“Your team has its old method of solving the problem, but with this client, with this project, the old method is not working?” I asked.

Simon nodded in agreement.

“Your team has its own reasons for continuing the old method, even when it doesn’t work?” I continued. “What are those reasons?”

“I don’t know,” Simon suggested. “I suppose because that is the way they have always solved the problem before.”

“If you don’t know, then you are surprised when they don’t follow your direction,” I observed. “How are you going to find out?”

“Okay, okay,” Simon relented. “I have to ask them.”

“You have a goal, a target, a problem solved and a project complete,” I said. “How do you draw the team to productive behavior in solving the problem? They have their old way, you have a new way, but there is still a gap. How do you draw the team to your new way?”

“That’s the problem. If I ask, we will likely squander the precious time we have to fix the problem. They are likely to come up with unproductive solutions,” Simon was convinced.

“If you are not getting the response you want,” I smiled. “Are you asking the wrong questions?”