The Longest Feature List Rarely Wins

I've been working with several organisations this month on procurement processes for technology solutions, and a common pattern has emerged: organisations spend months evaluating vendors on features and price, but barely any time assessing implementation capability and cultural fit. The best technology in the world is worthless if the vendor can't implement it effectively in your specific context. I always recommend that at least 30% of the evaluation weighting goes to implementation approach, team capability, and references from similar organisations. The vendor you enjoy working with and who understands your environment will almost always deliver better outcomes than the one with the longest feature list.

I learnt this week that the best presentations aren't the ones with the most slides — they're the ones that tell a compelling story with the fewest. I watched a colleague deliver a 10-minute presentation with just four slides that was more impactful than most hour-long decks I've seen. The principle: if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

I had coffee with a former colleague this week who's recently gone through a career transition. The conversation reminded me how valuable it is to maintain relationships beyond immediate professional need. The best opportunities in consulting have always come through genuine relationships built over years, not cold outreach or marketing.

Claude — AI that's genuinely useful for thinking through problems, drafting communications, and exploring ideas. I've been using it as a thinking partner — bouncing ideas, stress-testing arguments, and getting a second perspective on client deliverables. The key is treating it as a collaborator rather than a replacement for your own expertise.

This week's challenge: reconnect with someone in your professional network you haven't spoken to in six months. Not with an ask — just with genuine interest in how they're doing. Strong networks are built through consistent, authentic engagement.