Story 34: Discovery
The story: Remember, this meeting is about discovery. They walked in aligned. They walked out arguing. You skipped half the qualification questions. I followed the lead that was actually there, he said. To her, discovery was a structured set of questions that qualify the opportunity. To him, it was reading the room and finding what mattered by listening. She wanted coverage. He wanted depth. Both called it discovery.
What it means for organisations: Both readings of discovery are taught, both are defensible, and neither person announces which one they are running. So the two do not just conduct different meetings. They assess each other afterwards against a standard that was never stated, and the feedback lands as a criticism of competence rather than a difference in method. That is what makes this one hard to repair. It stops being about the call.
Where next?
Read the comic as text
The Alignment Gap, Story 34
by Stavros Stavru, Ph.D. (weallagreed.com)
Scene 1: The corridor
A glass-walled office corridor with a tiled floor, plants, and meeting rooms on either side. Ally and Axel walk toward a meeting, each carrying a clipboard. Ally smiles as she reminds him, and Axel smiles back.
Ally: Remember – we agreed this meeting is about discovery!
Banner between scenes: “What could go wrong?”
Scene 2: After the meeting
A glass-walled meeting room with a plant, a cabinet, and a small desk. Ally stands with her hands out, exasperated. Axel faces her, one hand on his hip, defending himself.
Ally: You skipped half the qualification questions!
Axel: I was listening closely and followed the right lead…
Share this story: LinkedIn ↗
