Turning Problems into Solutions

Posted by DJL on Nov 14, 2013 in Leadership | 1 comment

Attitude is everything.

You’ve probably heard that from teachers, coaches, and parents on numerous occasions over the years. But I’m still going to say it once more. Attitude is everything…because attitude is finally about perspective and vision. Your attitude – and in particular how you decide to frame situations – largely determines what you see and thereby how you might respond.

The following brief video — less than 3 minutes — offers a great example of this axiom in action by inviting us to confront challenges differently. One way – the usual way – to approach challenges is to start by defining them as problems. That’s natural enough, as a challenge often does present us with a concrete problem. The difficulty is that in focusing on the problem, we allow it to define the terms of our reality and thereby we often fail to see potential solutions.

Why not, then, start backwards, and instead of focusing on the problem a challenge presents immediately focus on solutions – what opportunities does a particular challenge offer, what hoped for outcome or goal do you have, and what would it take to reach that goal. Starting with goals and solutions invites a whole new way to look at a challenge, as it opens us up to new behaviors and possibilities instead of focusing on old ones (that apparently aren’t working). Starting with solutions invites us to imagine and discover creative ways to move toward a future rather than merely overcome or correct the past.

Rosamund and Benjamin Zander talk about something very similar in their wonderful book, The Art of Possibility, when they invite us to “give ourselves an ‘A.’” In teaching situations, Zander often starts by giving his students an unusual assignment: he tells them to write him a letter about what they will have learned and accomplished over the course of their time together that will merit the A grade his is giving them at the beginning of the class. Students immediately move beyond any of the problems they brought to class or fears about potential stumbling blocks and and instead imagine their best possible outcome, envisioning all that they will accomplish and how they will grow. And that vision of a future colored by opportunity, possibility, and solutions shapes their whole experience in the class.

And so whether you are thinking about your role as an employer or colleague, a parent or sibling, a student or friend, a church member or volunteer, attitude is, indeed, everything, as it invites us to look for solutions rather than focus on problems.

 

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