Finding the Truth…
Behind every great innovation lies a quiet truth.
It is not always flashy. It rarely shows up in data summaries. But it is the spark that shapes relevance, meaning, and momentum. Without it, we are just guessing.
The Insight Force is about finding the truth, building the discipline of discovery into the innovation process. It is where creativity meets rigour. Where insight becomes the raw material for solutions that actually matter.
Because great ideas are only great if they are grounded in real understanding.
Assumption is the Enemy of Innovation
In many organisations, projects begin with a flurry of excitement. A clever idea, a new technology, a fresh direction. But too often, that idea is built on shaky ground. It is shaped by assumption and bias. Influenced by internal opinion. Driven by the loudest voice in the room.
When that happens, innovation starts to drift. It becomes disconnected from the people it is meant to serve.
Truth is the anchor.
If we want to create something that matters, we must first take the time to understand what matters. Not from behind a desk or through layers of reports, but through direct, honest engagement with the people and systems involved. Before we connect the dots, we must first collect them. We need to be conscious about where and how we collect those dots, because the quality of the input shapes the truth we uncover.
When Data Replaces Discovery
In a world full of data, it is easy to confuse information with insight. They are not the same.
Data sets and dashboards are helpful. Metrics matter. Most teams, when seeking input, turn to surveys. It makes sense. They are efficient, scalable, and clean. You can collect hundreds of responses in hours, and the results come in tidy graphs. However, for all their usefulness, surveys are also deeply flawed.
They are often riddled with bias. The way questions are written shapes how people respond. Multiple-choice answers lead thinking. Interpretation varies, and they stay at the surface level. There is no room for clarification. No way to ask “tell me more.” No ability to pivot when someone reveals something unexpected.
And yet, many organisations still rely on them as the foundation of customer insight.
Why?
Because surveys feel safe. The alternative, speaking to people, observing them, and asking deeper questions, can feel uncomfortable. Even scary. For many, having a real conversation with a stranger is well outside their comfort zone. So we hide behind forms and filters, believing it is better than nothing. In doing so, we miss what matters most.
The Misunderstood Myths of Insight
When challenged to go deeper, people often lean on familiar lines to justify their hesitation.
Steve Jobs is often paraphrased as saying that customers do not always know what they want until they see it.
Henry Ford is often quoted as saying, “If I had asked customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”
The point is not to avoid people. It is to avoid superficial questions. Ford did not walk away from customer input. He leaned into it. He listened. He observed. He asked questions such as, “Tell me about your commute to work,” and “What is it like travelling as a family?” He heard stories of cold, wet, slow, uncomfortable journeys. He heard about the lack of space, the inconvenience of saddlebags, and the cost of storage. From those insights came a vehicle with a roof, a heater, windscreen wipers, comfortable seats, and a lockable boot. It was faster than a horse, but that was not the only value it offered. The insight was not in asking people what they wanted. It was in understanding what they needed.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Organisations that are serious about insight embed it deeply into their way of working.
Customer understanding begins at the start, not bolted on at the end
Qualitative research is valued equally with hard numbers
Cross-functional teams explore problems together, bringing perspectives from sales, operations, users, and the front line
Discovery methods are the norm, not the exception:
Honest customer conversations
Contextual interviews
System journey walkthroughs
Empathy mapping
Observational research in the field
These approaches give us something no survey can. The ability to pause, sense, and explore beneath the surface. They reveal patterns and tensions we would otherwise miss. They allow us to spot what people do, not just what they say. Most importantly, they help us understand the why behind the what.
Listening as a Leadership Discipline
To build a culture of insight, leaders must set the tone.
That means creating space to slow down. Asking better questions. Letting go of the need to have all the answers. Being willing to sit in uncertainty long enough for clarity to emerge.
Most of all, it means modelling curiosity over certainty.
Leaders who seek the truth do not chase the most convenient solution. They invite their teams to explore, to listen, and to challenge what they think they know. They fall in love with the problem before falling in love with the idea.
Why Truth Leads to Better Innovation
Insight is not a warm-up to ideation. It is the heartbeat of relevance.
When we deeply understand the people and systems involved, we stop creating in a vacuum. We start creating with empathy, precision, and purpose. That is when ideas land. That is when they grow.
This is the foundation of customer-centered innovation. Not surface-level decoration, but a practice of discovery. A process rooted in clarity and understanding, where real needs drive real solutions.
For this to happen, the right culture must be in place. Without trust, there is little curiosity. To innovate, you need a culture of discovery and learning.
***
You cannot innovate on behalf of people you do not understand.
If you rely only on surface level data, you will build surface level solutions. Products that are asked for, but never truly needed. Services that are used once, but never loved.
So, ask yourself, and your team:
What truth are we missing right now?
What needs to be uncovered before we decide what to build?
What assumptions might trip us up, and how will we test them?
Because in the race to innovate, it is not the first idea that wins.
It is the most deeply informed one.