They agreed with every word.
Then, nothing happened.
You had the data. You had the room.
You walked out with nods, and six weeks later the project is still sitting where you left it.
That's not a data problem, it's a story problem, and it's costing you three months at a time.
Make doing nothing expensive. Let me show you how.
The Meeting that
Should have Worked
Here's what nobody said out loud: the problem you came to fix didn't pause while everyone deliberated.
It's still running right now, on somebody's budget line. Now, the question becomes:
What is the actual cost of the current state?
So do the thing your deck did not. Put a number on it. What does three more months (a single quarter) of the current state actually cost?
The manual hours. The duplicated systems. The initiative that slips. The engineer who leaves.
Most people can't answer that question about their own top initiative, and that, not the data, is why the room felt free to do nothing. The strongest case for change loses to the one that takes "do nothing" off the table.
Four Gates. One Decision.
We do not start with a slide deck. Creating clarity starts with a purpose.
This is asking WHY, WHAT IF, and NOW WHAT, but made operational. Four gates a case for change has to clear.
1
Name the Problem
Unnamed, the problem is just a category nobody can picture.
Name it, put a face on it, so it gets remembered and repeated.
2
Price Doing Nothing
An unpriced item ranks last, because there is nothing to rank it by. Every room prices your proposal and never the alternative, so doing nothing looks safe.
3
Make the Ask
Three options is a bigger surface to fear than one decision.
Ask for a single named action that a single named person can say yes (or no) to before they stand up.
4
Make it Portable
The case gets argued in a room you are not in.
Build it to travel without you, carried by someone whose job is not selling it.
Ways to Work Together
Every engagement starts the same way. What comes after depends on where the case for change is breaking.
Build the Case
For the initiative that keeps getting revisited.
Win the Room
For the meeting you cannot afford to lose.
Tell One Story
For the strategy that gets described five different ways.
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Send Me One Slide.
Not a deck. One slide.
The one with your ask on it.
I'll tell you what the room was actually being asked to decide, which is usually nothing.
Twenty minutes, no pitch, no obligation.
If it's useful, we will talk about the rest.
If it's not, you've only lost twenty minutes but gained an honest read.
BZ's Storyteller Insights
Endorsements
Naomi Wolfe
Regional Manager
I had the pleasure of working with Brian on my first industry panel. His experience and guidance proved invaluable. He provided coaching and input on everything from our overarching story to the construction of the slides we used to present our data. He really helped my comfort level as a first time panelist.
Rick Haughey
Vice President, Industry Technology Initiatives
Brian has been a go-to panelist and moderator for NMHC for over two decades. He brings panels together in a way few others can, while always providing relevant content and ensuring the panel tells a cohesive story that resonates for our audience.
Richard Jirjis
VP Finance and Accounting
Brian has a unique ability to bridge the gap between Business and IT. As part of our annual governance process, Brian was always able to find the story lines that best organized and explained what the IT team planned for the coming year making projects easier to understand and investments easier to approve.