BOOK REVIEW: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte.
Major takeaways included the Ink-to-Data Ratio, meaning that as high a percentage of a chart's ink as possible should be dedicated to conveying data, and its corollary The Eraser Rule, which mandates erasing all parts of a chart that do not convey data. The goals are simplicity, elegance, and ease of interpretation.
I was invited to my client's retreat in Baltimore and asked to deliver a 25-minute presentation discussing the kind of work I've been doing for the firm and what I'd like to do going forward. The ideas in the book led me to organize my remarks around the chart shown above, discussing the relative amounts of work each partner has given me, the different kinds of work I've been doing for each, and the various applications for other partners in the room. It led directly to a massive influx of work of the type I suggested. Normally I may have 1 or 2 projects open at any given time, 3 if I'm very busy. At the moment I have 10. At the break, a partner who is not on the chart told me he wants to be the tallest bar on the chart next year. I'm all for it.
1 comment:
E - congratulations on the success of your business. It takes a lot of moxie to cut the corporate ties after the wife and kids come along. I am glad you are doing well.
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