January 9, 2025

Polar Vortex

This morning at 6am in Providence, it was 19°F, windy, and dark.

In spite of this, my 14yo son tried to leave for school without a coat on.

It’s worth noting that his school is halfway across town, and he has to take the city bus to get there.

This means he has to walk half a mile to his bus stop and then wait there on the sidewalk for the bus.

And then once the bus drops him off, he has to walk another half mile to the school.

That’s a lot of exposure to bone-chilling temps for someone in sweatpants and a hoodie.

Fortunately, my wife was awake and headed him off at the pass.

She, of course, insisted that he put on a coat.

He, of course, grumbled loudly about this.

After some “spirited negotiation”, they compromised on a puffy vest, and he headed out into the freezing darkness.

Here’s the thing...

As a parent, it’s obvious that if your kid walks to school without a coat on during a polar vortex, it’s likely to result in problems (e.g., cold, flu, pneumonia, ear infection, etc).

It’s also obvious to the parent that these are problems that could easily be avoided with a simple solution (e.g., putting a dang coat on).

Naturally, none of this matters to the kid.

Why not?

Because the kid doesn’t see “walking to school without a coat on in a polar vortex” as a problem.

Why am I telling you this?

Because it’s the same with clients.

As a consultant, it’s easy to see when a client is doing something that is going to lead to a problem.

But if THEY don’t see this as a problem, then they will reject whatever solution you attempt to sell them.

(Unlike kids, threatening to ground them will almost certainly get you nowhere.)

Yours,

—J