Nearly every one of us has a common requirement in our current role – problem solving. It doesn’t matter if you are a week out of college or a week from retirement. The contexts will be wildly different, the types of problems will vary dramatically, the range and breadth of solutions will be infinitely different but all of us (leaders and employees) are problem solvers, whether by choice or necessity.
As a result, we are good at it, right? Right? Ill leave that for you to answer…but what we all collectively not good at is ensuring that we really understand the full problem we are solving. Sometimes we ignore the problem. Sometimes we flat misunderstand the problem. Sometimes we solve the surface issue but not the underlying problem. Sometimes we take the most expedient solution to the problem without thinking about the repercussions. Sometimes we band aid a problem and never go back to fully solve it. Sometimes we nail the problem and solution. None of the above are inherently bad or good, they are just the range of outcomes.
I established that I am not here to evaluate your ability to problem solve with this post; I’m also not here to tell you how to actually define or solve problems. There are resources all over this planet to help you do that more effectively far more skillfully and eloquently than I can.
I am here to help you consider one part of the problem solving process: understanding the problem in context. What does that mean? It means consciously taking time to understand both your initial perception of a problem and then systemically taking time to approach it from other directions. Think of it like problem empathy.
Years ago, I was given a quick illustrated book that makes this point called “Zoom” by Istvan Banyai. It has no text. It’s simply a series of illustrations with a hook: the illustrations are going from a hyper-focused scene (a closeup of a rooster’s comb) out to a picture of a white dot meant to represent the earth viewed from space, with each of the 32 illustrations being a zoom-out from the one prior, giving the view more and more information as to what is being shown. No matter which illustration you are on, you are missing critical information that the others contain. The only way to truly understand the book is to observe it from beginning to end and understand the connection between each illustration.
The parallels are obvious – as problem solvers, we often look at the one illustration that presents the problem without the context of zooming in or out to see the broader situation. A simple aid in analyzing a problem more thoroughly is reframing the problem. Reframing is exactly that, considering the problem from another angle, context, perspective, etc. There isn’t a right or wrong frame…just different one. Reframing isn’t a solution to our default mechanism of “see a problem, solve a problem” – it won’t get you the comprehensive view that reading the full book in the example above will, but it will get you closer and help minimize myopic thinking.
For me, reframing a problem accomplishes 3 things:
First, it allows me to get a broader or narrower perspective on the problem – a different perspective. Just like looking at any one given illustration in a series of them (think of “Zoom” above or even a cartoon strip/comic book), we are mentally working in a snapshot in time with partial information. Any time that I spend to consider either the broader context of my problem or the more detailed components of the problem is time well spent
Second, reframing the problem forces me to contemplate, create, and evaluate a wider variety of solutions. All of a sudden the quickest, easiest solution may not seem nearly as attractive when considering the new altitude, angle, or perspective. We all want to match the solution with the problem. Every tool has it’s specific use, but they do have limitations – try driving in a nail with a screwdriver. When we don’t look at the context, we can easily select the wrong tool for the job; the wrong solution for the wrong problem.
Finally, reframing a problem enables me to openly question the knowledge or solutions I had before I was aware of the problem. The solution I had when I first encountered the problem is/was a fine solution…but with the additional context and reflection, I often come up with even better solutions. And really, that is problem solving at it’s core, iterating to make even better outcomes.
Note that reframing a problem can happen well after the fact for any reason. Maybe you solved a problem with a working solution a year ago. If you went back to the problem that you solved last year today, would you do the same thing? What if you reframed the problem intentionally (in addition to your individual growth in that year)? You should and can evaluate the best solution without guilt or accusation towards the prior solution because you aren’t diminishing the situational solution, you instead are rethinking solutions due to changing information, knowledge, and experience which really means you are approaching the problem from a completely different perspective.
You are both reframing the problem and rethinking your approach in those cases both are really healthy ideas. For some great insight on being willing to challenge your own prior opinions or solutions, you can read a book by Adam Grant called “Think Again” and for some insight on being open to changing even your most deeply held opinions or solutions, I recommend “Persuadable” by Al Pittampall.
My push for you: any time you can take (or make) a moment to consider a problem from another perspective will only make you a better decision maker. Make the time and make a bigger difference!
View from the Middle 