I’m a second-year analyst, headed back to my office, thinking I’m done for the night. Then I hear my name.
I turn—and there’s Slocum.
“Tell me three things about this manager.”
Not one. Not ten. Three.
Three things that matter. A reason to choose in the length of a tweet.
I start talking…process, team, philosophy…and they sounded like anyone else.
“They seemed solid.” That’s what it becomes.
There’s a long due diligence process, of course, but it doesn’t start from scratch. What makes it out of the room shapes the decision.
Most teams focus on explaining everything. They haven’t decided what matters most.
You see it when you ask the question.
Ask three people on the same team—you’ll get three different answers.
And if the answers don’t match, no one knows what to carry forward.
Three tests:
Retelling Test: Is it repeatable?
Title Test: Is it distinct?
Slocum Test: Could you answer that question—right here, right now?
