Senior Executives’ Expectations of Competitive Intelligence

Senior managers can seem like fickle and demanding customers of competitive intelligence.  It is often hard to know what they expect, how to serve them, and how to be of value.  Here are five tips, from the point of view of senior executives, on how to make competitive intelligence valuable to them.

1. Get me information and analysis on time, so I can make an informed decision.  It it is late, I will decide without it.  You must know my agenda and calendar, know what decisions I am facing, and know when I need your intelligence.
2. Tell me something I do not already know.  Bring me new news, or show me a different way of looking at a situation or issue.  Know what I know and know what I need.  If I ask you for something, consult with me to make sure I am asking the right questions.  Tell me what I did not ask for that I need to understand the issue, and give it to me.
3. Give me fact-based analysis, and let others write op-ed pieces.  You need to organize facts in a way that reveals patterns, notes change, and has insight.  Make your analysis transparent.  Tell me what you know, how you know it, and how confident you are in your judgments.
4. Don’t be afraid to be wrong.  If you are wrong, tell me so.  I am more likely to respect you and have confidence in you than if you do not tell me when you are wrong.
5. Tell me not only what I should be worried about, but also what opportunities exist.  If you over-warn, I will ignore you at your peril.  Keep me honest with any bad news, but you will have to persuade me.  If I misunderstand an issue, figure out a way to make me listen.

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