The problem is rarely where you're looking for it.
Internal teams are close to the work. That proximity is valuable and it is also the reason they often can't see the root cause of what isn't working.
These are three cases where an outside perspective found what an inside one couldn't.
Let's talk →Cognitive biases, particularly cognitive fixedness, operate quietly inside organisations. They shape how problems are framed, which solutions get considered, and why intelligent teams keep arriving at the same answers. The following challenges frequently have their roots there.
A product they used brilliantly in-house. That nobody outside could understand.
The challenge
A technical agency had developed software they used successfully internally but couldn't sell externally. Prospective buyers were confused about what it did and how it would deliver on its promises. The value proposition was unclear and inconsistent across roles. Partners were hesitant to adopt software from what looked like a competitor.
The approach
I worked with the team to identify the functional and emotional jobs specific to each buyer role, then crafted new messaging and rebuilt the demos around those jobs rather than around the product's features. Every touchpoint was rewritten to reflect what each audience was actually trying to accomplish.
The reframed product captured enterprise interest and was acquired by a major software provider, who integrated it into their digital experience platform. It is now used globally.
Successful growth that was making the product worse.
The challenge
A leading travel experience provider's rapid business expansion had created crowding problems and escalating negative feedback. The company was concerned about brand loyalty, contractual risk, and the emergence of disruptive competitors. The root cause wasn't obvious from the inside.
The approach
Over 60 one-on-one interviews were conducted with stakeholders across the full ecosystem: credit card network providers, airports, airlines, food service companies, and lounge operators. Internal employees were interviewed extensively. Mobile ethnographic interviews were conducted in key markets to understand the traveller experience in context, not just in conversation.
The research identified innovative approaches to alleviating crowding, strengthening ecosystem relationships, and expanding capacity. Employees were trained in Jobs-to-be-Done theory, transforming how the organisation understood and managed the project going forward.
A pipeline that wasn't stalling. It was being pushed away.
The challenge
An agency was experiencing persistent slowdowns in the review of proposals and contracts by prospective clients. The sales team interpreted this as buyer hesitation or procurement process delays. The real cause was elsewhere.
The approach
I analysed the functional, social, and emotional jobs of the buyers involved in the decision. What emerged was a clear picture of friction in the contract itself: its style, language, and structure were creating anxiety rather than building confidence. The sales team was inadvertently making their own deals harder to close.
Revamped contract style, language, and deal structures accelerated the size of customer relationships and boosted pipeline velocity. The sales process became a commercial asset rather than an obstacle.
If the answer isn't where you've been looking, let's look somewhere else.
Let's talk →