Have you heard about the dangerous HiPPO? certainly not the one in the pic, I mean the HiPPO: Highest Paid Person’s Opinion (in the office or meeting)
The typical “good idea”, a project or initiative that is undertaken because “somebody important” believes that will have “some benefits” for the organization. The rest of the people just nod and accept the idea, they were too scared to question its wisdom.
The term can also be used to describe an organization’s reliance on human instinct rather than data in the decision-making process.
Remember Jim Barksdale’s quote: “If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.”
In your next big business meeting keep in mind the dangerous HiPPO, it comes with no measurable value for the company. One solution for this is to involve customers (or end users) in the idea generation process and to include measurable success indicators from the beginning.
How to identify an office HiPPO?, sharp suit, company car, smell of success….
