Before we start, I cannot stress it enough: if you run a strategic process – do one-on-one interviews!
I used to lead workshops – these are nice. I used to lead round-table discussions – these can be valuable. I used to insist on research – it’s great (only if you don’t take the results at face value). But the only way to get authentic and thoughtful insights into a business and its inner workings is in one-on-ones.
Why? – Well, because only one-on-ones remove the pressure to conform to others.
So far, I’ve run hundreds and hundreds of such interviews. Yes, some of them weren’t super productive, but this was only because I interviewed the wrong people (super technical people or ones who have only high-level perspective and no hands-on experience).
Before each interview, I write dozens of questions, but there’s one question that allows me to find the hidden gems that drive businesses:
– Great, but could you walk me through the process as it happened/happens/will happen?
It doesn’t feel like a brilliant question, doesn’t it? But what it does is take the speaker from declarative mode into a vivid storytelling mode. And this is where all the insights hide.
check out what kind of answers I got using this question, and I believe you’ll become a believer.
Example #1: Interview with a CGO of a medium company
The CGO: …They chose us after concluding our product provides the most comprehensive solution in the market.
Me: Interesting. Great, but could you walk me through the consideration process as it happened
The CGO: Well, I first met their CEO at an event. I told him a bit about our offering and he just loved the fact that all our executive team are veterans in this field. That we were able to feel the pain of our customers. Then he sent me to talk to…
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I validated this insight later in other interviews, and it became the basis for the company’s new positioning focusing on their insider knowledge.
Example #2: Interview with a CTO of a startup that develops industrial materials.
The CTO: …these 4 advantages of our nano-particles should make them more attractive than those of the competitors.
Me: Okay, Great, but could you walk me through the process? How do your nano-particles gain these unique features?
The CTO: The CTO: Well, you can see it under a microscope. Usually, such particles crystalize in random forms, but our crystallization process turns them into small triangles. Check it out… This shape changes their conductivity and other features…
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This insight became the basis for the visual identity of this startup and has put the particle demo at the core of the sales process.
Example #3: Interview with the CEO of a small game development company
The CEO: We aim to become the home for the most passionate game developers in the country.
Me: Cool, but what will attract them to your small and unknown company? Could you walk me through the stages of how you see it play out?
The CEO: There are many frustrated creative geniuses in the big gaming companies. They aren’t being listened to and their vision is always questioned. I can promise them full creative control over the games they develop…
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This promise became the basis for the Employer Branding of this company.
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By digging deeper and asking for more vivid narrative-rich explanations, you can unveil the underlying mechanisms that make businesses tick.
Caught in action [Madrid Dec.23], doing the most important part of my work.