The problem of solving problems

If you want to read upbeat, perky posts about the business of life and a life in business, you might want to subscribe to Claire Diaz Ortiz.  One of her recent posts was about problem solving and it  was definitely something I could relate to.

Claire suggests that you should ask yourself three questions before jumping into solving problems (I'm paraphrasing a bit): Is it really a problem? Do I want to do something about it? Should I do something now or later?

All valid questions, though most of us just jump into solving problems, or, more accurately, reacting to problems, without much thought, unless they tend to be big enough to warrant analysis before resolution.  But, if we do take the time to step back and consider problems, there is one important question that I would add to this list: Who owns the problem?

Answering the question of who owns the problem often changes the definition of, and the resultant solution to, the problem.  For example, you might say 'My coworker keeps eating chips half the day and the sound drives me nuts'.   Who owns the problem?  You might be tempted to say it's the coworker, but he's obviously having fun chomping down on the chips without a care as to what you think about it or what it's doing to his waistline.  It is you who owns the problem, and now the problem is not that he snacks on chips loudly but that you are bothered by it and might be better off investing in noise-canceling headphones.

Of course, if the problem is not owned by you, it can't be solved by you either - something that every parent should remember before taking over their kid's science projects.  Though I must admit there are some of us who actually enjoy solving other people's problems, way more engaging than grappling with Sudoku.  Ah well, we can't all be Dear Abby.

(Image courtesy of photoexplorer / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Ikigai

One of my least favorite things about the end of the year is the ubiquitous 'year in review' list.  The best, the worst, the whatever-the-editor-fancies list.  So, as my last post for the year, I decided I would not do a 'look back' piece, but a 'look ahead' one instead.  As I work with a for-profit as well as a non-profit organization, I thought it might be good to reflect on encouraging and inspirational to-do items for entrepreneurs who are hoping to make a difference in 2013.

But, then as I was randomly web-surfing while drinking my chai, I ran across a mention of 'ikigai', the Japanese word which roughly translates to your reason for being. The 'Why?' of your life. Ikigai has been recently mentioned in various articles (like this one) as one of the secrets to a healthy long life.  Frankly, I'd think that it would be great for anyone, at any age, to know his/her own reason for being.  In fact, most people who seem happy with their lives appear to have a good sense of their own 'ikigai' and are living it, whatever it may be - feeding a family or fighting for causes.

Ikigai is probably what is driving most entrepreneurs - at least the ones that stick with their ventures.  There is something powerful driving the middle-class woman who starts a school for destitute children in India (here's the story) as there was something driving Steve Jobs.  Ikigai might be the answer to the question 'what makes an entrepreneur?'.

Of course, the 'reason for your being' is available to everyone, it is just different for each of us.  And it takes effort to figure it out.  When you do, you're half way to fulfillment.  The other half is figuring out how to live your ikigai. In a long-ago post, I wrote about why I do what I do - create, care, connect - and it is good to be reminded of it as I make choices, big or small.  After all, the ikigai is only the reason for your life, you still have to take the actions that make it your life.

Wish you a happy 2013 - may you find your ikigai and bounce out of bed every morning in anticipation of living it!

Startups - too much of a good thing?

It is possible that we've got to a point that everyone wants to 'do' a startup - whether one has what it takes or not.  This is especially true in places like Silicon Valley, and arguably the trend has peaked when there's a reality show about startups in Silicon Valley (though it appears likely to be short-lived, like most startups).  

There's a lot of buzz and hype on finding ideas and starting companies, even dropping out of school to do so.  While entrepreneurship is undoubtedly a powerful factor for growth, there's more to making entrepreneurship work than 'doing a startup' - you have to build a successful business.  That is a much harder proposition as it takes toughness, dedication and smarts to stick with it and make it work.

Daniel Isenberg writes about the importance of 'scaling-up' over 'starting-up' in this HBR post.  Scaling-up results in entrepreneurial growth and value creation.  He compares the start-up/scale-up actions to giving birth to a child vs. raising a child - the first is necessary to be able to do the second, but the second makes the first meaningful.   Too bad 'Scaling-up in Silicon Valley' is unlikely to be the next big reality show.