Like the rest of the world, I got hooked on Serial. While it might seem (very) crass to draw parallels, a moment in one episode the other day struck me as very familiar from my day job. And I'll take comfort from Rory Sutherland's fine piece on 'The First 48' for cheerfully making its own police-procedural analogies too.

Presenter Sarah Koenig was talking - to someone who investigates this kind of case for a living - about her daily experience of doubt. One day it felt like all the pieces were in place; the very next day all those threads would unravel. Her instinct was to somehow end this intolerable uncertainty; the specialist explained how staying uncertain was actually a habit and a skill that she tried to instil in her investigators.

"You are juggling, and everything’s in the air, and you’re frozen. You have to stay there until you’ve eliminated all questions. Because if you come down or catch one and get attached to it, you’re gonna make the same mistakes that law enforcement do."

And I think one of the important roles of the Planner / Strategist involves a similar process: to simultaneously hold onto doubt while offering certainty. To give direction while keeping an open mind; to know when focus is required, and when to let your mind drift and your eyes wander. There comes a time when you have to shut down the options. But in that crucial early phase, in your own head, it's vital to keep all these contradictory balls in the air.

Now you may well think this whole post is balls. But I like that image - of keeping those jigsaw pieces in suspended animation above your head. I'll file it next to another favourite analogy (I've tried to track down the source without success, sorry): let's compare having an idea to holding a butterfly in your hand. You have to relax your mind enough to let it live.