57: Those who seek, find

In the New Testament, Matthew framed it simply: those who actively search for answers are more likely to achieve them[1].

In one of the Cormoran Strike stories, a murder alibi is dismantled when Cormoran realises that in a picture that was used as an alibi (a fishing trip during Winter) the flowers in the background do not match the season at that time of the year[2]. Criminals are cunning but sometime they lack time, or brain, to work out all the details.

In sales, or strategy, this skill is particularly required, and valuable, and will differentiate a great sales person or strategist from the rest of the pack[3].

In sales, this skill enables, for example, professionals to spot patterns in a client’s business where their offer is a perfect fit, or to perceive, just by observing a buyer, whether their stance on a price requirement is genuine or a bluff.

In strategy, this ability allows one to identify patterns in the development of a business or spot emerging external trends that could have significant consequences for their company or clients.

In both cases, such individuals are able to connect more dots, extract more insights and uncover more opportunities from the same picture/situation that their competitors or colleagues merely look at.

They do this because they actively seek answers and ask themselves, What could this mean? Is this right?

They go through many points and details that, at first glance, might seem unimportant.

So check the picture carefully and you might be in for a surprise[4].

[1] Matthew 7:7 in the New Testament. The full verse states: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

[2] Sorry for the spoiler alert but you should be fine watching this excellent series on BBC because I did not tell you in which episode this happens. On the positive, if you watch that episode you will reconnect with this post reinforcing its message!

By the way, the ‘picture solution technique’ is quite common in crime books. In two books of Sherlock Holmes he gets important information from a picture: in The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez Sherlock identifies the murderer using a photograph of the victim and his assailant, in The Hound of the Baskervilles a portrait painting plays a key role in uncovering the mystery behind the curse of the Baskerville family.

[3] Gary Klein, a cognitive psychologist studied in the eighties how experts such as firefighters, military commanders or medical professionals made rapid, high-stakes decisions under pressure.

His Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) Theory explains how experts make rapid decisions based on pattern recognition and intuition rather than formal analysis. It emerged from studies of firefighters who instinctively sensed danger before consciously identifying why; like a commander who evacuated his team moments before a hidden basement fire collapsed the floor. RPD is also used, often unknowingly, in high-stakes fields, including business sales or corporate crisis, where experienced professionals quickly spot patterns (a long term loyal customer is going bankrupt!), anticipate outcomes, and act decisively.

[4] Or how we say in Italian: ‘Chi cerca trova’.