Why Models?
First of all, what, exactly, do we mean by a “model?” In brief, a model is a symbolic, conceptual, or physical representation of something. If, as a kid, you ever built a model airplane or a model car, that example might resonate. Similarly, a mental model or a conceptual model is an intangible construct, a representation within our mind of a thing or an idea.
For illustration, a classic model that is familiar to many is Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Human Needs”. If you think back to Psychology 101, just the mention of it may trigger a visualization of a five-level pyramid that builds, as follows, from the bottom up: Physiological, Safety, Belonging, Esteem, Self-Actualization. If you are familiar with this model, you may have pictured it in your mind’s eye as I was describing it.
Another potentially familiar example: If I were to mention the classic “Time Management Matrix” model (featured in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and often referred to as the Eisenhower Matrix), you might be able to reconstruct it from memory in your head or on paper…and be reminded of the fact that as a leader, you need to create more time to spend in…which quadrant? (Quadrant 2!)
That’s the power of a mental model. It enables us to take a complex concept and place it within a simple visual framework, so that we can not only understand it and, ideally, remember it, but also so that we can communicate it to someone else so that, looking at it, they can say, “I see what you’re talking about.”
Other common business examples of models include organizational charts and stakeholder maps, as well as a company’s “business model.”
Models can come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, from a four-box matrix, to a circle, triangle, pyramid, staircase, ladder, target, or arrow. We also use process diagrams, affinity maps, mindmaps, and flowcharts, among many others. If, as your project nears completion, you visualize in your mind a “progress bar,” that’s an example of a mental model (as well as a metaphor…which we’ll be getting to shortly).
With the use of a model, we can take the messiness and complexity of a situation and place things within a framework so as to see it more clearly and wrap our head around it. After which, having been able to see it more clearly, we can then make more intelligent and informed decisions. This is not about “putting things (or people) in boxes,” it’s just a way to simplify complexity in a visual way.
While we don’t want to oversimplify things to the point where we lose the subtlety and nuance, using visual models does help us to strip things down to their bare essence for the sake of clarity. Einstein advised us, “Make things as simple as possible, but no simpler.” And Leonardo da Vinci stated, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” So when you need to wrap your head around a concept, using a visual model may be just the solution you’re looking for. And when someone says, “I know what I’m saying but I just can’t explain it,” sometimes the best thing you can do is encourage them to sketch it out.
In the Quartz article “How Bill Gates Remembers What He Reads” by Kevin J. Delaney, Gates had this to say about the importance and the value of mental models and frameworks: “If you have a broad framework, then you have a place to put everything. So you have the timeline, or you have the map, or you have the branches of science and what’s known and what’s not known.”
Our mental models are, in essence, our “maps of the world,” which is why each of us may see the world somewhat differently, as we are each using a different map to navigate the world. However, sharing our maps, and our mental models with others, can help to simplify complexity and increase understanding.
Speaking of maps: I’ve been driving out to Connecticut to visit my mother-in-law almost every other weekend for the past twenty years. And, yet, I get lost trying to find my way every single time. Either my wife needs to direct me, or I must use the GPS.
Why is it that after twenty years, I still have no idea how to get to my mother-in-law’s house? (And no mother-in-law jokes, please; she’s wonderful.) The reason, I recently realized, is simply that I have no “mental map” of Fairfield, Connecticut. I just don’t know where anything is, I don’t know the names of any of the streets, I never recognize any of the landmarks, and I never have any idea of which direction I am going. While my wife grew up there (and therefore knows the area “like the back of her hand”), I grew up in Queens and Long Island, New York. So I can find my way around those parts with my eyes closed.
But in the state of Connecticut, I am a stranger in a strange land. Which just illustrates, with a real-life example, the value and the power of our mental maps, and how they impact our ability to navigate in different spheres—not only literally and geographically, but in all areas of our lives.
All of the models in this next section are ones that I created to use in my coaching practice, as well as teaching and training others to use. If a particular model works for you, great! If not, you can use the model as a starting point and then modify it to better fit you and your situation. Or, alternatively, there are millions of other models out there. In fact, a list of forty of my favorites can be found in the appendix of this book! The point is, you have many options…and it’s up to you to find the ones that fit you best and add them to your VisuaLeadership tool kit.
With that said, in this section, you’ll find a model that will make decision-making as easy as “ABC.” You’ll see how increasing your influence is just a matter of “putting your ‘CAP’ on.” And you’ll be introduced to some of my other most valuable management, leadership, and personal productivity models on topics ranging from learning and leading to enhancing your passion, increasing your power, and improving your presentation skills.
I hope that this small selection of models presented here will help to give you some new ideas, lead you to discover some innovative solutions, and inspire you to venture forth to explore and discover all of the many other visual models that are out there.
As Buckminster Fuller said: “You never change things by fighting against the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete.”