5 reasons I avoid saying "The problem/solution is..."

“The problem is…” "The solution is..."

Those are phrases I’ve heard (and said) a lot. A LOT. (a lot. a lot. a lot.)

I really think that when people say them, when I used to say them, that our intentions were to somehow make things better. I still think that’s a noble intention...and I do believe that there are some things which are fairly simple problems with fairly simple solutions.

And some things are genuine emergencies, and going deeper than the first thing that works in the moment has worse consequences than making a poor choice.

Some things.

But mostly I dislike those phrases now, and I do what I can to avoid using them, or carrying that mentality. Instead I’ve taken up using the phrases “seeming issues” and “potential improvements” when thinking about problems and solutions most of the time, which I admit can sound a little weak at first blush.

So, here are 5 reasons why I avoid using the phrases “The problem is…” and "The solution is"

1. It sets us up for confrontation

If I say “The problem is…” or "The Solution is..." then I’m saying, “Whoever disagrees with me, is wrong.” It implies to others that if they even have more ideas than you, those are wrong. It is saying “I have identified the exact problem/answer, in the entirety, that no one before me and no one after me will be able to contest.” Wow. Just...wow.

Now, I don’t think very many people who use the phrases are really trying to stand on that mountain of hubris...but I used to. I used to genuinely think that it was my job. I thought that as a consultant, I was being paid to come in and say “I have figured it out, THIS is the problem, and THIS is the solution!”... which of course seems crazy now, considering the implications.

2. No one has 100% of the information. You might not be "wrong"...but not ALL right

Let’s assume that you DO stride in, say “the problem is…” and everyone wholeheartedly agrees with you. Those green chairs ARE the problem...right? But if you’re missing information, what are the chances of proposing a solution that’s perfect? Then you're solving a problem that's not really the problem...which means your solution isn't really a solution and...ouch.

3. Saying “The Problem Is…” feels good...which leads us to stop digging.

If you happen to say “The problem is…”, which is extremely tempting as we’ve become quite the “driven problem solvers” in our workforce, you’re likely to have come to your verdict before you’ve dug very deep.

When you combo that with a "The solution is..." we've stopped the investigation cold and now we're off to work on something that could be really shallow.

It seems to me that most things that are issues aren't simply solved. In my experience issues travel in sneaky packs, and most "solutions" have buckshot-wide ramifications - tough to say for sure what all might get hit.

How many times have you been in a meeting where someone says “The problem is...we have bad goals!” and you’ve thought to yourself “What if our goal setters are bad? Or what if they just didn’t get coffee that day?” Implications run deeeeeeeeeeep.

Or how common is it to run across someone firing off single sentence solutions to things like...war? (Comments sections, I'm lookin' at you)

4. What if the “solution” doesn’t solve “the problem”?

This one sets everyone up for failure, as it basically invites a round of the blame game when just about anything goes awry. The person who had a problem points to the solver for not providing the “Right” solution, and the solution provider points at the person with the problem for not identifying the “Right” problem.

Ever gone out of scope on a project or had a bad product launch? This is the gold standard for how that happens, I do believe.

5. What about unintended consequences?

Oh man, this one is insidious. How often have you seen a “problem” be “solved” and then a whole new issue pops up? One that didn’t even exist before? This is the bane of every “solution provider.”

It might even be after a TON of planning, deep thinking, and preparation, and the “Ah ha!” moment ("YEAH! THOSE STUPID GREEN CHAIRS!" shouts everyone in the room!) and then you get new chairs and everyone is happy!

And then two weeks later, you realize the floor is being destroyed by the new chairs. Ugggggghhhhh.

So what’s the solution? I definitely have no idea. (boy wouldn’t it have been a real knee slapper if I had said I did?) but I do know that I have personally tried to improve the situation a bit, by changing my own thinking, and my own language, in this way:

I like to listen and gather as much information as possible...and then dig deep into the implications. When I feel I've gone as far as I can, then I'll propose ideas for potential improvement which can be implemented as fast as possible, and tracked, assuming we’ll have to do that again. It’s a very SCRUM concept, but I mean doing that even when you’re talking about two year product cycles or whether to use a macro based or low-carb diet or have your kids play t-ball or piano. Maybe those green chairs DID suck! But also you might need to improve the chair/floor relationship now...but it’s a better place overall!

What I like to think is that this sets everyone up with a mindset that understands these things:

1. We should think deeply about why something is happening in the first place (Ask, How did that get that way? again and again)
2. What we DO propose won't be a perfect solution (and now, no one expects it to be)
3. What we’re proposing won’t be forever, so don’t stop inventing
4. What we’re proposing is not untouchable, so don’t stop thinking
5. We all want things to improve
6. We’re all willing to work on it continuously
7. We all admit there’s more to learn
8. We’re all willing to think deeply as we find new things

Which feels like a way that I’d like to work with people. But I could be wrong, I’ll circle back in two weeks.