Be Bold, Not Boxed In: Why Templates Aren’t the Only Answer

Have you ever been asked to fill in a spreadsheet, template or register by a consultant coming to help you solve a problem, or have you been the consultant thrown into a job to assist and you think “great I’ve got this. I’ve done the training. I’ve got the template. I’m going to use it to solve this problem.” Does it solve the problem? Often times not?

I think we too often fall into the trap of thinking we’ve got the tools, templates and registers to collect information to help manage a change, but does it always help? From my observation, we get locked into using the template and think that will bring about the solution, when it’s often more of a burden and narrows our focus. It doesn’t allow us to admire the problem holistically. 

What have you seen in your experiences? I’m a big believer in conversation and talking with people and communicating to help solve problems using multiple methods, because there’s often never just one process or methodology to solve complex problems. But you can guarantee it always requires communication and relationships. 

Remember, templates are just a tool in your toolkit - along with lots of other skills and methodologies, but you almost always have to customise it for the client and their problem that you’re trying to solve. Which comes about through conversation and understanding their context.

Lisa Milin | CEO and Partner