The Ghost Diagnosis: Help Clients See The Problems Haunting Them

Many consultants accidentally create ghost diagnoses from client research. All the information is there, but it's hard to see it. It haunts the client - until you properly name it.

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Don’t Create A Ghost Diagnosis

One thing that I’ve worked on a lot over the years is how to name a problem.

Once you’ve completed all the analysis and discovery in a client project, you need to name the problem to facilitate discussion. If you can’t name a problem, there’s no easy way for clients to discuss it.

On a client project a while back, our analysis read:

"Over time, we’ve observed that although the number of registered users in the community continues to grow, the overall volume of user-generated contributions, such as posts, comments, and reactions, has either remained static or is declining slightly. This suggests that new members are not engaging at the same rate as earlier cohorts, and some of the more active participants may be reducing their activity levels. As a result, the community appears to be experiencing a stagnation in engagement despite continued growth in membership size."

Do you think anyone is going to remember any of that?

We needed a term to describe it. And we landed upon:

“The Participation Plateau”

That’s a simple term which makes it easy for everyone to understand the problem.

Once we know the best way to describe it, we can relate it to our thinking about solving the problem.

“You’ve reached The Participation Plateau. Now you need a new mountain to climb.”

This summarises a lot of research into a simple diagnostic statement. More than that, it does two things:

1. It implies that no one is to blame; it’s a natural part of the journey. Indeed, it’s an outcome of success (we’re not looking for fights here).

2. It creates a structure for discussing the next steps. We don’t want the client thinking about how to solve the plateau by improving or doing what they’ve done before. We want them to think about what the next big mountain is.

I’m pretty sure the organisation will still be discussing the participation plateau even after we’ve gone.

Naming Problems Change The Problem

There’s an amazing power in boiling down months of discovery and research into a single statement.

When you give an organisation a way to talk about a problem without combing through the analysis, you also give them the tools to begin solving the problem. This is because:

1. It creates a shared language. A well-named problem gives everyone a common reference point, eliminating confusion and miscommunication. No one is debating the analysis; they’re discussing the defined problem.

2. It makes abstract issues concrete. Naming transforms vague feelings of discomfort and reams of data into tangible challenges that can be addressed.

3. Facilitates discussion. People are more comfortable discussing a named problem than an unnamed one.

4. Establishes ownership. A named problem can be assigned and tracked, preventing it from falling through organisational cracks.

5. Creates memorability. Named problems stick in people's minds, keeping essential issues from being forgotten.

In some of our past projects, the named problem is what the client remembers the most. Long after the analysis and solutions have been undertaken and implemented, the named problem remains.

(Aside - naming a problem is also good when creating content).

Famous Examples of Problem Naming by Consultants

You can find plenty of examples of problems named by consultants (and authors). Many of them stick in our minds for decades

• The Paradox of Choice.

• The Innovator’s Dilemma.

• The Peter Principle.

• The Curse of Knowledge.

• The Tragedy of the Commons.

• Broken Windows Theory.

• Minimum Viable Product.

• The Military-Industrial Complex.

• The Flywheel Effect.

All of these take complex concepts and make them concrete and easy to understand.

If you want something to stick, resonate, and be resolved, you need to name the problem.

Be Deliberate In Your Choice Of Names

It may seem like ‘The Participation Plateau’ (and all the examples above) was the obvious choice. Things always seem obvious in hindsight. At the time, I remember considering:

1. The Engagement Ceiling

2. Engagement Exhaustion

3. The Interaction Threshold

4. The Momentum Gap

5. The Participation Pendulum

But do you notice how each presents a problem slightly differently? Some view the issue in a negative light, while others suggest it should be addressed. The words you use to describe a problem need to evoke the right feeling and approach to the problem itself.

It was important to me that this wasn’t a negative but an opportunity to enjoy exploring. Selecting the correct name is a skill.

Steps To Naming A Problem

You can follow your path, but these are some reasonable steps:

1. Determine the essential nature. What are the core issues and symptoms of the problem which people recognise? List them out here.

2. What makes this problem unique? How does it differ in scope, impact, and exceptional circumstances from any other problem? Again, list these out.

3. Who does it impact? Write down who will be affected by the problem — this will influence how you describe it.

4. How do you want people to feel about the problem? Do you want them to be shocked, hopeful, excited, scared, determined?

5. What action do you want people to take? Do you want them to stop doing something, change something, etc?

6. Make it visual. The better people can visualise your meaning - the more effective the message. It’s easier to imagine a plateau.

7. Make it concise. Two to three words are ideal - no more, no less.

8. Generative Potential: Consider whether the names inspire further discussion or ideas about solutions. A good name should open pathways for conversation rather than close them off.

This kind of brainstorming, based on some simple rules, is also where tools like ChatGPT can help.

The Ghost Diagnosis

Finding the correct term and expression to describe a problem is a unique will — and you don’t always get it right. But over time, your spidey sense(!) will indicate what kinds of terms will and won’t resonate with the people you’re engaging.

This post is a good example.

I knew I needed a term to describe the problem of consultants, but I did not name the problems. I initially toyed with Unnamed Insights, The Label Lag, Silent Truths, etc…

But none of them captured the emotive or visual side of what I wanted to say, so I chose The Ghost Diagnosis.

Maybe it will resonate, perhaps not. But it feels like a more concrete way to discuss the problem of diagnoses which aren’t.

Good luck!

Richard Millington

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