Problem Solving 101

A problem doesn't have to be the point where you stop. It can be the point where you start thinking.

I noticed this when a rental car wouldn't start before I was supposed to meet my friend Kris for a walk. The battery was dead, the car was parked in the middle of the garage, and the man who came to help thought his jumper cables wouldn't reach.

That could have been the end of it. Instead, it became the beginning of another problem-solving process.

We eventually got the car started. Watching how differently we approached each obstacle helped me put words to a process I use in my life and very deliberately in my work.

You can practice it, too. The more you ask your brain to create solutions, the better you become at finding them.

1. Is this even a problem?

Before you solve something, pause and ask whether it is a problem you want to solve.

We sometimes make something huge in our minds when it may not deserve our time or energy.

When the car wouldn't start, I considered what that actually meant. I might miss seeing Kris and getting to a couple of appointments. But I worked from home. Nobody was depending on me to pick them up.

What first seemed like a significant problem became smaller.

I still wanted a functioning car. I still wanted to see my friend. So my answer was yes: this was a problem I wanted to solve.

Questioning it helped me see its actual size instead of reacting to my first impression.

2. Why is it a problem?

Don't skip this because the answer seems obvious.

Why does it matter? What do you need or want that isn't happening?

For me, I needed transportation to see Kris and get to my appointments. That definition opened up options beyond fixing the car.

I could take an Uber. I could ask Kris to come to me. I could call the rental company and have them take care of the car.

Some of those options would take too long, but understanding the reason gave me more possibilities.

In business, saying you don't have enough money is less useful than understanding exactly why a sales problem matters. If you need five customers a week to meet your goal, you have a specific problem to work on.

3. Explore four kinds of solutions

Ask for the easiest solution, the best solution, a temporary solution, and a long-term solution.

Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

The easiest solution to my transportation problem might have been ordering an Uber. The best would have been getting the car started quickly enough to keep my plans. An Uber could also serve temporarily, while a lasting solution would address the car itself.

As I considered those questions, I remembered the security team in my neighborhood. They were nearby and available, so I called them.

When the man arrived, he thought his truck couldn't fit close enough to connect the cables. I started generating more possibilities. Did someone have longer cables? Could we use a smaller car? Could we put mine in neutral and push it out?

Eventually, I asked him to try bringing the front of his truck into the garage. It fit, and the cables reached.

When the car still didn't start, we checked the manual rather than stopping. After he revved the truck's engine, my car started.

Each new obstacle invited another solution.

4. What caused the problem?

There were two different causes in that experience.

The battery had run down because I hadn't turned the key all the way off and locked the doors. That was a practical cause to understand.

The jumper-cable problem came from an assumption that they wouldn't reach. We hadn't tested it. The thinking itself slowed us down.

Sometimes what looks like a fixed problem is a conclusion someone has made without trying.

I do this, too. After our walk, I worried the battery might be dead again. When the car clicked, I assumed that was what had happened. Kris reminded me to put my foot on the brake. The car was fine.

Notice when your mind adds a problem before you have checked what is true.

5. How can you prevent it in the future?

Understanding the cause gives you something to work with.

For the car, I needed to turn it off properly. For assumptions about solutions, I wanted to remember to ask whether we could test them.

Maybe something won't work. But trying can show you whether that is true.

Prevention isn't just resolving today's issue. It is using what you learned to avoid repeating it.

Apply the process to your business

Suppose you are a coach who isn't making enough sales.

First, decide whether that is a problem. Maybe coaching is something you enjoy and you don't need more sales. Or maybe you have a money goal that requires more customers.

Once you know why it matters, explore the four solution types.

An easy option may be offering more to current customers or making another offer to existing leads. A temporary option may be spending more hours talking to potential customers.

The best long-term solution may be understanding what isn't working in your funnel. Is the issue traffic, leads, the offer, the niche, or pricing?

Come up with three specific possibilities for each type: easy, best, temporary, and long-term.

Evaluating those solutions can help you discover the cause. Then you can address that cause instead of continually adapting around it.

Practice being solution-focused

Spend time on the process in proportion to the problem. A car battery may take a short conversation. Understanding your business may require a much deeper evaluation.

Don't replace that evaluation with complaining or accepting defeat.

Look at the small things you have learned to tolerate because you assume they cannot change. What happens if you ask your brain for solutions instead?

A problem can lead to an improvement you wouldn't have created without it. A solution-focused brain is also a possibility-focused brain.

Choose one problem today. Ask the five questions, try a solution, and let the result tell you what to do next.