Should Your List Be Long or Short? Should It Include Anybody/Everybody - or Should It Be Targeted?

After just doing this post last week on the topic - coincidentally in my email inbox just the other day came this quote in the subject line:

Who Should Be On Your Short List?

For making an informed decision? In this case about LMSs. The advert read on...

Short Lists Made Easy - Selection Tools Help Busy Learning Professionals Make Important Buying Decisions...Quickly


This - relying on a "short list" - is versus relying on "the crowd" - and I agree.

It's often all about what crowd you source from.

It's pretty critical when you ask/know: "what could possibly go wrong?" An important question to ask oneself at the onset of answering something important - not trivial.

If it is high risk and/or high reward (two sides of the same coin) - then target your crowdsourcing. The crowd's opinions and knowledge/skills and experience vary widely. Narrow the crowd. Shorten the list. Especially if you are in a hurry and aren't looking for a wide array of responses/inputs.

Can you get answers to your queries that are closer to six sigma? And is that somewhat or highly desirable - or not? It's not always what you need/want.

As always, it depends.

Think it through carefully. Ask: What could possibly go wrong? Where is Murphy? What are some of the potential unintended consequences? How could they be avoided? And if unavoidable, what then?

There is a time and place for almost every approach, every type of thinking. Turn-Turn-Turn. But it is "always" situational. Always right or wrong - or even indifferent - in a context. And all contexts are not created equal.

Do the homework - do the critical thinking.

Think - don't blink - unless that is what your situational context demands!

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