Why are people pushing for a certain way or path that seems to not fit? What does the picture look like if this puzzle piece is removed from the story? Does it help the picture? Or make it worse? Now, if your business transformation is an investigation to be conducted, which puzzle pieces don't seem to fit? What has you scratching your head, saying, "hmmmm." What seems out of order, contradictory or counterintuitive? What doesn't quite make sense in the larger picture of project goals or employee morale or company objectives?
These misshapen pieces were the keys to him unlocking his mystery. Instead, Columbo always sought out the puzzle pieces that didn't quite fit in the larger scheme or that didn't seem to make sense in the bigger picture in which the crime took place. The pieces that fit easily, however? These never interested our dear hero. Always check "just one more thing." "The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity." -Douglas HortonĮach Columbo episode showed him piecing together a complex puzzle into a simple conclusion. Takeaway: Don't be deceived by the obvious. Push the conversation to see if certain beliefs aren't actually true. Don't skim and accept the first obvious "fact" you hear. But, when you get into the "fact" of how people feel or of employee perceptions or straight-up resistances, check and re-check. Tip: Yes, some project details are concrete truths. Why? Because when a person is convinced that a thing is obviously true, they usually stop thinking about it. This means that your managers or employees can miss all sorts of things that could be true if they're wrong about the first thing! To check and re-check and check the facts again. He turned over details in his mind and, even more, he questioned "what if something wasn't true?" In short, he didn't simply accept what people told him as fact.įor you-as someone leading transformation-this is your duty as well. "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact." -Sherlock HolmesĬolumbo always checked and re-checked his facts multiple times.
Takeaway: Not being afraid to look stupid can be your fastest way to gain precious knowledge. And then, be the one pays attention to how people respond to your seemingly dumb questions.ĭo people puff up or push back? Roll their eyes at you "wasting their time?" Snicker at something you "should already know?" How people respond can give you some great clues about what people might be hiding (tip: irritation is often a defense mechanism for lack of knowledge), assuming (remember: not all assumptions should be taken as gospel) or judging (hint: strong attachment to a specific way things "should be" is often a sign of unfounded fear). Instead, be the one who asks "dumb" questions. This is the place to start: When you really want to understand what needs to change in an organization, ditch your pride, ditch your ego and ditch trying to look cool or smart or any variation of cool or smart you may have in mind. And even more, he asked the seemingly "dumb" questions that would make the know-it-all criminal roll their eyes. His pride or ego was nowhere to be found. The truly intelligent person is one who can pretend to be a fool in front of a fool who pretends to be intelligent." -UnknownĬolumbo was the fly in the soup, the buffoon at the ball, the fool in the court and that's what made him brilliant. In fact, I believe that channeling our inner Columbo is a clue to solving the mystery of effective change management. Not about solving crimes in this case but, instead, about identifying hidden motives? About getting people to reveal the truth? About a new way to effectively uncover what's actually holding your project success hostage? When faced with naysayers, saboteurs or, at worst, people who want to metaphorically murder your project, goal or initiative, what if Columbo was on to something all those years ago? He was an investigative mastermind.Īs I re-watched him with fresh eyes, now a grown woman who's spent her career working with organizations undergoing massively uncomfortable, resistance-laden enterprise transformation, it got me thinking. He could stitch together clues like none other and get criminals to sing like birds. Remember Columbo?! That lovable, frumpy detective? That bumbling, disheveled genius? He was so clever, so crafty, so brilliant. I realize I'm speaking to a specific demographic here, but OMG. The binge-watching highlight? Multiple episodes of the 1970's hit, Columbo.
#HIGHEST RATED COLUMBO EPISODES TV#
As a good partner, I brought him tea and tissues, tucked in his blankies and, when it was time to lounge on the couch for hours on end, dutifully kept him company as we streamed old-school TV on YouTube. My husband had a nasty cold this past weekend.
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