach lacks the elements that oppose good luck; we lack to design Structures that perform as predicted, are effective by design and accurate as specified.

Universities teach Content without practical Context and theorise concepts, yet logic-theorem fades from student vocabulary. Subject matter is taught by beginning at a headline result and then reversing down a seemingly logic path to formulate a ‘logic’ sequence of steps. Yet nobody questions the validity of the headline result, nobody asks WHY such a result is acceptable to customers who ultimately pay for products and services.