WHAT . . . is the Problem?

I saw the movie Moneyball a few days ago.  I recommend it—good movie.

One scene I’d like to briefly highlight.  There was one scene early in the movie where Oakland A’s baseball scouts and GM Billy Bean (played by Brad Pitt) were in a meeting trying to replace some huge holes in their roster (I won’t give anything away and ruin the movie for you).

As Brad Pitt became increasingly frustrated with the traditional, status quo solutions of the scouts, and baseball in general, he pointedly asked one of them, “What is the problem?” (in other words, the roster problem they were all gathered together to solve).

Scout #1 gave the “wrong” answer, so Pitt asked scout #2 the same question, “What is the problem?”  Wrong answer again.  And so forth.  None of these crusty, seasoned baseball scouts could answer his question correctly.

And this sets up the premise of the entire movie, where Pitt introduces a paradigm-busting perspective.

I love ideas.  I love ideas that create change.  And I love ideas and stories about ideas that not only create change but create “seismic shifts” in thinking and living.

These ideas are like portals into another dimension, suddenly uncovering some hidden mechanism, some secret pattern, that unlocks some impenetrable door into a new paradigm (read my previous article “Bust Out of the Box” for further understanding).

And something like that was happening inside Billy Bean.

But here’s the essence of the conflict between GM Bean and his scouts:  they were defining the problem very differently.

So today’s lessonhow your define your problem will determine how you solve your problem.

This is so important that it’s impossible for me to overstate it.

If your problem definition is off, your solution will also be off.  And if your solution is off, your problem will remain.

If you’re defining your problem inaccurately, or not deeply enough, your solution will be short-sighted and wrong-headed.

In fact, if you continue to apply that wrong solution, there’s a good chance that your problem may actually get worse!

Example #1:  If your boss is unhappy with your work, but you don’t know why, then you are in an unfortunate, powerless position.  So let’s say you assume the problem is that your reports haven’t been detailed enough.  Your solution, then, will be to write longer, more detailed reports.

Suppose, however, that the real problem to the boss is that your reports are actually too long to begin with!  You can keep applying your new solution but you will never solve the problem.

Example #2:  If you’re trying to lose weight, and the problem, as you define it, is that you’re eating the wrong kinds of food, your solution will be to change your menu.

Suppose, however, that the real problem is that you eat too much and take in more calories than you burn off!  You can change your menu a thousand times but you will never solve the problem, not with that solution.

So, the first step in solving any problem is to first accurately define the problem.

Ask yourself this crucial question:  “Am I solving the right problem?”

I’ll be writing more about this in future blog articles and in my newsletter—there are deeper ideas and applications to share (What?  You’re not on my e-newsletter list yet?  Sign up now in the sidebar!).

--Sean Cox, Chicago

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