Transcript
Welcome to Iconoclast Insights. I'm André Daus, and I was recently invited to speak at a conference. The topic, strategic opposition, what else?
They're going to introduce me as an expert in strategic opposition. But here's something worth questioning. Can you actually be an expert in strategic opposition?
You can have extensive knowledge, absolutely. You can have years of experience. But there's no defined outcome in this work.
No checklist to follow, no guarantee that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow. And that's exactly what we need to talk about today. Because somewhere along the line, we started treating expert like it's a universal batch of credibility.
We hire experts for everything. Digital transformation. Get an expert.
Sales problems. Find an expert. Company culture issues.
Call in the experts. But what if most of the time, experts are solving the wrong problem? Here's the uncomfortable truth.
Most consulting firms and self-proclaimed experts provide solutions before they understand the problem. They skip the hard work of thinking and jump straight to implementation. Why?
Because thinking doesn't show progress. You can't put deep strategic thinking on a progress report for stakeholders. There's a German saying that describes this perfectly.
Wasch mich aber mach mich nicht nass. The translation is wash me but don't make me wet. This isn't about mocking anyone.
It's about recognizing a fundamental tension. Organizations want transformation without disruption. Results without uncertainty.
Solutions without the difficult process of questioning what they are currently doing and why. And here's what makes this dangerous. Organizations spend most of their time, money, and effort on implementation.
They should be spending it on thinking upfront. But thinking doesn't look like progress. So we hire experts who promise quick solutions.
And we skip the most critical phase entirely. So what is the result? We solve the wrong problems efficiently.
We implement the wrong solutions expertly. And then we wonder why nothing actually improves. Not all problems are created equal.
Problem Classification
But we treat them like they are. They are simple problems. Anyone can solve these with a checklist.
Making coffee, following a procedure. These are repeatable, predictable, straightforward. Then there are complicated problems.
These require experts with extensive knowledge, repairing an expensive watch, doing accounting, building a website that actually understands web technology, not just someone who clicks elements together or vibe codes it. These problems have defined outcomes, known factors and require exactness. And then there are complex problems.
These can only be managed, not solved. They involve dynamic systems with constantly changing variables. Humans, motivations, market conditions, organizational culture.
You cannot checklist your way through complexity. So what's the problem here? Most business challenges are complex, but we hire experts trained for complicated problems.
And those experts do what they know how to do. They provide solutions. Before you hire anyone, before you call them an expert, run through these three simple questions.
When to Engage Experts
Question number one. Is the success definable? If no, you are dealing with complexity.
You don't need an expert. You need someone who asks questions. Then question number two.
Are all the factors known? If no, you are dealing with complexity. And here's the tricky part.
Whenever you are dealing with humans, most factors are unknown. Their reactions, motivations, behaviours, these aren't predictable variables. And then there's question number three.
Is exactness required? If no, then it's simple. Anyone can do it.
With a checklist. If yes, then it's complicated. Now you need an expert.
So let's apply this. Making coffee. Success is definable.
Yes, check. All factors are known. Yes, check.
Exactness is required? No, not really. As long as there is a cup of coffee afterward.
So it's simple. Then there's accounting. Success is definable.
Yes, obviously. All factors are known. Yes, hopefully.
Exactness is required? Yes. If in doubt, ask your tax authority.
So this is complicated. You should hire an expert. And then there's an example of a sales call.
Success is barely definable. Factors are barely known. Exactness doesn't even apply.
So it's complex. Quite simple, isn't it? Only hire an expert when you get three yes answers to the questions.
Otherwise, you need a different approach. Entirely. Here's what typically happens.
Consequences of Misapplied Expertise
A company decides they need digital transformation. They hire an expert, or worse, a team of experts. Those experts analyze, run workshops, install a CRM system.
Everyone feels productive. But here's what nobody asked. Why did the client want digital transformation?
What's the actual goal? What's the purpose? How do they work today?
What specifically doesn't work about their current approach? The expert provides a solution to a problem that was never properly defined. And because the expert said it, the organization assumes it must be the right answer.
I saw this play out recently. The client needed a form on the website to collect data for job applications. We used strategic opposition to find a solution that tackled the root cause.
But then the client consulted another expert, who recommended a different tool they already owned. It would be cheaper. I had experience with the tool.
I knew it wouldn't integrate with their current workflows or fit their website architecture properly. But the client chose the expert's recommendation to save money. The reasoning?
The other person was positioned as an expert in that specific tool. The expertise created authority, and that authority carried more weight than understanding the actual problem. This reveals something critical.
