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Problem Solving

problems self leadership solutions Oct 30, 2023

“Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult." 


--Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled)


When I was being coached this week, it seems I needed a reminder. I was talking (whining) about a challenge I was in the middle of and my coach said, "Everything worthwhile is uphill."  THEN, she texted me an exerpt from John Maxwell's book, Developing the Leader Within 2.0. Yep, I've taught right out of that chapter on Problem Solving.

Heavy sigh. Here's what I needed to learn AGAIN:

Leaders don't see problems as problems because problems hold potential benefits. Like what?

  1. Problems introduce us to ourselves. It’s not the good times, it’s the difficult times that define the leader.  We believe there is always an answer. Problems handled well make us better. Problems promise to make us better. Experience is not the best teacher, evaluated experience is the best.
  2. Problems introduce us to others.  If we are not connected to our followers, we’ll be distant from the problems. We can’t retreat from our people in difficult challenges. Can our teams help us solve problems?  Or do our teams become a liability during times of trial?  Do we have problem magnets?  Problem exploders? Do they give up in the face of problems?  Leaders model good attitudes and problem solving skills for their followers so they can learn those skills. 
  3.  Problems introduce us to opportunities. Einstein says, "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. (The problem with that is that you don't get the opportunity until you're in the middle of the problem:)  The most effective leaders view problems through a lens of opportunity. If you look at it at a problem as an opportunity, it slows you down mentally from seeing the problem as a problem, because you are looking for the opportunity in the problem. 


There's way more to that chapter than I'm writing. Suffice it to say that the challenge that I was having introduced me to my old selfish self. The challenge reminded me that one of my affirmations of 2023 is to live life as an adventure. Adventures include problems that rise up out of nowhere and impact my schedule. I have a choice--I can view the problem with a bad attitude and get discouraged, or I can look for the positive. 


Still learning with you, 

Jan