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Writer's pictureDaniel Cuesta

Why Identifying The Problem Isn't Enough To Guarantee Success:

How often have you worked on a team or hired someone for a job, and all they did was point out errors in the project or report?


Sure, their perception was great, but that's all. They offered no insight into improvement or actionable items to the workshop.


Now, granted, not all of us work for Deloitte or McKinsey, but consulting occurs in every area of our lives, regardless of industry or background.


From recommending our favorite books to identifying why a company has not brought in enough revenue this past quarter. Not a single day goes by without us needing to provide someone with a solution or a second perspective for something.


The process is often structured by carefully and intentionally listening while logging away data we can later draw upon for a more holistic recommendation.


This listening and understanding is done to avoid immediately providing what we perceive as a key but is actually an ill-placed and irrelevant suggestion.


We ideally look for the nuances, prod, and question and then conclude. 


That said, many of us get so caught up in the prodding, are overwhelmed by the complexities of the problems, or simply cannot find the “exact” answer we think they need, that we end up not providing any solution at all.


This is less than helpful. It's consuming and insensitive to both your time and theirs.


Sometimes, things go differently than planned, and we can either complain about the difficulty or find alternative, unconventional methods of approach!


It is always better, no matter the scenario, after listening and understanding (and if the other party is searching for such a thing) to provide a clear, actionable item or at least options between pathways that could serve them as substitutes due to their being no precise fix.


Simply put, Don't Bring Problems, Bring Solutions.



Tea: I love tea! (Specifically the herb kind, not the gossip one)


Now, what is better than tea? 


Hands down, tea with lemonade… otherwise known as Arnold Palmer* or “Sunjoys” if you're a hardcore Chick-fil-A aficionado.


While hard to describe to the uninitiated, there is something refreshing about the earthy and citrusy duet it sings in its taste.


With love like this, a standard family grocery run always includes a jug or two for the fridge.


On one of these such escapades (I must have been nearly thirteen), my family and I pulled up to the register and realized we had forgotten the most important of the goods: the Arnold Palmer.


Now, I'm not sure you understand the sudden anxiety that bubbled up inside me as I saw our items inch forward on the cashier's treadmill and calculated the distance from where we were to the tea and whether I could make it there and back in time. 


My family had a critical choice: either step out of line (losing our hard-earned spot) to find it or send me to our local supermarket, the wilderness of the unknown, in search.


My mama chose the latter, and I scuttled to the back of our Publix.


Booking it down the aisle, I looked from shelf to shelf in search of this nectar but was met with the absolute lack thereof.


My time was running out, and I questioned whether Publix's motto, “where shopping is a pleasure,” was true.


With no bounty in hand, I weaved through supermarket cart traffic back to my mama and reported the devasting development. 


Unbeknownst to me, my mother was about to impart one of the greatest life lessons I have ever received. 


She bent down, looked me deep in the eyes, and told me, “Dani, don't bring me problems; bring me solutions.” 


Now, that may seem like something way over the head of a thirteen-year-old. Still, my parents have always prioritized getting on the same level to communicate the more profound meaning or message behind any circumstance.


Mama explained that a clear answer is only sometimes evident in life, business, and relationships, and there are many times when an absolute judgment is not found.


Instead, substitutes and alternatives are the next best selling point. 


When searching for a way forward, especially when asked for it by others, she told me not to become saturated in the complexities of the unknown but instead to bring something, anything, to get the conversation rolling and keep the door open.


Understanding the assignment I hurried back to the drinks aile grabbing a lemonade with my right and a gallon of Diet Arnold Palmer with my left.


I proudly presented them to my family, with a smile, they chose the “healthy” option.


Was it what we were initially looking for? No, but it was a worthy and trouble-solving.


It was what was needed. 


---


This week, don't bring yourself or the people around you problems (e.g., not finding the tea); get them solutions (e.g., The Lemonade or Diet Arnold Palmer options). 


Even if there is no precise path or set-in-stone method to resolve the situation, something is better than nothing, and offering a “possible”  alternative will always leave the impression that you are sincerely working for the betterment of all those involved.


Make it personal, bring your best, and lead with your best foot.


Don’t Bring Problems, Bring Solutions.


- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta


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P.S. If you haven't tried an Arnold Palmer, that's priority number two this week.



End Notes:

* Named after the famed golfer who would order this concoction with his meals.

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