Most consulting engagements start backwards.

Client has a problem. Consultant proposes a solution. Everyone shakes hands and hopes for the best.

But here’s the thing: you can’t solve what you don’t understand.

And understanding takes time. Real conversations. Getting inside their world.

The Clarity Problem

Clients think they want solutions. Fast ones.

“Fix our marketing.” “Improve our processes.” “Make us more efficient.”

But those aren’t really problems. They’re symptoms.

The real problems are messier. Political. Contextual. Hidden under layers of assumptions and past decisions.

You can’t surface those in a sales call.

Inside vs Outside Knowledge

Good consulting requires inside knowledge.

You need to know their culture. Their constraints. Who actually makes decisions. What they’ve tried before and why it didn’t work.

But you’re starting from the outside. They’re not going to share the messy stuff until they trust you.

This creates a gap. You need understanding to do good work. But you need to do work to gain understanding.

Workshops for Understanding

I’ve started using workshops differently. Not to solve problems. To understand them.

The goal isn’t to walk out with answers. It’s to walk out with clarity about what the real questions are.

Example: Instead of a “Brand Strategy Session,” run a “Brand Reality Check.” What’s actually true about how customers see us? Where are our assumptions wrong?

What Clarity Looks Like

Current state mapping. What’s working? What isn’t? Where are the gaps between what they think is happening and what’s actually happening?

Priority sorting. What matters most? What would success actually look like? What constraints are non-negotiable?

Assumption testing. What do they believe that might not be true? What do they take for granted that competitors are questioning?

Good workshops surface things people already knew but hadn’t said out loud.

Why Understanding First

When you understand the real problem, everything else gets easier.

Your recommendations make sense. Your approach fits their constraints. Your timeline accounts for their politics.

But when you skip the understanding step, you’re basically guessing. And clients can tell.

The Real Work Starts After

The workshop isn’t the solution. It’s the foundation for solutions.

Because once you both understand what you’re really dealing with, you can design work that actually addresses it.

Most consulting fails because it’s solving the wrong problem well. Clarity helps you solve the right problem.

Clarity as Competitive Advantage

Everyone else is rushing to solutions. Quick fixes. Best practices from other companies.

Taking time to understand puts you in a different category. You become the person who actually gets their situation.

That’s when clients stop shopping around and start partnering with you.

Because clarity is rare. And valuable. And it leads to work that actually sticks.