“Isn’t that just common sense?”

“Isn’t that just common sense?”

I hear that line a lot after walking a founder through a fix. Last week, a CEO smiled and said it again. The snarky answer in my head: If it’s so common… But here’s what I actually said:

It only feels like common sense after you have words for it.

Plenty of good consultants will admit most of this reads like common sense. Alan Weiss even branded it “Common Sense Consulting.” I agree, with a twist. The answers can feel forehead-slapping, but these aren’t common answers because these aren’t common situations. It isn’t common to start or run a business.

Plenty of smart people run into the same patterns as their companies grow - handoffs get fuzzy, decisions stretch, quality slips. The issues are predictable; the experience is personal. Inside the business, you’re juggling customers, payroll, promises you’ve already made, and the pride of work you’ve poured yourself into. That mix blurs what’s in front of you.

And because you care, you expect to power through. Learning you’re human is hard, especially when you’re already being intentional, thoughtful, and giving it your all.

The real value of an outside perspective is that we aren’t in your battles. We don’t have to make choices based on your personal relationships or your sunk costs. We hold the flashlight still - you’re running; we anchor the beam. We take “just work harder” and turn it into “try this instead.”

One business owner I recently spoke to said, “Any time I spend with a consultant is time working on the business, not in the business.”

In life - parenting, relationships, work, and hobbies - it’s tough to separate trying your hardest from doing your best. Hardest is effort. Best is results. That may sound like common sense. Good. The trick isn’t to know it; it’s to see it on time and do something about it. Outside eyes help clarify it quickly and hold you accountable for the next step.