T3: Solving Problems You Don’t Have
Three Thoughts
Thought 1: Entrepreneurs are born problems solvers. Good problem solvers think five moves ahead rather than just about what comes next. And that, occasionally, gets us in trouble especially when it gets paired with the fact we are dreamers. We are visionaries. In business planning we are encouraged to push the boundaries of what is possible — including in the number of clients that we can, and would like, to serve as well as the scope of what our business can grow into. This means we are often solving problems we don’t have in the moment, or may not even experience in the future
Thought 2: Humans in general are 1. hesitant to make mistakes and 2. able to learn from the mistakes of those around us without actually having to experience that mistake. These two inclinations set us up to be keen to watch what happens to those around us and make decisions based on what we observe. This is good — and bad because we frequently do so without considering context. This means we often pre-emptively work to avoid mistakes by installing solutions for issues that don’t even exist in our business yet — or, for that matter, will ever exist in our business.
Thought 3: Solving problems you don’t have is incredibly costly in resources. Stress, money, and time are all components of that cost — any and all of which can already be in short supply for entrepreneurs.
Three Strategies:
Strategy 1: Adopt a mindset where you begin to see problems being solved in steps. The more visionary your temperament, the harder this will be. I promise it’s worth the effort. Remember the cliché, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It was built brick by brick, step by step. Another quote I tend to be reminded of here is: “yard by yard, life is hard. Inch by inch, life’s a cinch.”
Strategy 2: Work on making peace with yourself over making mistakes. I will warn you, this is easier said than done. The better you get at it, however, the more freedom you have and the less stress you will carry.
Strategy 3: Your resources are precious, and you deserve to be able to place them where they are the most productive and you get the biggest return on your investment. When you catch yourself spending a lot of time, money, and stress on anything in your business, that thing, whatever it is, needs to be examined in detail to determine if the value of the outcome matches the required cost.
Three things you can do:
Thing 1: Read the “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. Although it’s not the most riveting prose you’ll ever read, the basic wisdoms hold true and it’s an investment in time you’ll be happy you made in the long run if you adopt the principles you learn on its pages.
Thing 2: Get curious about how you handle making mistakes. Work with a coach, do some deep exploration in your family belief systems — what works for you and what doesn’t. I personally have found freedom lies in releasing yourself from patterns you didn’t even know you were perpetuating within yourself and onto others. Mistakes are necessary, especially in entrepreneurship. Now I’m not advocating you go out and make them for the hell of it, but if you do make one, don’t let it become a stone around your neck.
Thing 3: Make examining your business practices and plans on a regular basis a priority. In private or with a trusted coach, open up about where you’re spending your time and money. If large amounts of either are being consumed by any one thing, make sure you look deeply at that one thing. Also look with a critical eye at anything that is causing you stress — or that you can’t stop thinking about, worrying about, or find yourself losing sleep over. I recommend getting a second opinion from a professional who can help you determine if the cost/benefit ratio is in balance.
