Problem solving is looking in the rear view mirror. It’s fixing something that was not right in the first place. Today things move so quickly, that you may be fixing something that is no longer needed. Problem solving focuses time and attention on what is wrong, not working, broken, in need of repair.
Too often problem solving feels like blame. We ask: What went wrong? Who screwed up? We focus on the people and not the problem, resulting in shifting responsibility, lack of honesty, and failure to get our hands around the true “root cause”.
Creating starts from a different perspective. It asks: “What is it that we wish to be or do?” “What is our current reality?” “What steps can we take to move us toward where we want to be?” The focus and energy is focused and forward leaning. There is an honest acknowledgement of the current state – but a collective agreement on creating, together, a better future.
How many times, in a home repair project, have you hit upon the reality that it is easier to build from scratch than to renovate or upgrade something existing? The same thing can be true in an organization.
