Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst) header
Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst) profile picture

Michael Santarcangelo

@catalyst

Delivering value in a world built to overlook it. Trusted advisor, close counsel. Founder of ValueSmith™. 30 years in the trenches.

 Tampa, Florida
valuesmith.com
Joined March 2007
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Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)Photo by Michael Santarcangelo (@catalyst)
A Plausible Answer Isn't Necessarily the Right Answer Recently, a technician came to the house to repair the microwave. He needed an extra set of hands, so I offered to help. We got talking about craft, pride in our work, figuring things out, and even AI. After the repair, we kept talking for another 90 minutes. He shared a story about a customer whose refrigerator wasn't cooling. Over the phone, he asked a series of questions and suspected a faulty circuit board. The part was in short supply, but he'd found one for about $400. As he recalled it, the customer said something like: "I asked [a chatbot] to diagnose it, and it suggests the problem is likely the display panel. I can order one online." He said he'd tried to explain why he didn't think the display panel was the problem. The panel connected back through the circuit board, and the symptoms didn't fit that kind of failure. He still suspected the board. But the customer was convinced the chatbot's answer made more sense, and it was cheaper. So they told the technician not to order the circuit board because they were going to get the replacement panel. When it arrived, they asked my new friend to install the panel. He did. It didn't fix the problem. He wasn't surprised. With the refrigerator in front of him, he confirmed the circuit board failure. Except now he couldn't find a replacement. I asked him what that meant for the repair, and he shook his head and said he wasn't sure yet. I don't know if or how that situation resolved. What stayed with me wasn't that the technician turned out to be right. It was how he got there. He knew what questions to ask, how to assess the answers, and what he needed to check. The customer had an answer. The technician knew how to find out whether it was right.
A hand-drawn repair scene shows a replacement display panel in an open box beside a circuit board circled in gold. A screwdriver and loose screws lie nearby. The ValueSmith logo sits at the lower left.

ALT A hand-drawn repair scene shows a replacement display panel in an open box beside a circuit board circled in gold. A screwdriver and loose screws lie nearby. The ValueSmith logo sits at the lower left.

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Michael Santarcangelo retweeted
Joanna Wiebe (@copyhackers) profile picture
Joanna Wiebe
@copyhackersOct 27
Change can feel threatening when you've spent years building a life around what you know. Your identity. Your sense of control. Your confidence in your abilities. If you want someone to embrace change, start by understanding what they're afraid of losing.
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Are we sending messages when it’s convenient for us or when people can do something with them?
Are we sending messages when it’s convenient for us or when people can do something with them? — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Are we sending messages when it’s convenient for us or when people can do something with them? — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Not All Questions Are Asks Ever been in a meeting presenting information when an executive interrupts with a question? Maybe it's a simple question. But it feels substantial, suggesting the answer is something you have and didn't share... yet. Only a few seconds pass as the pressure mounts. We're known for having the right answers, and this feels like a miss. So we promise to get an answer. Without looking up, the executive responds, "Okay, come back to me by the next meeting," or "Great, send me a note when you have it." Meanwhile, our brain starts racing, trying to figure out the answer and how we're going to get it. But was the question a question, or an ask? Sometimes executives like to think out loud. They're brainstorming, engaging the part of their brain that's used to solving problems. They ask questions. Sometimes lots of questions, looking for angles and insights—things they're curious about. In the moment, it feels like we're missing the answers they expected us to have. But consider more casual conversations, when we're working out a challenge with a colleague: "Hey, do you know?" "No, I don't." "Okay, then we won't worry about that yet." With the executive, maybe the question reveals something they do want answered. And that's when the question becomes an ask. Which raises a new challenge. How much time and effort will it take to find the answer? What gets displaced? Another priority? A lunch break? Nights and weekends? In these situations, I answer the question with one of my own: "Are you just asking, or is this something you want us to go figure out?" Often, the executive is just thinking out loud and doesn't even realize it. When they want the answer, they tell us. And then we can work with them to understand the effort and trade-offs involved.
A speech bubble containing a gold question mark casts a dark shadow toward a checklist with a gold check mark. The ValueSmith logo sits at the lower left.

ALT A speech bubble containing a gold question mark casts a dark shadow toward a checklist with a gold check mark. The ValueSmith logo sits at the lower left.

