One of the occupational hazards of consulting is that you become very good at spotting problems. After a few minutes in a meeting room you start seeing things: processes that could probably be simpler, decisions that take longer than they should, teams that are working hard but somehow still feel permanently busy. The natural instinct is to help. That is, after all, what consultants are supposed to do.
Yet every now and then something puzzling happens. A team clearly recognizes a problem and everyone agrees the current situation could be improved. The discussion is thoughtful and constructive. Someone suggests a possible step forward… and the response is a familiar one: “Yes, but…” Yes, but we tried that before. Yes, but management might not support it. Yes, but our situation is slightly different. The conversation continues politely, but the problem itself remains exactly where it was.
For a long time I assumed this meant the proposed solution simply wasn’t good enough. So the logical response was to work harder: more analysis, better proposals, more structure. Over time, however, I started wondering whether the issue was not the quality of the solution at all. In many organizations people have seen initiatives come and go over the years, and enthusiasm for the next improvement idea can become… measured. Psychologists sometimes describe a related dynamic as learned helplessness, a concept associated with the work of Martin Seligman — situations where people gradually stop trying to influence outcomes because previous attempts didn’t seem to make much difference.
The mildly ironic part is that consultants can unintentionally reinforce this pattern. When progress appears slow, the instinct is to help more: more frameworks, more workshops, more suggestions. But if the consultant ends up doing most of the problem-solving, everyone else can remain comfortably analytical. In those moments the consultant may find themselves working harder on the problem than the organization itself.
These days I try to take a slightly different approach and ask simpler questions: What part of this problem is actually within our control? or What small experiment could we try this week? Often that is enough to shift the conversation from explanation to action.
It is also a useful reminder of a rule I occasionally try to follow:
never work harder on the problem than the client
A good rule — even if, from time to time, consultants still need to relearn it themselves. Including myself.