3: The Focus Question

In which you find out how to stop

spending so much time and effort

solving the wrong problem.

Eureka. Kind Of.

The world of science is full of accidental, brilliant discoveries.
William Perkin was trying to cure malaria and ended up creating
the first synthetic dye, mauveine. Andrew Fleming failed to tidy
up his lab properly before heading off on vacation, and on his
return found our first antibiotic, penicillin. The Post-it Note owes
its success to a failed superglue. Viagra was originally created to
deal with angina.
Sadly, this synchronicity is not what happens in your
organization.
If your organizational culture is like every organizational
culture I’ve ever seen (and it is), then it’s a place that loves getting
things done. Making it happen. Crossing it off the to-do list. And if
you’re like most of the managers I’ve ever worked with and for