Dan
– Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia (1891)
I grew up reading Sherlock Holmes. The curious detective who always seemed to be several steps ahead of his willing compatriot Dr. Watson, or the bumbling Scotland Yard inspectors who routinely arrested the wrong person. As a child, I thought he was always in possession of the right answer. But as an adult, I would discover it wasn’t that he always had the right answer; rather it was that he always knew the right question to ask and the most relevant facts to explore.
The Power of Questions and Fact Finding
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, knew very well that one well-addressed question is worth a thousand hastily constructed answers. Today, however, the challenge is that the business world rarely rewards people for asking great questions; rather, people are more often congratulated for being the first to blurt out an answer, right or wrong. But the world has changed yet again, and the value of a well-thought-out and formulated question has become increasingly important (especially in the age of generative AI). That’s why the process and habits of fact-finding inquiry have reemerged as one of the most sought-after critical thinking and business skills of the 21st century. And there is still much we can learn from the good detective from the 19th century (more on that in a moment).
Fact Finding 101
Fact finding is an important methodology that has been used by strategists, consultants, and businesspeople for the better part of 70 years. It has its roots in Creative Problem Solving (CPS) and arguably goes back to the Socratic method. The aim of fact finding is to better understand a fuzzy problem, build insight, and occasionally build alignment with disparate stakeholders who view their problem differently. At its core, fact finding is asking and answering a series of questions. But when done right, fact finding is a whole lot more than just simply asking questions. By employing a fact-finding approach and mindset, we ensure that we understand a problem well enough to begin reframing it so that our solutions are more productive and focused.
Fact finding is a repeatable process that anyone can learn. (To learn more about the process and steps of fact finding, check out my article HERE.) But fact finding is more than just a methodology. It’s also a mindset and a set of habits. To bring those habits to life, let’s look at the example of our master fact finder: Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes: The Fact Finding Paragon
Sherlock Holmes famously refrains from jumping to conclusions or arriving at verdicts until he has meticulously collected data and asked innumerable questions. Through his many adventures, Holmes demonstrates his uncanny ability to unravel even the most seemingly impossible cases through the power of inquiry and fact finding. Despite the fact that Holmes is not a real person (although he was closely modeled on a friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), the good detective serves as a template for us to follow if we want to develop the right behaviors and mindset to be consummate fact finders. So what habits can we learn from Sherlock Holmes that we should embrace when it comes to fact finding?
Here are five of the habits that I found vital:
The 5 Habits of a Fact Finder
- Questioning the Basic Truths: Our brains are wired to follow patterns and convention. One of the defining characteristics of Sherlock Holmes’s thinking is his innate curiosity and inquisitiveness toward the world. Nothing is taken at face value, and no convention is accepted as definitive. In many of his cases, Holmes challenges the basic truths. The same is true when it comes to solving a modern business challenge. There are many generally accepted truths, but asking probing questions can challenge these truths and lead to breakthrough insights. The willingness to ask uncomfortable and/or seemingly obvious questions is one of the habits of a great fact finder and problem solver.
- Be Intensely Curious: Dale Carnegie, the author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” said, “If you want people to answer your questions, ask them questions the other person will enjoy answering.” For some people, asking great questions comes easily. They have that instinctive ability to read people and formulate that killer question. The greatest interviewers of our generation—Oprah, Terry Gross, Charlie Rose—all share a common trait: they are sincerely interested and curious. Being in a constant state of inquiry and wonder enables us to ponder and ask solid questions. Preparation, alongside this intense curiosity, enables you to put together those killer questions that unlock insight and attention. The good news is that by asking questions regularly, even in our everyday lives, we become better fact finders and interviewers.
- Connect with People so They Will Open Up: It’s not enough to ask questions; you need to build rapport. Sherlock Holmes takes this to an extreme. He actively uses clever disguises to ingratiate himself. In one story, Holmes represented himself as a horseman in order to win the trust of a group of stable boys to answer questions openly and candidly. So too must we build connection when we conduct fact finding. Establishing trust and familiarity increases the likelihood that you’ll get candid responses and uncover substantive facts.
- Deferral of Judgment: Perhaps one of the most difficult skills in fact finding is suspending judgment while exploring the facts. Holmes avoids rushing to conclusions, allowing each fact to integrate seamlessly into a coherent strategy. His rigorous approach demonstrates how the accumulation of precise, seemingly unrelated facts can coalesce into insights and unexpected conclusions. It is a human tendency to want to abbreviate the question-asking process and cut straight to a conclusion. But deferring our judgment allows us to be present and form those unexpected connections with the facts.
- Organized Fact Collection: Sherlock Holmes has an amazing ability to organize questions and facts into a neat spreadsheet that lives on his notepad and in his mind. He uses this systematic approach of mentally recording data and facts to form connections amongst seemingly disparate facts over time. For most human beings, keeping a log of facts in our brain can be tricky, if not impossible. But the principle of recording and reflecting on facts to find connections is nonetheless essential. Today, we can do this in a collaborative whiteboarding tool or on an MS PowerPoint slide. But the basic habit of recording and reflecting on the facts is the cornerstone to insight.
In today’s quickly changing business environment, the ability to uncover, understand, and utilize facts effectively has become more crucial than ever. Channeling the investigative prowess of Sherlock Holmes, with his meticulous attention to detail and relentless curiosity, provides a timeless blueprint for modern fact finders. By adopting these five essential habits—questioning basic truths, being intensely curious, connecting with people, deferring judgment, and organizing facts—we can enhance our critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
To learn more about Fact Finding and the many other Deliberate Problem Solving Tools, Visit Deliberate Approach to Creative Problem Solving
About Deliberate Innovation: We help forward thinking leaders in highly regulated organizations to solve their most unsolvable challenges.
Related Articles
