A man sits by the road beneath a tree, enjoying a mid-afternoon snack.
A man walks by with a load of bricks. Our friend calls out to the worker, “Good afternoon, what are you doing?”
The worker replies, “I’m carrying bricks.”
Soon, another worker walks by, also carrying bricks. Our friend calls out to the worker, “Good afternoon, what are you doing?”
The worker replies, “I’m building a wall.”
Yet again, another worker walks by carrying bricks. Our friends call out a third time, “Good afternoon, what are you doing?”
The worker replies, “I’m building a Cathedral.”
Any problem you face is potentially a brick, wall, or a cathedral. You get to choose. How you see what’s right in front of you will dictate what you decide to do next.
For example:
- “We need to close more deals” sounds like bricks. The words “deals” and “closing” direct our attention to sales tactics.
- “We need to find and thrill 1,000 people who need our help improving . . .” sounds more like a wall. We still need to close sales, but the words open new areas of inquiry.
- “We need to change how people think about . . .” sounds like a cathedral. The presenting problem of closing sales has led us back to the why and what we’re here to do. A bigger picture invites bigger ideas.
How we talk about the decisions we need to make is highly predictive of the ideas and solutions we develop. Brick-level questions invite predictable solutions. Cathedral questions invite the opposite.
One isn’t better than the other. But they are different.
Next time, before you grab a trowel and some cement, ask yourself, “Am I dealing with the next brick, building a wall, or the whole cathedral?” If you work in a team, ask them too.
Getting the frame right is half the battle.