No…. really, what problem are we trying to solve?

A lot of times we find ourselves getting distracted from the bigger picture and the challenge that matters the most. We start with great intentions, work hard to frame the challenge, and MANY times we get sidetracked with what may be more easily measured, driven, and controlled. We are suckers for measurable actions, even though they may not drive the bigger outcome. We are process junkies, and that is NOT wrong!

In corporate life, we all gather in groups, brainstorm ideas, and settle on the answer to “what problem are we trying to solve”. You will hear that over and over, even while we are taking steps in a sideways direction rather than head-on towards the more critical objective. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in well-meaning groupthink.

Tie the “what problem are we trying to solve” question directly into a cause and effect element that drives one of your (personal, corporate, client) strategic objectives and you will keep it on track more easily. Even then we must still be honest to the question of “what problem are we trying to solve”. Keep it real and keep it focused for this set of actions.

There is an old term that still works well when tackling the early definition of this, whether it be an internal corporate issue or a client issue. From the early days of “sale processes” came the term, with derivatives, of FAA (fix, accomplish, avoid). At an appropriate time in the client engagement, which is not early on, one of the questions worth tabling is Dear client… what is the company looking to fix, accomplish, or avoid (with a modifier something like.. in these current resource constrained times).

With the FAA perspective in mind, you will find yourself working in a higher level of client interaction than product, pricing, and delivery issues. All this comes back to the focus that we all must have at this moment, and that is our client actions need to be aimed at innovation and new creation, rather than alternate sourcing actions. The latter can be time sync leading to very little if we let it. Our, choice….where and how we engage with clients!

An age-old adage… all clients need the appropriate level of support. How we do that is in our hands. And how we do that to the max is vital to how we each differentiate ourselves.

So back to the beginning, with FAA in mind… what are we (us and our clients) really trying to DO, corporately and personally?

So let’s go DO IT!

OK, LET’S ROLL!
With CUSP at heart!

Mitch