Is rushing to solutions what’s really slowing you down?

Welcome to The Shift, our new look newsletter designed for people who don’t need more content, just sharper thinking.

Each issue, we’ll unpack the invisible forces shaping marketing today. From new ideas to new behaviours, and the shifts in mindset that make the difference between motion and momentum.

This month, we’re unpacking a pattern we’ve been collecting data on for over a year:
The better you define the problem, the faster you move.

BeenThereDoneThat’s primary function is to help our clients define their problems better with our SOLVE methodology, so they can accelerate growth. As part of that founding belief, we have gathered responses to our scorecard from 857 leaders across CPG, finance, healthcare and tech. We asked questions about how they frame challenges, how aligned their teams are, and how consistently strategy gets turned into action.

The answers tell a clear and compelling story.

‍How you define the problem determines how fast - and how well - you move. And in a world obsessed with speed, making this a focus ensures you’re not left behind.

Ed Rogers
CEO, BeenThereDoneThat

‍What we measured

From the data, we generated a composite Execution Score — a 0–100 index reflecting each organisation’s ability to translate strategy into meaningful, coordinated action.

This score draws on multiple behaviours:

• How clearly problems are defined up front
  
• Whether teams align before jumping into delivery
  
• How often strategy connects, to execution
  
• Whether reflection and iteration are baked into the culture
  

The more disciplined the behaviours, the higher the score. 

Here’s a snapshot of the data and how you can take this learning into your own organisation.

How to use this inside your org

You don’t need a transformation programme. Just better questions.

Here’s how to put the Scorecard to work - in meetings, in decks, in culture.

1. Start every brief with a “What are we solving?” slide

No jargon. No marketing speak. Just one page that names the real problem - and what success looks like.
Make completing it mandatory before anyone touches a deck.

Template it. Use it. Repeat it.

2. Swap brainstorms for “framestormings”

Before the ideas fly, run a 30-minute session with the team to align on:

• What’s the root problem here?
  
• What assumptions are we carrying?
  
• How can we frame the problem differently to unlock better solutions?

Use a whiteboard or Miro. You’ll be amazed what surfaces when people stop nodding and start defining.

3. Add the 23pt Execution Gap to your leadership decks

Show the numbers.

Teams that skip problem definition score 49.
Teams that align first score 72.
It reframes “thinking time” as a business advantage - not a delay.

Add it to your next QBR or planning pack.

4. Build Problem Definition into onboarding

Teach every new joiner the one skill that compounds: how to question the brief, not just answer it.

Create a 15-min primer using your own examples - “Good vs vague problems.” Use it in week one.

5. Reward the people who challenge the brief - instead of just running with it

Too often, teams celebrate the person who gets into solution mode fastest. Flip that.
Call out the person who paused, pushed back, reframed the problem - and helped the team avoid a false start.

Try this: at your next team meeting, share an example of a project where a smart question changed the course. Name it. Celebrate it. Repeat.

6. Benchmark your team. Use the data

Take the Scorecard with your leadership team. Then share the heatmap.
Use it to focus capability building — not just performance feedback.

‍Talent Spotlight - Chantaie Allick

A Q&A with Chantaie Allick one of our Problem definers but so much more, strategist, writer, founder, and truth-teller on how better questions create sharper brands, better briefs, and more human organisations.