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What was valuable yesterday might not be valuable tomorrow.
What was valuable yesterday might not be valuable tomorrow. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT What was valuable yesterday might not be valuable tomorrow. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Just because something works doesn’t mean it delivers a benefit.
Just because something works doesn’t mean it delivers a benefit. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Just because something works doesn’t mean it delivers a benefit. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Friction doesn’t just slow work down. It consumes the capacity we need to get it done.
Friction doesn’t just slow work down. It consumes the capacity we need to get it done. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Friction doesn’t just slow work down. It consumes the capacity we need to get it done. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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It’s easier to see the cost of delivery than the loaded cost of operating it.
It’s easier to see the cost of delivery than the loaded cost of operating it. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT It’s easier to see the cost of delivery than the loaded cost of operating it. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Yesterday’s workaround can become today’s workload.
Yesterday’s workaround can become today’s workload. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Yesterday’s workaround can become today’s workload. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Michael Santarcangelo retweeted
Shawn E. Tuma (@shawnetuma) profile picture
Shawn E. Tuma@shawnetumaOct 22
The core of leadership (or 'commander's intent') is painting a clear picture of the desired outcome. Empower your team with this vision, then let them creatively find the best path to achieve it. #Leadership #Management
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Attention on stalled work can feel like blame. What if it’s a chance to show a way forward—and ask for what’s needed?
Attention on stalled work can feel like blame. What if it’s a chance to show a way forward—and ask for what’s needed? — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Attention on stalled work can feel like blame. What if it’s a chance to show a way forward—and ask for what’s needed? — Michael Santarcangelo.

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“I’ll just handle it” can make an unsustainable workload look sustainable.
“I’ll just handle it” can make an unsustainable workload look sustainable. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT “I’ll just handle it” can make an unsustainable workload look sustainable. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Did they lie? No. Did they believe it? Yes. Was it accurate? Also, no.
Did they lie? No. Did they believe it? Yes. Was it accurate? Also, no. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Did they lie? No. Did they believe it? Yes. Was it accurate? Also, no. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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Put it on paper and the argument moves from the person to the paper.
Put it on paper and the argument moves from the person to the paper. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT Put it on paper and the argument moves from the person to the paper. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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The cost is still there, even when you don’t need to ask for more budget.
The cost is still there, even when you don’t need to ask for more budget. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT The cost is still there, even when you don’t need to ask for more budget. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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If it’s important, what keeps displacing it?
If it’s important, what keeps displacing it? — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT If it’s important, what keeps displacing it? — Michael Santarcangelo.

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You can feel friction. You can't see gaps.
You can feel friction. You can't see gaps. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT You can feel friction. You can't see gaps. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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An executive's ask sounds like a priority. Often they're just thinking out loud.
An executive's ask sounds like a priority. Often they're just thinking out loud. — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT An executive's ask sounds like a priority. Often they're just thinking out loud. — Michael Santarcangelo.

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There’s a column for cost, down to the penny. Where is the column for benefit?
There’s a column for cost, down to the penny. Where is the column for benefit? — Michael Santarcangelo.

ALT There’s a column for cost, down to the penny. Where is the column for benefit? — Michael Santarcangelo.

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They know the cost. Do they see the benefit? We're working our asses off. Delivering what was asked for. But the results aren't getting recognized as valuable. Instead, we hear: "I know what you guys do is important, but what do you do? Why does it cost so much? Why does it take so long?" Value equals benefits minus costs. They know the cost down to the penny. There's a column for it. Where is the column for benefit? If they can't see the benefit, but they can see the cost, the calculation in their heads becomes zero minus cost. It leaves us holding a ledger that's reading in the red. The benefit has to be realized for the value to be recognized. Our opportunity is to connect them to the benefit. That starts with delivering an outcome that makes something better for somebody. Before we start the work, who's got to recognize it as valuable? What benefit will they realize from the outcome? Those questions give us a focus: do work that delivers a beneficial outcome somebody else can realize. Then they have a benefit to weigh against the cost.
An open ledger shows a column of costs beside a benefit page brought into focus by a gold circle. The benefit page asks: What became better? For whom?

ALT An open ledger shows a column of costs beside a benefit page brought into focus by a gold circle. The benefit page asks: What became better? For whom?

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