22: Relcalculating…

Driving a car requires the skilled operation of a vehicle’s controls. 

Accelerator.
Brakes.
Gears.
Indicators.
Mirrors.
Windscreen wipers.

By using these controls, we can safely get from A to B.

But being skilled with the car’s controls is not enough. We also need knowledge. How far should we drive? Should we turn left or right? Is our destination before or after that restaurant that gave Auntie Carol food poisoning? 

Back in the good old days, we might’ve used a map. But not whilst driving - that was too dangerous. So, we’d pull over and check. 

On a long drive to an unknown destination, that might have meant stopping several times. 

Or if things got really serious, winding down the window to ask a local.

But then along came the satnav, which reduced our need for knowledge. We suddenly had guidance at the exact moment we needed it. 

Now, it’s easy to think of the satnav as another of the vehicle's controls. Just like the accelerator, gears and wipers, the satnav helps us drive, right?

Wrong. 

The satnav introduced a completely new layer of functionality. 

A satnav is more like having a person sitting next to you, holding the map and giving you instructions. And you wouldn’t think of a navigator as one of the vehicle’s controls, would you? 

So, the satnav isn’t another control - it’s a guidance layer that makes using the other controls easier.

It’s an enabler. 

Now, this might sound like semantics, but when it comes to Performance Guidance Systems, it’s critical to understand this nuance.

And I’ll explain why…

One reaction I’ve encountered when showing folks a Performance Guidance System is what can only be described as incredulity. Because when you demonstrate something without the right context, people default to familiar mental models. 

And it’s understandable - it's how our brains make sense of unfamiliar things.

For example, before the word automobile became commonplace, people called it a horseless carriage. 

And so, when we show someone a Performance Guidance System without context, they default to an incorrect mental model. They compare it to a standard operating procedure. Or SharePoint. Or an LMS. 

Which is also understandable - most knowledge workers have never experienced a performance guidance layer within their work. They’re accustomed to disconnected tools, each requiring them to remember where to go, what to look for and how to proceed.

So, understanding this nuance - and more importantly, communicating it coherently - matters. Because the hardest part of introducing something new isn't building it. It's helping people realise they're looking at something they've never seen before.

Yours,
- Ant