How to solve a problem
A leader who knows how to use her magic wand
I was thinking about how to solve problems, particularly the kinds of problems I might have in relation to others.
Perhaps you are familiar with these problems? Like unthoughtful communication, failure to do what was promised, being disrespectful, and being left out – just to name a few. All of these lead to a lack of trust.
In my perfect world, there would be a guide, like the troubleshooting section of an instructional manual. You know, the kind of guide which states “If X happens, then try Y”?
The question “What if?” soon came to mind.
What if there was such a troubleshooting guide? What would it look like?
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t stop thinking about this quote from Rosamund Zander and Benjamin Zander in their book The Art of Possibility (1):
“The frames our minds create define – and confine – what we perceive to be possible. Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears solvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data and problems vanish, while new opportunities emerge.”
That almost sounds magical, doesn’t it? To have the ability to make things vanish, and in doing so clearing the way for opportunities and possibilities?
Maybe I really do have a magic wand. And it’s all in my mind for me to control.
Let’s take a look at a few examples where this magic can happen.
We focus on a particular race when there is only one race, the human race.
We cling to a religious affiliation as the only one when we need to focus on our souls and spiritual health.
We rely on what “regular” or “the norm” is, and label everything else a disorder.
We prefer to see sex and gender as limited offerings when there has always been multiple. (2)
We think we know how someone else should feel when this isn’t ours to decide.
We define what is right and wrong when curiosity would leave that open for each person to decide.
We believe it is someone else’s fault when we need to take responsibility.
We feel others must be doing something to us when they are probably only thinking about themselves.
Do you see the possibilities here?
I can enlarge or change my perspective and the problem goes away. I can then stay open to the new opportunities which might emerge.
Will this solve all problems? Probably not.
But finding out if it really is a problem should be my first instinct, don’t you think?
I challenge you to think about a problem you are struggling with right now and how you might use your own magic wand to reframe how you are looking at it. Maybe it isn’t a problem after all?
Resources
(1) Zander, Rosamund. S., and Benjamin Zander. 2000. The Art of Possibility. Boston: Harvard Business School. p.14.
(2) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-redefined-the-idea-of-2-sexes-is-overly-simplistic1/
Image by Canva Magic Media
