“Bringing too many weapons to battle…”

In contexts of a negotiation or a debate, we “lose not by the strength of our most important points but by the weakness of our weakest ones” (Adam Grant). Because:

Not everything matters equally

You win by delivering the most essential points with precision and force. The things that count.

Leverage “Extreme Pareto”: find the vital few of the vital few. The classic Pareto rule says 20% of the inputs drive 80% of the outcomes. Yet within that 20%, there's a vital few of the vital few - the 4% that drives the rest.

Not everything should fit everyone

Not all values should be universal. Aim to be authentic yet double down on what you are really strong on. Sometimes the most strategic thing to say is:

• “That’s outside of our scope.”

• “That is not the problem we’re trying to solve.”

• “This is the problem we’re trying to solve, instead.”

Inspirations:

Adam Grant, “Think Again”.

“The One Thing”.