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Problems

Problems create purpose. For that reason they should be embraced.

Seek opportunities from adversity by routinely hunting the Most Valuable Problem to tackle next with full commitment.

tip

A problem well stated is half solved.

Problem solving techniques.

Focus​

The hardest problem is identifying the most important problem to focus on.

Flow of thought/energy to get things moving forward.

Process

  • What exactly isn't working properly?
  • What in the intention?
  • Is the problem coming from upstream?
  • What is getting effected downstream?
  • What does the BPR/JTBD map say?

Signposts

  • What evidence is required to indicate progress?
  • How will you gather evidence?
  • Who will sign off that evidence is correct?

Opportunity

  • What value will be gained when the problem is solved?
  • What will be possible when the problem is solved?
  • What value could be built upon this progress?

Risk

  • What could go wrong?
  • What unintended second order effects could occur?

Committment

  • Who?
  • When?
  • How how long?
  • Max investment?
Mantra

Disagree then commit to decisions and their thought processes.

Honesty​

Problems are poison to politicians and opportunities to engineers. Leaders show the way by being brutally honest with owning their faults when leading critical reflection.

danger

Don't confuse problem identification for a greater good with whining due to a personal lack of character.

Most cultures suffer from a shoot the messenger mentality.

Create a post game changing-room ritual to reflect with a brutally honest review but in an open and ultimately supportive environment. Using honesty as tool to become antifragile.

Mantra

Be your own worst enemy, that way you can't be surprised by the competition.

Integrity​

Successful organisations have the discipline to document their decision making process to clarify logic and gain alignment for committing to:

  1. identify the most important problem to solve.
  2. commit to plans for solving that problem.

Meetings are a massive waste of time, energy and money.

No agenda, then it is a social gathering.

Mantra

If it not written down, it can't be that important.

Fatigue​

There are too many decisions that are too complex for most ordinary people to dedicate time to comphresively understand. At the same time applications are stealing people's ability to focus attention.

  • Rate of Change
  • Complexity
  • Head in the sand strategy
  • System one biases
  • Cognitive load
  • Short Terminism
  • Abstraction
  • Lack of Empathy
danger

Traditional systems of governance and education cannot maintain pace rate of technology and it's impact on culture.