My Orders.

My orders are to get the right information to the people who make the decisions. I just need to send some information!

- Jack Ryan ‘The Sum of All Fears’

It’s simple in theory: Get the right information to the people who make the decisions.

There’s a commendable and necessary naivety in Jack Ryan’s statement.

What is the ‘right’ information? That alone is a library-full of debate.

How do I get it to ‘the people’?

Who are those ‘people’ and what qualifies them to make the decisions?

What decision will they make with that information?

Why am I forced to persuade this intermediary of my need to send information?

This is the lot of the knowledge worker. The information water carrier. No judgement about the information (other than it’s ‘right’), nor on the people who make the decisions.

Not unless we see how they use that information, and whether it justified our blind loyalty, effort, and obedience - and the frustration of getting past the gatekeeper.

Whereupon we may have to make some decisions of our own.