Consider this.
You visit your Doctor… “Doctor I need something for the pain in my back.” The doctor examines your back… you wince… he prescribes drugs to address the discomfort.
When the spasms return you visit a second Doctor. “Doctor I need something for the pain in my back.”
Before looking at your back the second physician asks you about your lifestyle and about your day-to-day activity. You tell her that you are a runner. She asks questions about your runs and you recall that you had an issue with your left knee that is now resolved because you developed a way of running that reduces the pressure on your knee. The Doctor examines your knee.
Hmmm.
Turns out… your back pain is a symptom of the running technique you’ve adopted to alleviate the pain in your knee. The solution is to fix your knee which will also result in the elimination of your back problem.
So which doctor are you? Do you simply accept the client’s stated need and go head to head with your competitors to resolve it? Or do you get curious about the implications of your client’s need in context of their bigger priorities? Do you deal with the symptom because it’s handed to you? Or do you step back with the customer to understand the core issue or cause so that you can create competitive advantage?
I’d love to hear your insights. Please leave a comment below.
