Going global… well Canada, USA, Europe & Scotland

What’s your killer Columbo-style question?

Yesterday, I was privileged to walk Peter Wilken and the Lighthouse community through the Lighthouse Brand Strategy Academy discovery work I’ve been using with a client.

Throughout my career, I’ve learned that discovery work & interviews are an art form.

It’s about testing different methods, honing interviewing skills, and picking up subtle cues that help you follow a breadcrumb trail to a killer insight.

Like anything, it’s about not being afraid to make mistakes.

It’s how you evolve and learn, especially when transitioning from designer to brand and culture partner.

I had many mistakes to share and tips on how to improve them.

Because if we’re being 100% honest with ourselves, we never nail it every time.

I even shared a quick Jedi lesson: Even Yoda didn’t predict Anakin would become Darth Vader, proving we’re always learning. Anyway…

That’s why I love these types of sessions:

– First, being honest about the process and my mistakes opens the floor to genuinely insightful and authentic questions.

Some questions I could answer, others that I couldn’t, I asked the virtual room, or Peter stepped in with his years of knowledge and experience.

– Secondly, I always want to add value to those who have given up their time to leave with ideas or tools they can use in their own world.

Plus, it was pretty cool to meet like-minded people who can understand a slower-talking Glaswegian, whether they’re in North America or closer to home in Europe.

Thanks Peter, for the opportunity to blether (talk) away for an hour with questions at the end. Learning and growing using the Lighthouse Brand Strategy Academy has been fantastic.

Oh yeah, my main takeaway…

For those who didn’t grow up in the ‘70s/’80s, Detective Columbo somehow always managed to catch the bad guy with one last question out of the blue.

It highlighted that he’d always been listening, putting parts of the puzzle together before revealing a profound insight that changed everything… BOOM!
 
If you haven’t watched Columbo, it’s absolutely worth checking out.

Chris, thank you SO much for a brilliant presentation today. I’m so glad you shared some of your journey at the beginning too…you can tell by the fact people stayed on 30 mins over to ask questions that they were really engaged.

Peter Wilken. Lighthouse leader, Strategist, Author, Speaker, Brand Strategy Mentor