I started my career in R&D, and I wasn’t any good at it. I can’t invent anything. My big thing? Sorting out complex problems with my clients and implementing the solutions.
My favourite projects start with a wide open topic or a big messy problem. The critical first step is to understand what’s going on. I start by talking to the people who are involved, and asking them lots of questions. (To everyone interviewed by me in this capacity: Hi👋🏻! And thank you 🙏🏻!)
I know that I don’t have the answers, but they do. Each of them has part of the puzzle. The magic happens by asking the right questions and finding the insights in what they know. Then we can create the solution together.
Last year one of my clients had a stuck product development project. It was causing the team members lots of headaches and they were frustrated at their lack of progress. When I interviewed them it turned out that they had different ideas about what the product was supposed to be.
To get them unstuck I ran a workshop in which we discussed what the product could be like, and they laid out their different points of view. They then decided on the product that they wanted to make and the route that they would follow.
After the workshop I wrote a project charter for them to make the goals, assumptions and action steps very clear. They executed it and reached their goals.
This intervention helped them to break out of the cycle of running while standing still. My role was to help them find their answer, not give it to them. The solution we arrived at made use of everyone’s intelligence, both theirs and mine.
This is why I love the work that I do. I get very happy seeing teams getting unstuck and moving forward. If you’ve got a complex problem that you’re working through, I’d be happy to talk.
© Veridia Consulting, 2025
