Understanding Your Customer’s Problem

About the Event

“Seek first to understand.” – Stephen R. Covey

If you’ve ever built the perfect solution—only to have it questioned, delayed, or derailed—you’re not alone. Most problems don’t live in the data or the tools. They live in the gaps between people.

In this session of The Problem Solver’s Dojo, we’re digging into one of the trickiest parts of problem solving: understanding your customer’s problem—especially when that “customer” is a stakeholder, a boss, or a cross-functional partner.

Managing stakeholders is part art, part science. And while you can’t control how people show up, you can build systems that make alignment easier.

We’ll explore simple practices and mindset shifts to:

• Stay curious under pressure

• Communicate more clearly (even when it’s uncomfortable)

• Create shared understanding before rushing to solutions

We’ll also talk about the elephant in the room: managing up. Why it’s hard, what works, and how to build influence without burnout.

Key Takeaways

• Get to the Real Problem: Learn how to uncover what your stakeholders actually need—before jumping to solutions.

• Build Alignment Systems: Use simple standards and practices to reduce friction and increase clarity across teams.

• Manage Up with Confidence: Tactical tips to influence decision-makers and build trust—without playing politics.

• Communicate with Curiosity: Shift from reacting to understanding with questions and practices that open doors.

About Sarah

Sarah Tilkens is the CEO of The KPI Lab, a Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean expert, and certified leadership coach with hundreds of hours of training focused on deep listening, asking better questions, and helping people uncover their own answers. She’s led frontline teams and executive leaders through complex change—and knows that real problem solving starts with understanding people. With a rare blend of systems thinking and coaching curiosity, Sarah helps teams build trust, communicate with clarity, and create solutions that actually stick.