“Dr. Faller, this one’s for you.”
As I wrap up my first year in the doctoral program at Teachers College, Columbia University, I’ve been reflecting on the concepts that have shifted how I think, work, and communicate. These aren’t just academic theories—they’re tools for transformation. Tools I believe can help all of us make the kind of change that lasts.
One concept in particular has had a profound impact on how I see the world: the difference between technical and adaptive challenges.
The Leadership Insight That Changes the Game
The distinction comes from Ronald Heifetz, a leadership expert who observed that not all problems are created equal. Some are “technical”—they’re solvable with existing knowledge, expertise, or authority. For instance, like changing a flat tire. The solution exists, we just need to know (or learn) it and then apply it.
But an adaptive challenge? That’s something else entirely. That’s when you face a situation where no existing solution works—not because of a lack of effort, but because the way you’ve been thinking about the problem doesn’t match its true nature.
Heifetz argued that the first task of leadership—of real problem-solving—is diagnosis: figuring out what kind of challenge you’re actually facing.
And when I look back at the tools I’ve developed, like the Red Thread or the Buy-In Blueprint, I see that what they really do is this: they offer a technical path into solving adaptive problems. They help us narrow the scope of what must be newly discovered, so we can focus our thinking where it matters most.
Why That “Perfect Solution” Isn’t Working
Recognizing whether you’re facing a technical or adaptive challenge can instantly explain why certain solutions fall flat.
Take weight loss, for example. When I was a Weight Watchers leader, I saw this firsthand. For a small number of people, weight loss was a technical challenge—once they knew what to do, they did it.
But for most? It was deeply adaptive. They already knew what to do. They didn’t need another plan or meal prep idea. What they needed was to shift how they thought about themselves, their environment, their relationship to food, or some combination of all of those.
Even with the rise of new weight loss drugs—ones that seem to reduce resistance—the reality remains: true and lasting change still requires an adaptive shift for most people.
Messaging That Meets the Moment
So what does this have to do with message design?
Everything.
When you’re addressing a technical challenge, your message can be an explanation—“Here’s what to do, and how to do it.”
But when you’re facing an adaptive challenge, you need more than an explanation. You need an argument. A belief-based case that reshapes how people see the problem in the first place.
In my work, that belief-based argument is what I call the Core Case—a set of principles your audience already believes, rearranged to reveal a new perspective. It’s what turns a message from informative to transformative.
Because at the heart of every adaptive challenge is a paradox: you can’t solve the problem until you change how you see the problem.
And that starts with message design that aligns with how people make meaning, not just how they receive information.
The Takeaway
If a solution isn’t sticking, pause and ask: is this a technical challenge or an adaptive one?
Because if you’re solving an adaptive challenge with a technical solution, you may be offering a perfectly good answer—to the wrong question.
And if you want to read more about adaptive and technical challenges, this Harvard Business Review article by Heifetz and Donald Laurie is a great place to start.