There's a huge advantage to being the first person to jump in and define a problem. How we state a problem dictates the solutions we'll see. It's easy to jump into [[Solutioning]] prematurely before we have all the context right and before we know which problem we're solving. Therefore, it's important to make sure we're solving the right problem - we call that the Root Problem. ## How to increase the odds that we're solving the right problem These two actions help us delay just long enough to make sure we're not jumping to conclusions. - Never accept someone else's definition of the problem - Tell people we need to think about it before offering a solution - Put up a firewall between the problem definition and the problem solution ## Strategies for finding the right problem - Ask yourself: What would have to be true for this problem to not exist in the first place? - Example: As a dog shelter who is struggling to find homes for dogs, the answer to this question might be, "We could provide more support for families to keep their dogs because often they are surrendering them because they can't afford to feed them." - There's a huge advantage to being the first person to jump in and define a problem. How we state a problem dictates the solutions we'll see. It's easy to jump into [[Solutioning]] prematurely before we have all the context right and before we know which problem we're solving. Therefore, it's important to make sure we're solving the right problem - we call that the Root Problem. ## How to increase the odds that we're solving the right problem These two actions help us delay just long enough to make sure we're not jumping to conclusions. - Never accept someone else's definition of the problem - Tell people we need to think about it before offering a solution - Put up a firewall between the problem definition and the problem solution ## Strategies for finding the root problem - Ask yourself: What would have to be true for this problem to not exist in the first place? - Example: As a dog shelter who is struggling to find homes for dogs, the answer to this question might be, "We could provide more support for families to keep their dogs because often they are surrendering them because they can't afford to feed them." - ==Ask yourself: Given suficient time, will this problem pop up again?== - This avoids solving symptoms rather than root problems - Make sure you get together to agree on the root problem before discussing solutions - This avoids people getting together to propose solutions that solve different problems without getting consensus on the root problem - Give everyone a sticky note or ask them to email you ahead of time the answer to the question "In your own words, what is the problem we're solving?" - Make sure your problem statement includes what you want to move towards and where you are currently ## Additional thoughts - You want to be a good problem avoider over a good problem solver. This simple shift has a compounding effect on your ability to have impact - Don't reward people for solving problems they could have avoided in the first place