All you need is a different perspective - Part 3/3

Welcome to the final article in my mini-series on problem solving.  By now, you should have a lot of valuable insight and the fog should be lifting.

Let’s quickly re-cap;

-       You have defined multiple descriptions of the problem

-       You have look at the future without the problem and defined the nice to haves and the need to haves

-       You have looked what you’ve been feeding it and identified what you could do more or less off

-       You have looked at exceptions, the time when it doesn’t or is less present

In this final part of the series we look at two things so let’s get straight in to it.

Stage 1: Problem Patterns

When problems occur or are present, there is nearly always a pattern to it – there are events or triggers which may present themselves to make it so and keep it there.  Let’s identify these now…

I’d like you to now map out the pattern of this problem – think of it like a process flow diagram – who exactly has to do what, when and in what order for this to be a problem?

What would the process look like without the problem in?  How would it differ? Try drawing the pattern without the problem elements present - this should immediately give you some insight.

Get curious about the times the problem is reliably present and explore the context around it – what seems to always be present?  Where in the pattern does the problem begin?

Stage 2: An alternative world

If you found stage 1 hard to execute, try this exercise here (or as well as)

If you had to create the problem from scratch, in an alternative world, who or what would definitely have to be present?  Who or what benefits from this being present? Design it in a way that it would always be present (humour me!) - be creative and go for it!

Once you have created this problem and it's parts/components/actions – what would be the positive opposites of these things be?  Don’t just write “don’t do x” – what positive action/thing would have to happen – be creative – remember you are looking for insight, not the solution at this point.

Stage 3: Once you have completed all of this, you’ll need to get the insight and activities from the previous examples and we are going to play spot the difference – 

Compare the problem pattern with the one where it does and doesn’t exist?  What do you see?

If you build the problem in another universe, compare this to your drawing of what it looks like in the future – what do you notice?

Get curious about the differences between your imagined world and the current information you have - this is not easy but will be showing you some great insight.

You've now reached the end of your process (if you've followed all 3 articles).

Final Stage: I have two final questions for you which, if you’ve followed the steps will give you positive outcomes;

What is the solvable frame for this problem?  (You’ll have a lot of choose from)

What is the smallest difference that could make the biggest difference right now?

At this point, you’ll have a clearer mind, a sense of relief that you have a way forward - it may be a tough way forward but I didn't promise you that it was easy.

For an intensive version of this to save you time, drop me DM.  I work with clients via Zoom completing this intensive process and back this up with professional coaching to ensure you get the changes you want in a shorter amount of time.