Why Would You Want to Hire a Creative Strategy Consultant?

Consider the wise words of Albert Einstein:

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”

It is not that every consultant knows more about your business than you. It is that a consultant has the ability to remain detached from the issues at hand. In the case of creative strategy and problem-solving, it is arguably better if the consultant does not know your business like you do. It’s not about “fixing what is broken”, but rather “efficiently aligning what is working”.

Science suggests that habits become so engrained that we will continue to do something, even when it no longer benefits us.

Take, for example, a hypothetical workplace process that was efficiently created by an industry professional 5 years ago and every that new team member that enters the space, gets trained on the process just the same.

The team members can eventually move through this process quickly; it becomes second-nature, because, it becomes a habit.

Now let’s say that an outsider is asking to understand this process. They ask the team member to walk them through it, but instead of explaining WHY they do it, they tell you WHAT they are doing. It is almost difficult for them to understand why they do it, even though they have mastered it. The process has become a habit and unless the WHY is regularly provoked, you will get the same answer, which is the task and result. Now if you ask the team leader or director of that department about the process, you will get the WHY, but you won’t get the WHAT.

Are you starting to see the misalignment from a position only one removed?

Consistently aligning the WHY with the process, creates efficiency value in the task and team investment into the GOAL.

This creates a non-habit-forming environment; one that fosters creative thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and innovation.

Now imagine a consultant guiding this process who has no emotional investment in the who, what, and why. An outsider with zero bias who can see the big picture and connect A to Z working backward. Sometimes knowing what and who alternatives would affect, creates unintentional bias. Those things are important, but can be detrimental to identifying misalignments and brainstorming alternative solutions. That internal bias is even more difficult within a close-knit structure.

Time Is Money

In the modern era, in life and business, time is money. There’s an ever-increasing amount of collaboration going on both in businesses and in peoples’ private lives. We need to figure things out almost on the fly these days while dealing with different time zones and cultures. Everyone has their own unique issues to handle alongside everything else that needs to be accommodated.

Life is becoming more complex and seems to be speeding up every time you turn around. It doesn’t take long before we begin to have thoughts of overwhelm and burnout on our minds.

It’s proves difficult to find the head space and time needed for creative and collaborative alignment; but you can’t afford not to in today’s competitive landscape.  

PS. Albert Einstein also said, “Never underestimate your own ignorance”.