Feedback – It’s Relative!

“A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.”
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

All too often we get caught up in our ability to solve problems.  We are problem solvers!  It’s how we sell our services.  You have a problem, we can help you solve it.

But how often do we create our own problems?  How much work (which you can’t usually get paid for), must you do just to recover from a situation you created for yourself?  A clever person might find a way out without losing much profit on the job.  As Einstein implied, the wise person will keep (or increase)  his profit by avoiding extra unbillable efforts.

The wise person seeks first to understand the problem.  The problem is not a technical one.  Nor is it an artistic one.  The problem is a client problem.  More accurately, the client’s problem.  Until we understand the problem as the client perceives it, we will not be able to solve it.  Regardless of how clever the technical and artistic solutions are, if the client’s basic issues were not addressed, the project has not succeeded.

If we can engage our clients systematically and frequently throughout the project, and measure their perceptions of our success with solving their problems, we can avoid creating our own.  Before we’ve gone off track, the client can correct, clarify, and guide us in the right direction.

Only when we are truly asking our clients how we’re doing, listening to their feedback, and responding with a refined approach, will we ever attain professional services “genius” on level with Mr. Einstein himself.