Zoom out. There’s a lot to see.
Neil Gow, Capstar Partner
When portfolio management teams go through an exit process it can feel a lot like the world is zooming in, not just on the business, but on each and every sinew. Financial advisers start modelling, third parties begin due diligence, information memoranda are drafted, and key C Suite presenters start explaining all the detail of past, present and future.
The temptation is to catch that gnarly zoom-in wave and ride it to the shoreline at the end of the process, laying out all the numbers in exhaustive detail.
But here’s the thing. Jump off and swim out.
For communication purposes the start point is out there in the big blue where we can see more of the ocean and work out the headlines.
Then we’ll choose the zoom-in waves we need from there. As few as possible is a good working assumption…
So next time you’re communicating under pressure and reaching straight for the detail, then maybe zoom out. You’ll be surprised how much it will help you understand what you want to say, and save you heaps of time splashing around in the surf.