What If "The Problem" Isn't the Problem?
The problem a client brings you is a good place to start the conversation. But is it enough to define the work?
November 17, 2026| 1:00 PM ET | Online via Zoom
The Accelerate Network (TAN) is hosting this private online session for members of the OTD community.
TAN is a network built for experienced fractional leaders who want to intentionally develop their practices and create more of the strategic work they want to do.
The Presented Problem
Clients often come to a fractional leader with a problem they want solved.
It might be sales, marketing, leadership, operations, technology—or something else that fits squarely within the fractional leader's area of expertise.
So naturally, the conversation starts with that problem.
But there's a risk.
What if the problem the client sees isn't actually the problem?
The issue the client brings may be real, but it may also be a symptom of something broader.
If the fractional leader begins defining the work too quickly, the Presented Problem can become the frame for the engagement before enough of the business is understood.
And that can affect more than a single engagement.
What Changes When the Conversation Stays Curious Longer?
In this private working session, we'll explore what can happen when the fractional leader resists the natural urge to immediately solve the problem in front of them.
Why the Presented Problem can unintentionally narrow the client conversation.
What becomes possible when discovery expands beyond the fractional leader's own area of expertise.
How a broader understanding of the business can change the work that ultimately gets defined.
How those client conversations can influence the kinds of engagements a fractional practice produces over time.
This isn't about ignoring the problem the client brings.
It's about understanding where that problem fits before deciding what work should be done.
Join the Private OTD Session
This session is designed for experienced fractional leaders in the OTD community.
It will be a practical discussion about a situation fractional leaders encounter regularly: a client arrives with a problem that appears to need solving, but the initial problem may not tell the whole story.
November 17, 2026| 1:00 PM ET | Online via Zoom
Register below to join the session.