Pressure Test Your Assumptions

  Business Analysis   Decision Making   Strategy  

Many times, throughout my career I was a “fixer” for troubled projects and client relationships. It was a role I didn’t seek, but others saw that I was good in that role. The funny part is that nobody quite knew why I was good in that role. In fact, it took me years to understand the source of my competence.

On the surface, I was successful because I could quickly build rapport and trust with all the involved parties. This is an incredibly important skill set. However, this skill set was not the key to my success and did not provide any context for how to avoid lurking problems.

My success was due to the fact that I could quickly identify the core problem behind the troubled project or client relationship. I didn’t know why it came so easy to me, but time after time I was always able to accurately assess the situation.

Honestly, I didn’t know the source of my competence. Was it luck? I possessed no greater mastery of the subject matter than those around me and, in many cases, far less experience. I worried that the lucky streak might run out and that I would be found out to be a fraud. What was the secret that led to so many successful outcomes?

I found the answer one day when I was using some twine to tie my trunk shut after a home improvement purchase for our new home. I had to search the far corners of my car for a suitable length of twine to secure the load for …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.