Expertise creates authority, and authority can shut down critical thinking, even when that thinking is necessary. Let me tell you about an organization I spoke with, one that ultimately went bankrupt. When I talked to them, I told them what I saw.
Their business model was unsustainable. They needed to take time to think deeply and change direction. That path would take time before showing results, but it would give employees and clients reason to stay through the transition.
It was the hard path, the path that required genuine thinking and difficult decisions. Then another consultant told them, just acquire more clients with large discounts. It's much faster than rethinking your entire offering.
They chose the quick fix, the solution that showed immediate progress, the approach that provided answers instead of requiring them to ask hard questions about their business. The result was bankruptcy. I'm not sharing this to criticize their choice.
I'm sharing it because it demonstrates what happens when we skip the thinking phase. When we prioritize speed over understanding, the organization got exactly what they selected. Fast implementation of a solution to a problem they never properly understood.
The outcome was predictable, even if it wasn't intended. I'd love to put it this way. If NASA looked for astronauts who've already been to the moon, they'd still be working on the moon mission today.
But this is exactly what we do in business. We look for experts who've already done exactly what we need. We want proof that someone has solved our specific problem before.
Innovation doesn't work that way. Complex problems don't work that way. You need people who can figure things out, not just people who've done it before.
Now, before you think, I'm saying never hire experts, let's be clear. There are absolutely times when you need traditional experts. You need an expert when you need an accountant for complicated financial tasks.
You're repairing an expensive watch or a car. You need someone who truly understands web technology, not just clicks element together, but really knows how the systems work. The problem passes all three questions.
Success is definable, all factors are known, and exactness is required. The point isn't that expertise is bad. The point is that we use experts for the wrong types of problems.
We treat complex challenges like complicated ones, and then we are surprised when expert solutions don't work. Now, what do you actually do with this information? Here are three practical steps.
Actionable Problem Solving
First, if you think you know the problem already, stop, write down your proposed solution, then ask a co-worker or someone affected by that solution. Do you think this is the actual problem? Here's the key indicator.
If they immediately say yes without thinking, that's a red flag. They are just agreeing superficially. What you want is for them to pause and actually think about it.
That thinking process is valuable. If after that genuine consideration they arrive at the same conclusion you did, then you can be more confident you are not just seeing things from a biased perspective. But if they think it through and still don't agree, that's when your problem might just be your perspective, not the actual problem.
Better to get someone to help identify the real problem first. Here's another example. When you get a proposal from an expert, before you implement it, show it to the people who will be affected by the solution, especially if they weren't involved in the original problem definition.
They can quickly tell you if it's just a shiny PowerPoint or an actual solution to a real problem. And number three, before hiring an expert, use the framework. Run through those three questions.
Is success definable? Well, you have to define it first. Are all factors known?
Check with people who will be affected. They may reveal unknown factors you missed. And number three is exactness required.
Only if you get three yes answers should you hire an expert. If any answer is no, you're dealing with complexity or simplicity. You need someone who asks questions, not someone who provides answers.
Here's a bonus for you. Spotting fake experts. Here's the hard truth.
Spotting fake experts is difficult, then you'll acknowledge in that domain. That's exactly when you're most vulnerable. Here, red flags.
Someone offers solutions without understanding or asking for the actual problem. They jump straight to, here's what you need without investigation. They might be biased like a bank clerk earning commission on certain products.
And here are good signs. They ask you to help find the actual problem first. They enable you to identify what's really happening.
Then they help you find the right approach for that identified problem. The best experts help you think, not do your thinking for you. Being an expert has real value.
I wouldn't want someone with just a checklist repairing my car. When you have a complicated problem with a defined outcome, known factors and need for exactness, absolutely hire an expert. But most business challenges aren't complicated.
They are complex, and complexity requires a different approach entirely. So the next time someone offers you an expert solution, ask yourself, did we define the problem? Do we understand what we are actually trying to accomplish?
Or are we defaulting to expert authority because it's more comfortable than doing the hard thinking ourselves? The German saying captures it. You can't be washed without getting wet.
Real solutions require real thinking. And real thinking means getting uncomfortable with uncertainty, questioning assumptions, and sometimes discovering that the problem you thought you had isn't the problem at all. If this episode challenged how you think about expertise and problem solving, that's exactly the point.
The Iconoclast Insights podcast exists to question comfortable assumptions and push you toward better thinking. So next time you meet an expert, ask him what problem he solves, and then challenge it. See you next time.
