4 Identify Strategic Opportunities Reactively

If a problem can’t be solved within the frame it was conceived, the solution lies in reframing the problem.

—Brian McGreevy

We are moving to a team-based sales approach. I’d like to discuss the compensation plan we’ll need to support this approach.

We are experiencing an increase in preventable accidents and incidents. Safety is a primary goal for our manufacturing organization. What kind of safety training can we offer our operators and supervisors?

How often are you contacted by a client who has requests such as these? Each request is presented with a solution in mind; the client seeks your help to design and/or implement the already determined solution. In essence, the client expects you to work in a tactical manner, providing the expertise needed to deliver the solution. Unfortunately, this approach has a high probability for low or no results, because most performance problems have multiple causes. Therefore, multiple solutions are needed for sustained change to occur. Single solutions rarely work.

Requests for solutions provide opportunities to use a performance consulting approach. In these situations, you ask powerful questions to reframe the request so the focus is on the business and performance results the client seeks to achieve and not the solution that was requested. When you successfully reframe a request, you change your role from a tactical one (providing a solution) to that of a strategic partner, working with the client to determine both the problem and the solution.