Every now and then I come away from a client workshop reminded that the hardest part of solving a complex organisational challenge isn’t finding the answer. It’s first getting everyone to see the challenge together.
That might sound obvious, but it’s remarkable how often senior teams begin a strategic initiative believing they are aligned, only to discover that everyone has been working from a slightly different picture all along. The conversation moves quickly to solutions, actions are allocated, and yet a few weeks later progress has slowed because people were never really solving the same problem.
Recently we worked with a leadership group facing exactly this situation. The room was full of intelligent, experienced people who all cared deeply about the outcome, but each brought different assumptions, priorities and experiences. Rather than beginning with presentations or lengthy discussions, we invited everyone to build their understanding of the situation using the LEGO® Serious Play® methodology.
What unfolded over the next few hours was important. People who had arrived with different perspectives began to discover connections they hadn’t previously seen, both in the challenge and in each other’s thinking. The conversations became richer and more honest. People were more curious about possibility, not defensive of positions, even around ideas that people hadn’t yet found the right words for. Through shared modelling work, common understanding and vision emerged. As connections became clearer, areas of agreement and tension started to emerge, along with opportunities that might otherwise have remained hidden. That shared understanding laid the foundations for the real work ahead: making decisions, agreeing priorities and committing to action.
For us, however, a workshop is never the finish line. What happens in session is more than anyone can absorb in the moment. We capture the stories, the models, the conversations. Combined with AI, that allows us to analyse and synthesise the discussion at a depth that simply wasn’t practical a few years ago. The output is a much richer understanding of what the room actually said and where the real priorities lie.
Too often, organisations move from discussion to action before they’ve built genuine alignment. Ownership is assigned because someone has capacity, seniority or happens to be in the room, rather than because they’re naturally energised by the work ahead. Momentum quietly leaks away over time, not because there aren’t capable people or good ideas. And not because something changes in the context – that’s a feature not a bug in today’s work. More often, they haven’t created the conditions for genuine shared understanding before asking people to execute, and then the allocation of task falls to guesswork.
We use the GC Index® to form the right team to carry the work forward. Rather than assuming that job titles alone determine success, we look at how people naturally contribute to change and innovation, helping organisations build teams with the right balance of energy, strengths and perspectives to turn good intentions into meaningful progress. A full view and discussion of the challenge allows us to take more intentional and considered decisions, and the mapping of the team using The GC Index® informs more intelligent ownership. This is what builds real momentum, and delivers results.
These are the moments we enjoy most: facilitating a room of individual perspectives to a genuinely shared understanding, the point at which a complex problem starts to become solvable. Once people can see the challenge together, they are far better equipped to decide what matters most, how to move forward, and who is best placed to lead each stage of the journey.
If you’re leading a strategy, transformation or innovation initiative where alignment feels harder than it should, let’s have a conversation. Time spent building a shared picture can save months of well-intentioned effort later on.
Shared understanding → Better decisions → Intentional ownership → Faster momentum.
Gaylin Jee
Founder 33 Emeralds: Delivering data-driven, immersive workshops that move companies to intentional decisions and action |Certified Facilitator of LEGO® Serious Play® |GC Index® Master Partner |Bricks of Innovation Architect
