Some people know exactly what they need. They know the details. They know their 'must haves', their 'nice to haves', and their 'fantasy wish lists'. And - they know exactly how to communicate those 'levels of needs' to other people. 

In relative terms, very few people actually live in that zone. 

Why?

There are a number of reasons:

• most people do not take the time to thoroughly think through the things they need, want, and wish to have
• most people avoid details to the extent that is possible, particularly when under stress [which visits them regularly]
• many people live more in the moment than under a plan [i.e., they do not have plans to serve as guides for their lives, their needs, their wants, or their wishes/dreams/'visions'] 
• many people struggle to communicate their needs, wants, and wishes [as a result of their lack of skill to expressing these things or others lack of skill at listening...or both]

So - many people really do not know exactly what they need. They may have a good idea of where they want to go but they lack clarity on how to get there. As they work hard to get to where they want to go, they lack clarity on how to obtain help from other people. They fail to present their needs properly: so, they do not achieve their objectives.

Over the last few years, I have seen this have very negative impact in 3 business processes:

1. Delegation
2. Project Management
3. Software Solutions

Now, I am going to take a tangential leap and introduce some thoughts. These thoughts are tied to today's topic [you know what you need - or your don't] and the 3 processes mentioned above.

Auftragstaktik [Commander's Intent] – check out this Thought Post from November 2011. When you think about it, how does this Napoleon-inspired approach [to ‘needs’] mesh with processes for delegation, project management and software solutions? As you think about this, bear in mind – some people believe ‘the devil is in the details’ while others believe ‘rules are made to be broken’.

More details on Delegation, Project Management & Software Solutions to follow [in a Thought Post, next week]…