GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski
If you don’t know what the problem is, that’s your first problem.
A problem can’t be a problem unless there’s a solution. If there’s no possible solution, don’t try to solve it, because it’s not a problem.
If there’s no problem, you have a big problem.
If you’re trying to solve a problem, but the solution is outside your sphere of influence, you’re taking on someone else’s problem.
If someone tries to give you a gift but you don’t accept it, it’s still theirs. It’s like that with problems.
If you want someone to do the right thing, create a problem for them that, when solved, the right thing gets done.
Problems are good motivators and bad caretakers.
A problem is between two things, e.g., a hammer and your thumb. Your job is to figure out the right two things.
When someone tries to give you their problem, keep your hands in your pockets.
A problem can be solved before it happens, while it happens, or after it happened. Each time domain has different solutions, different costs, and different consequences. Your job is to choose the most appropriate time domain.
If you have three problems, solve one at a time until you’re done.
Solving someone else’s problem is a worst practice.
If you solve the wrong problem, you consume all the resources needed to solve the right problem without any of the benefits of solving it.
Ready, fire, aim is no way to solve problems.
When it comes to problems, defining IS solving.
If you learn one element of problem-solving, learn to see when someone is trying to give you their problem.
Image credit: Pixabay
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