Have you ever had such an experience? You talk to people, you talk to them, you say they don't get the point; you think about what you write, you end up missing; you're getting confused by a bunch of information. This is actually an expression of a lack of logic in thinking and expressing, and the pyramid doctrine is the “one-size-fits-all tool” for solving this problem, helping us to sharpen the confusion。
I. Core logical concept of the pyramid
The principles of the pyramid, presented by barbara minto, the first female consultant at mckinsey consulting, focuses on “conclusions first, above, clustering, logical evolution”, essentially organizing information along pyramid structures and giving logical clarity。
1. Core structure: the three-layered skeleton of the pyramid
- top of the line: conclusions first
It is expressed with a core view, then with supporting elements. For example, instead of saying, “i've done three core jobs this week, which ultimately led to a 20 per cent increase in the project's progress”, the reporting exercise said, “i've collated data this week, i've docked clients, i've optimized the process”, and “i've done three core tasks this week, which have led to a 20 per cent increase in the project's progress”, before drawing conclusions and detail, so that each other can focus quickly。
- tower: above under + cluster
The next layer is underpinned by a view and the same level of content belongs to the same category. For example, in order to justify the “years fit for investment”, the top point is to conclude that the next tier can be divided into three categories: “policy interests, market trends, personal asset allocation needs”, with a further breakdown of the specific reasons under each category to ensure that the logic is not confused。
- taki: logical progression
At the same level, the content is sequenced, with the usual time order (in order), structure (in whole and in part) and importance (in order of priority). For example, the experience of making money in the year of the horse can be ranked in the order of “capturing first, optimizing operating methods, and eventually adjusting strategies”。
2. Bottom thinking: the mece code
This is the companion core of the pyramid doctrine, which is “independent and completely exhausted”. The classification ensures that sub-categories do not overlap and are not missing, for example, by dividing the “year-old finance approach” into “stocks, funds, physical stores, savings”, which covers the mainstream approach and does not overlap; when divided into “stocks, funds, finances”, it omits the investment of the entity and is inconsistent with the mece law。
Ii. The practice of the pyides in life
Communication expression: farewell to “bullshit chat”
Daily communication with family and friends, using conclusions first and grouping, makes communication more efficient. For example, it's hard working with friends, not to say that “the boss is drawing cakes, working overtime, paying low wages, and has recently been harassed by his clients, and rents have risen”, but to say that “the job and life of the horse have come up with a lot of bad things at its core: one is the failure of the job to pay off, and the other is the sharp increase in the pressure on living expenses”. First to the core, then to the specifics, and then to the other。
This is particularly the case for job reports. To apply to the leadership for a year-long start-up project, first, “i plan to open a horse-theme start-up shop in the next year, expected to return half a year” (conclusion), then “market demand, site selection planning, funding preparation, profit expectations” (grouping), with each component fine-tuning data and plans, leading to a got to the core and focused advice。
Planning for decision-making: farewell to “blindness”
The use of pyramids to avoid the omission of critical information, whether it be a financial plan for the year or a living agenda. For example, planning for year-round finance, at the top is “achieving a 10 per cent annual asset addition” and at the bottom, “risk investments, sound finances, contingency reserves” (grouping):
- the risk investment hierarchy: a further breakdown of the “equities, funds, thematic generating projects” and prioritization of low-risk funds in order of importance
- a sound financial layer: a “term deposit, national debt”
- emergency reserve level: three months'subsistence reserve。
The classification by mece law, in a logical step-by-step manner, ensures that asset allocation is comprehensive and that priorities are clearly identified and that blind investments are avoided。
For example, the top of the tower is “travel to three special destinations in the year”, followed by “natural wind, human history, subject-matter experience” and one destination under each category, to refine the itinerary, budget, transportation, avoid leakage of airline tickets, forget hotel reservations, etc。
Wrap-up: farewell “no thought”
After the end of the year, life is revolving, using pyramid principles to make reflection more relevant. For example, to take stock of the year's earning experience, the top point is “to achieve an additional 50,000 by-products in the year, with the core based on precision selection plus precision flow” and “selection logic, diversion methods, operational optimization” (grouping):
- selective logic: sequenced according to the “year-old market hotspot, user demand, self-interest”
- lead methods: classified by “line channels, offline channels”
- optimization of operations: broken down by “product iterative, customer maintenance”。
The structured reset provides a clear view of the key factors of success and a precise identification of shortcomings to inform planning for the following year。
The pyramid principles are not complex theories, but a “simplistic” tool of thinking. Whether it be day-to-day communication, life planning or financial decision-making, mastering the core of “conclusion ahead, clustering, logical evolution” will make thinking clearer and action more efficient, and even planning for years such as the year of the horse can be structured。
