The Heat of the Moment

 At the end of this post I have a pdf link which walks through the meta-problem approach.

I’ve now had two colleagues report back that they were able to use this “meta-problem idea” to help them in a work situation. I think the easiest way to start using the meta-problem is as a tool to understand the bigger picture, as long as you couple that with the judgement to know when you actually need to take that step back.

Both cases with my colleagues were similar. In each case, other people in the room were down in the weeds trying to optimize something that didn’t need to be done at all. The people who shared these stories with me were able to take a broader perspective about what the real options and opportunities were and point out the alternatives.

When I presented problem solving to elementary-schoolers, my sponsor had a similar takeaway. That when kids get caught up in the moment, they often forget all the tools they have available. The marketing person I’m working with settled on describing it as “locking into solutions mode” for my updated website. I personally realized in college that if I had spent a while on something and wasn’t making progress, it was time to re-evaluate my approach.

I see taking a step back as a vital part of the process of being a good problem-solver. I look for the hints / triggers that mean it’s time to step back. Some of my go to clues:

• In my Lean work a favorite question is “what are your high hassle tasks?” because I believe the things that annoy people are the things where they suspect there’s a better option out there.

• I personally have the feeling that there’s a better option out there, if I would just look.

• I find myself wondering if the thing we’re analyzing really matters in the grand scheme of things.

• Nothing is working, in which case anything should be an improvement.

• I’m getting frustrated, in which case anything should be an improvement.

• People disagree on the approach, which is my clue that they may be solving different problems.

Now, some tasks are difficult to do, even if you are doing them correctly. There is an element of persistence that is also important for being a good problem-solver. My biggest clue that I need to just buckle down is when I spend all my time brainstorming instead of just trying something. If I’m on my say… third something and am thinking it’s time to try a fourth, that would also be a hint.

If you want to give the meta-problem approach a try, I’m trying something new this week and have a worksheet attachment. I suspect you’ll have to click the link to get the file, but it will be a surprise to all of us 🙂