Understand the Problem Before You Try to Fix a Problem
The title sounds easy, right? If a problem was that easy, all we’d need to do is understand it, and then we can fix it.
Unfortunately some problems are just beyond the skillset and experience, and are so complicated that you need someone who knows what they are doing to solve the problem.
What we want isn’t what we need
Another way to look at it is from the perspective that what we want isn’t what we need. Ever heard of that saying? I’m sure you’ve worked with clients and customers who want something, but it’s not what they need.
I do find it quite interesting how many clickbaits are out there. YouTube, articles, blogs, social media posts…
Once upon a time, I used to create articles with clickbait titles (these days, I try to avoid it).
You’ll find many clickbaits that throw a solution at your problems. Buy their product or use their services, do this or that, and all your problems will go away. I find more clickbaits serve or push for people to want something, rather than something they need.
I get it, they need to find a way to extract money so they too can pay the bills or make riches.
High expectations, very little delivery
I feel clickbaits are setting expectations very high, and delivering very little. Claiming to be able to fix a problem without understanding the problem first is a very bad way to solve any problem.
Find the root cause and work backwards
Most problems are not always the same. I get it, if the problem is always the same, fair enough. But when it comes to complex problems, it’s not so simple as just randomly trying a solution.
It’s better to spend time working backwards from the symptoms, to identify the root cause. Most solutions only then become obvious, and so does where you need to direct your focus (which could be your time and money).
So, working backwards:
- List all the problems or symptoms.
- What do you think are the core issues? (Not everything is a problem, prioritise them.)
- What do you think is the root cause of those core issues?
We need to be careful with symptoms too, that we aren’t treating the symptoms. The symptom should go away or subside due to resolving the root cause(s).
Some examples
When we built the international dance school, we focussed on working with teachers who don’t just teach moves, but who understand body mechanics and new ways of helping our body move more fluidly.
Most of us carry a lot of tensions in our body, and it affects our connection negatively, with ourselves and with our partners. But many students think they need to learn more moves or do more drills, doing the same shit over and over again, thinking they will get a different result.
So we built our programmes differently, to solve the root causes that stump many students’ progression. We went through the depth of understanding what is the causation of tension in our body, and helping our clients release it, so their body becomes more relaxed and also more receptive as the tension subsides. Teaching techniques on how to relax and have more body awareness.
Another example is some people think money will solve all their problems. Very unlikely. If they don’t manage their finance properly, they end up back at the same problem again once that money runs out. They didn’t fix the core problem, which isn’t money, it’s how they manage money.
Another example is doctors… They spent so many years learning how to diagnose, and figure out what the cause of the problems is based on symptoms. Yes, technology has gone a long way to help diagnose, but sometimes misdiagnoses can still happen, and that’s why it’s important to try and figure out what the real core problems are.
Doctors have it hard, because a misdiagnosis means someone else’s life is at risk, and they can be held responsible for it.
But we should be applying this same principle in our lives, relationships, business, AI and tech, dance, anything.
The solution that fits the problem
It’s similar to how some people get it wrong. They try to build a solution, and then try to force everyone’s problems to fit within that solution.
That really isn’t the way.
I see products and services more as tools. Sometimes the simpler tools are the better ones, depending on the root problem you’re trying to solve, and sometimes it’s a combination of tools. With some complex products or services, you may only end up using a handful of their features.
The tool or service itself isn’t necessarily the solution, but a means to help solve the root problem. Only by understanding the problem can you then use tools to help solve it, and learn how to use those tools in the most effective manner.
I find the best value comes from working out what the problems are, then planning how to solve them, and then executing the solution. Then you have the solution that fits the problem it’s solving.
Simple.