From Shane Parrish Decision Making Course.
The Automatic Behavior: Never let anyone define the problem for you.
one of the most common things I see distracting great decision makers from taking charge and moving intentionally towards their objectives: accepting the problem statement that’s handed to them and jumping into solving it.
How we state the problem puts us on the path toward success. And most of the time the first problem put on the table is not the problems we really need to solve. It’s only natural top performers are impatient. Once you put a problem in front of them, they immediately go into “solution” mode. That’s because we’re taught that having a solution is how we add value. So we get caught up in doing something over doing the right thing. We want to be seen as decisive, action orientated, and signal that we’re doing something. So more often than not when we jump in right away, we end up solving the wrong problem.
if you’re the decision maker, you need to think through the problem yourself. Other people — including experts — can give you a starting place, sure, but you need to figure out the root problem for yourself.
There are two ways we can use to increase the odds we’re solving the right problem.
The first way is, never accept someone else’s definition of the problem. Others might give you a starting point, but you have to do your own work and not jump right into solutions.
The second way— when it’s more team based — is to put up a firewall between the problem definition and the problem solution.
You need to separate the problem definition and the solution into two meetings, preferably at least a day apart. That slows people down, allows you to ask people questions, not get caught up signaling in the heat of the moment and really allows you to think on the problem.
Only after you understand the problem and have thought about it as a team can you start evaluating options. Don’t put these two things in the same meeting.
In your personal decisions, give yourself time to get clear on what the problem is before trying to solve it. You can really only do this if you articulate it, either verbally or in writing. Make it concrete. Making it concrete will help you determine if it is actually the problem you want to solve.
When someone in your office and tells you what the problem is- remember the rule of never allowing other people to define the problem for you, and tell them you need to think about it before offering solutions.
The first step when a problem is presented is to ask “Is this a symptom or the problem?”
Am I dealing with the root problem, or the secondary problems that the root problem is creating? What is the real problem at hand?
Then look for what’s causing the root problem to arise by asking “What would have to be true for this problem not to exist in the first place?”
Another way to test if you’re solving a cause or a symptom, is to see if solving this particular problem passes the test of time. Will it just pop up again in 3 weeks? 3months? 3 years?
When you look at a problem, ask whether fixing it will stand the test of time. If it won’t, you aren’t solving the root problem. And sometimes that’s ok, but it’s worth digging into the problem statement to figure out if you can have more of an impact.
Example: Rebooting the software solved the problem for a week. Fixing the software solved the problem for good.
Finally, if there are multiple people involved in a decision, it’s really worth trying to get an agreed upon understanding of the problem.
Most times when we talk about “consensus” we talk about it in the sense of the path forward and not the problem. It’s a lot better to have consensus around the problem before talking about the solution because then you’re all starting from the same understanding about what you’re trying to solve and not arguing solutions that solve different problems.
I’ve found a clever way, when you’re working in a group, to get clarity on the problem that works really well.
Give everyone a sticky note — or if it’s a virtual meeting — ask each participant to email the facilitator the answer to this question:
“In your own words, what is the problem we’re solving?” You’ll be amazed by how different the responses are. Remember at a high level, a decision involves solving a problem, preventing a future problem or capitalizing on an opportunity so you’ll want to tailor the question accordingly.
Once you’ve gathered all the responses, you can perform the same exercises discussed above. For each one, ask “What would have to be true for this problem not to exist?” and “Will solving this problem stand the test of time?.”
Focus on getting clarity on the problem and bar any discussion of solutions until the problem is clear.
A great problem statement contains: What we want, where want to go, and what’s getting in the way of getting there.
Until there’s agreement on what the problem is that’s being solved, and that problem is addressing the cause of the issue not a symptom of it- you’ll be constantly addressing symptoms.
Summary:
Separate identifying the problem and finding the solution.
Ask, “What would have to be true for this problem to not exist in the first place?
Ask, “Will solving this problem stand the test of time?”
Get agreement on what the root problem is from everyone involved.
Have a problem statement that includes what you want to move towards and where you are currently. What we want, where want to go, and what’s getting in the way of getting there.
If you find the root problem before moving into looking at solutions, your resources will go a lot further down the road and give you disproportionately positive results.
Instead of addressing symptoms, you’ll cure the cause of the problem.
Instead of saying yes to inconsequential opportunities, you’ll know which ones to take on that will be home runs.
and instead of trying to get your team on board after implementation has begun, you’ll have everyone on the same page from the beginning.
How Can I Apply this Professionally?
- If you’re leading a team, put a firewall between defining the problem and creating solutions. Make these two separate meetings.
- Gather everyone’s lens into the problem individually before meeting with the team.
- Never accept someone else’s definition of the problem. When someone comes to you and defines a problem and asks what to do, don’t solve it on the spot but take your time and think about whether that is actually the right problem to solve.
- The leader (or person responsible for the decision) is first responsible for making sure you’re working on the right problem.
How Can I Apply this Personally?
- When someone close to you tells you a problem, don’t try to solve it right away. Rather explore the problem with them to really understand their perspective and see if that’s the actual problem.
- When you’re thinking of a problem you’re facing that you need to solve, use a simple two day approach. The first day work on deciding the problem only, no solutions. Go to the root of the problem and not the surface. Write it down. Sleep on it. Wake up the next day and read your problem statement, is that really the problem? If so, only now can you allow your brain to dive into solution mode.
- Often we react to surface level irritants. For instance, you and your partner might be fighting about whether to renovate and add a small addition to your house. The normal tendency is to assume the renovation is the issue. Instead, it’s more effective to ask yourself, is this the root problem? If they got their way on the renovation would this issue never manifest again? The answer is likely no. So dig deeper. Maybe they’re afraid of change. Maybe they feel huge pressure to keep up with their siblings. When you solve for the root problem, you can prevent a lot of similar fights from happening in the future.
Example:
Imagine a team full of people who, week after week in meetings with their boss, don’t speak up. No matter how they feel about what their boss is doing, they won’t take any risks to oppose her.
Is the problem:
- The leader is too dominant and shoots down ideas?
- The individuals on the team are worried that speaking up will have negative career consequences?
- The individuals on the team are apathetic, introverted, or full of “yes” people?
- There’s a cultural standard in the office saying disagreement makes things harder?
You’re Ready To Move On To the Next Lesson When The Following Are Complete:
- I’ve practiced looking for the root cause using the pet shelter example described in this lesson.
- I’ve practiced identifying the root problem using the local government health care example described in this lesson.
- I’ve examined the decision I’m making and written my response to “What would have to be true for this problem to not exist in the first place?”
- If I’m working in a group, I’ve separated the problem and the solution.
- If I’m working in a group, we’ve gotten agreement on a problem statement that includes the ideal goal, and the current reality.