The Crow Understands Why the Tool Works. Do You?

We are sticking with Crows today, specifically the New Caledonian Crows. Not only do they use tools, like ourselves and our hairy ancestors, they use tools in sequence. They will craft tools, bending and shaping materials to their will … and those tools might help them retrieve other tools, which will enable them to get the food they so desire.

They have a specific problem, the tastiest and most succulent grub which eluded them by escaping into a log … and either because the crow took it personally, or because they absolutely wanted that particular grub, they focus … select or create the tools necessary, and execute on operation tasty grub.

There’s a fable you may know of the Crow and the Pitcher. A crow finds a pitcher of water but the level of the water is too low for the bird to reach it with its beak. Instead of trying to find water elsewhere, it brings rocks and pebbles and drops them into the water one by one, raising the level bit by bit until the water is high enough for it to drink.

Researchers actually used this fable as a starting point for their experimentation with Crows.

And the crows passed. They dropped stones into a tube of water to raise a treat they wanted to eat. What’s more, they were very specific about what they grabbed. The scientists presented them with hollow objects along with real stones and they consistently chose the correct item.

They didn't memorize a solution. They understood the principle well enough to apply it to a problem they'd never seen before. Can you say the same about the tools you're using in your business?

Most owners have a bag of tools at their disposal, and when a problem arises they reach for the nearest tool and take swift action. Maybe that tool even worked in the past. But they never stopped and figured out WHY it worked.

They smelled smoke once, they used a fire extinguisher and the problem was solved. They smell smoke again, they immediately reach for the fire extinguisher … and hose down someone making toast, or straightening their hair.

The extinguisher worked because there was a fire last time. It’s not the solution to all things with a smoky aroma.

I talked earlier about ensuring you’re focusing on the right problem. And once you have that problem identified, make sure you’re using the correct tool, and following the correct sequence, to solve that problem.

Some of the problems you will face will be new. And while some of those new problems will be fixed by existing solutions and tools, others will require something entirely new.

Be sure you’re not hammering on a screw. Screws don’t like that.

So as you drive to your next engagement, your next client meeting or discovery session, think about one thing you’re actively working on in your business. What tool are you reflexively reaching for? Is it the right one? And is it the first one you should reach for, or are you skipping important steps?

CPA,s attorneys and financial advisors are particularly prone to this. The practice plateaus and the reflex is to network more and market harder. Revenue stalls and the instinct is to add a service line, or just work harder. Overhead rises and the impulse is to cut staff. Sometimes those are the right moves. But often the actual problem is upstream, and the familiar tool just creates noise while the real issue goes unaddressed.

Pay attention, remember everything, and never stop learning.

If this got you thinking, share it with a friend or let me know. What is one problem in your practice that you keep applying the same solution to?