Your solution is shouting so loud I can’t hear the problem!

One day I called up the marketing department seeking some help putting together a communication newsletter that was branded to fit within the organization’s guidelines. In addition, I asked for a common framework that might help me deliver on key points regularly. After the call ended I shook my head in disgust as I realized that I made a huge mistake. I came to the marketing department with a solution in mind. I never explained my problem to them and solicited their expertise in helping me come up with effective solutions. I knew better than this.

About three weeks ago, I sat on a summit planning call and listened to great leaders discuss critical topics that ought to be on this year’s agenda. With so many ideas it was a churning discussion with no real progress, until, a simple question was asked, “What are the problems we need to address?”. You can imagine how the discussion changed.

This type of question is key to really focusing properly and getting to the heart of what is to be addressed. When we focus on solutions without a problem we are leaving ourselves to chance that we get something right. But at what cost? Peoples time, money, and energy?

Finding the problem among symptoms and solutions can be difficult to sort through. Symptoms lead to the problem(s) by asking good “why” questions. Solutions haven’t a place in the discussion when there is no problem.

Here’s an example:

Expressed Problem: Patients aren’t satisfied with their care

Why? Because they don’t like spending so much time in the hospital.

Why? Because they think nothing is happening and they’re wasting time laying in a bed when they could be at home.

Why? Because they just don’t think the care providers are doing much

Why? Because they don’t understand the critical nature of their illness and the critical risk they are in.

Ahhhh, the Problem: The patients aren’t getting the education about their illness and the plan of care required to stabilize them, which leads to dissatisfaction.

Asking “Why” questions can really help sort through the symptoms. Imagine in this situation had a leader ran off with a solution of staff doing more rounding with patients verse the needed patient education about their care plan. All that effort and the leader would have missed the mark. And this can repeat itself multiple times with continued misses.

Search for the problem(s) in your communications with others, sort out the symptoms and solutions by asking good “why” questions. Give this a try and see if it makes a difference for you as it has for me.

Now go take on the day!!!

Read more insightful: Take-A-Minute

How to write a problem statement?