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)