I am an independent business consultant specializing in assisting smaller businesses maximize their return on their investments in information technology. While I could go on about my background and experience, it is not really germane to this story. (If you are interested, please stop by my professional portfolio - http:\\www.timfoley.info)
This tree is visible through the window of my home office. I have enjoyed looking out on it without really seeing it since we first moved to our little country slice of heaven. The afternoon I snapped this photo may have been the first time I fully appreciated this century old oak.
I was constructing a concept map as part of the preliminary documentation for a new client.
As happens many times when I become stuck on a challenging bit, I began staring out into space, letting my mind wander. That was when I noticed the tree, and my mind began drawing parallels with the concept map I was working on, noticing the similarities between the twisting, interwoven structure of this natural wonder and the interwoven mess of a concept map I was trying my hardest to "straighten out" and simplify.That is when it struck me. How would this beautiful oak look if a farmer 75 years ago had decided they needed to straighten the tree out and simplify its structure with an axe and a saw. No, the tree is what it is, representing the reality of its environment. Why should I attempt to simplify the complexity of the current status quo that existed with my client? Instead, I chose to portray it as it had been described and use it as a springboard into a discussion of how to increase efficiency.
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