What I learned about fixing businesses from the world’s most underestimated detective

You get brought into a company

You arrive on the scene

Something’s happened, but you don’t know what

You know something’s gone wrong, but who is responsible?

What happened?

What’s the cause and how do you fix it?

Is it fixable?

Time to put on your shabbiest raincoat, grab a cigar, and start asking some questions…

You see, it’s time to introduce you to one of my heroes

Columbo

Columbo was the title character in a detective series that ran from 1968-2003

As a kid, I remember racing to the television every time he was on

Columbo, the unassuming everyman, here to solve murders involving the rich and famous

He was a disheveled man who wore a shabby raincoat, drove a beat-up car, and always had his trademark cigar

The rich and powerful elites never stood a chance

You see, he didn’t look like them

Didn’t dress like them

Didn’t have their education or pedigree

How could he foil their intricate plans?

And yet he did

Every time

How did he do it?

Those are the secrets I plan to show you today

The Secrets of Columbo

Every episode of Columbo follows a familiar format

We see a murder take place

Columbo arrives

He has some interactions with the suspect

Then, he solves the crime

But the real magic of Columbo is the interactions he has with the suspect

Every suspect is clever and intelligent

They’ve taken great pains to see that they get away with their crimes

But Columbo will solve the mystery

And like Columbo, it’s up to you to solve the mystery of what’s going on in your company

Here are the 10 secrets Columbo uses to get to the truth and solve crimes

It’s what I call The Columbo Coaching Method

1. Be patient

Columbo is never in a rush

He knows It will all come together in the end

As long as he stays patient, the answers will reveal themselves

Like Columbo, you have to be patient and ask the right questions

The truth will always come out

2. Be humble

Columbo knows the answers are out there, he just doesn’t have them yet

He realizes everyone knows something he doesn’t

He treats everyone with respect and seeks to learn from them

There will never be a time when you have all the answers

Every person has their perspective on what is happening

It’s up to you to understand how they see things differently than you do

3. Push-Pull

Columbo uses a technique called push-pull

I learned this technique during my time as an Improvisor

When the direct approach doesn’t work, Columbo pushes away to an unrelated subject

Sometimes he’ll tell stories and make small talk about his wife, his dog, and some of his hobbies

Then he’ll hit on something that pulls you right back to the original subject with new insight and energy

Tell stories, make small talk

You’ll get better results if you have conversations instead of interrogations

4. Play the game

Everyone has their preference on how they’d like to interact with you

They may also have things they’d like you to help them with

Like Columbo, listen and follow every lead

Find out what people are looking for and see how you can help them

Even if it takes you away from your main goal

5. Listen carefully

Columbo always lets people lay out their story first

He knows nothing at the start of the investigation

He’s like a sponge

Soaking up all the information he can

He accepts everything at face value

Like Columbo, you must get an understanding of what’s going on before jumping to conclusions

6. Ask probing questions

Once Columbo has soaked up all that information, he starts to find gaps in their story

Things that don’t quite add up

Now it’s time for you and Columbo to seek to fill in those gaps until you have a comprehensive view of the situation

Every time something doesn’t make sense - seek clarification

And when you think you have it all figured out, always remember, “There’s just one more thing…”

7. Respect those around you

The suspects in Columbo always get annoyed at his pestering and constant questioning

Yet through it all Columbo never loses his temper

He remains calm and polite

He builds a relationship with his suspects, even when he’s convinced they’re murderers

He respects their intelligence and their cunning

He respects them as worthy opponents and sometimes even bonds with them

Like in this scene here

Now, you’re not dealing with murderers, but the same rule applies

Assume everyone is doing their best based on what they know and the situation they’re in

8. How do we know that’s true?

With our story and the gaps filled in, we’re all set, right?

Not yet

Like the good detective Columbo, we must follow up on our leads to see if they’re true

We’re sense-making creatures and we tend to fill in gaps with things we assume to be true

But this isn’t always the case

Find the assumptions you’re making and test them to see if they hold up

9. Make sure the story makes sense

Columbo is always finding little discrepancies that don’t add up

Often we brush those nagging intuitions aside

Don’t do that

If something doesn’t make sense, ask

If you get conflicting information, sort it out

10. You’re not the expert, you’re the detective

Columbo always knows his role

He enters into the world of the suspect

A world he, the common everyman, doesn’t belong in

He learns as much as he can from those around him

Those that live day in and day out in that world

He’s an outsider and never pretends to know more than he does

Even when it comes to the high-tech detective equipment, he knows he’s not the expert

He leans on the expertise of others to help him put things together

When you’re coming into a new environment, realize

They know their situation better than you do

They know their expertise better than you do

You’re there to help them solve the mystery of why things aren’t working

What are they missing? What are you missing?

In summary, these are the 10 secrets Columbo uses to get to the truth and solve the crimes

1. Be patient

2. Be humble

3. Push-Pull

4. Play the game

5. Listen carefully

6. Ask probing questions

7. Respect those around you

8. How do we know that’s true?

9. Make sure the story makes sense

10. You’re not the expert, you’re the detective

This is The Columbo Coaching Method

Use it and like Columbo, you’ll start to solve the mysteries and problems in your company

Oh, and just one more thing…

I’d appreciate it if you’d share this with someone

Let’s keep the wisdom of Columbo alive

And now, back to work