Obvious solutions are great, except that they seldom work. The chances are that the solution that first occurs to you has already been tried.
Sticky, mysterious, subtle problems evade the obvious. They hide. They mask. They simmer.
Mysterious problems seldom surrender to obvious solutions. Dig deeper.
-- doug smith
Every year there is a new problem that is capable of completely destroying you. Solve it and move on.
No reason to surrender now.
-- doug smith
When we are off center it impacts our results.
Our solutions will seem 0ff-center as long as we are.
Let's start by centering ourselves. Restoring confidence. Maintaining balance.
Centered problem solving requires centered selves.
-- doug smith
Leaders and others strain under the weight of not knowing. The tension of transition that is uncertain can feel unbearable. We want answers. We want decisions. We want to move ahead.
I've learned to pause. If there is a moment to breathe, take it. If there is time to make a decision, make it -- clearly and unemotionally.
Speed is wonderful, until it isn't. Going too fast and over a cliff is, well, going too fast.
Can you endure the tension of uncertainty long enough to discover objective truth?
It's not obvious. It's not easy. It's just best.
-- doug smith
The best leaders solve more problems than they cause. That may be more obvious than common.
-- doug smith
The decisions you make during problem solving are as important as the solutions you develop, even if they do not lead to solutions.
Decisions around relationships, around results, around permanence and transition.
Do you want everyone to be better off because of the resolution of the problem, or do you just want a quick fix?
Do you value how people respond to your efforts? Do you really know more about the impact and urgency of the situation than the people who will be most affected by your solutions?
Decide carefully. You know that, and I know that, but sometimes we do forget, don't we?
-- doug smith
It's the inner workings where the problems are the most persistent.
It takes longer to dig deeper.
Dig deeper.
-- doug smith
We need to agree on the problem before we can agree on the solution.
-- doug smith
"When you ignore a problem that is small enough to handle, it often grows into a problem too big to manage."
-- James Clear
Source: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/july-16-2026
Problems that seem unsolvable at the micro-level may be manageable at their macro-level.
Check your perspective. Gauge your distance. Focus on what is possible.
Ask the questions you'd ask about any mystery. What's going on? How did we get here? Where do we want to go?
What other questions do you ask in order to move from impossible to possible?
-- doug smith
It isn't possible or necessary to solve every problem. Focus on the problem in front of you.
Solving that first problem builds momentum and experience for solving the next problem. You'll never solve them all, but imagine how much better things will be after you've solved the ones right in front of you.
-- doug smith
As a recovering know-it-all I remember making many mistakes, trying to solve someone else's problem. I've learned that maybe, just maybe, I can help, but it is highly unlikely that I'll solve that problem.
The problem with solving someone else's problem is that it may not fit into their schedule. Or their plan.
Work together. Collaborate. Share. If the solution emerges between you, let them take credit for the brilliance of the solution. You'll never run out of problems to help on, unless you try to solve them all on your own.
-- doug smith
Highly structured? Wildly improvised?
Harmonic, or distorted? Fast or slow?
Analytics help, but there's nothing quite like a touch of the poet in solving problems. The deep pondering, the pedantic piecing together, the frantic splash of passion.
Whether or not they know it every problem solver has a touch of the poet.
Are you in touch with your touch of the poet?
-- doug smith
It's the system. Or maybe it's the process. It might not be you at all.
It might not be your team at all. Personal problems come from things we say and do, and they can also come from an unfair, deeply flawed system. Personal problems can also be caused by broken processes.
And yet we often try to solve problems with personal solutions: work harder, work faster, work smarter, muscle up and carry on. Can't you just solve your own personal problem?
Personal problems with systemic causes are hard to solve with personal solutions.
Personal problems may not be personal -- the system or process doesn't care who you are -- but they're still problems.
-- doug smith
