New Problems, New Solutions

It feels easier to solve problems using familiar solutions. We know they worked before. Why wouldn't they work again? That new problem seems familiar, too so why not throw a tested solution at it?

Because it may not work. Have we truly analyzed the problem? Do we understand the causes?

We should be careful about letting the solutions to past problems determine the solutions to our current problems.

Our current problems need current solutions. That's more work, but it's the right thing to do.

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Don't Force Your Solutions

What happens when you impose your solution on someone else's problem?

If it works, they will be happy that it works and likely still resent you for imposing the solution. If it does not work (which is often the case) you of course will get the blame.

People need to come up with their own solutions. Your advice may be brilliant. Your insistence may be strong. But their resistance to change (and need for ownership) will quite likely get in the way.

We should not force someone to try our solution to their problem.

Even if their ideas aren't as good, they are much more likely to follow them.

Unless your trying to teach both of you a lesson. Good luck with that approach.

Centered problem solving involves much more. It is taking an approach of working on the relationship as well as the problem. It's attacking the process, and not the person. It's cooperating and collaborating. That's not as easy as imposing your own solution -- but much more likely to succeed.


-- Douglas Brent Smith

Bring Centered Problem Solving to Your Location

WHAT IF you could work with a small group of people who would help you to solve your most pressing problems? They wouldn't try to impress you. They wouldn't charge you money. They wouldn't hold back their best advice to keep you coming back for more. All they wanted from you was to help you to solve your problems and achieve your goals, in exchange for cooperation in solving their own problems and achieving their goals.

What they would do is speak openly and honestly and with absolute clarity. They would support your goals and offer their expertise unselfishly and without reservation. They would pay careful attention to your problem solving needs and treat your shortcomings and challenges with compassion. They would cooperate. They would spark ideas together that they would probably not realize on their own, and they would have fun doing it.

They would help you drop excuses and time wasters to focus instead with your full energy on what you really want.

That is what Centered Problem Solving is all about.

This program is designed to help you with your most immediate, most pressing problem while also setting in place the skills and resources you need to leverage your skills into recurring patterns of success. Along the way you will become such an expert in the two core processes of Centered Problem Solving that you will introduce it to others, help them in solving problems and achieving goals, and by doing so you will co-create better organizations and happier lives.

How Centered Problem Solving Works

By participating in this program you will be part of a small, select team of individuals who each agree to help the others. You'll assist the others, and they will assist you. You'll hold them accountable, and they will hold your hand to the fire as well, acting as supportive, cooperative, insistent, persistent coaches. Each of you on this elite team will:

• Work on your own problem solving project as well as the projects of other people at the workshop
• Share networks and contacts of people who can bring about successful results
• Work through the Centered Problem Solving processes together

Centered Problem Solving offers you the practice field and performance space to achieve what you've possibly never achieved before. It is a real-time, real-results method of developing your leadership and problem solving skills. Your take-aways will be real results that you can build on. There is only one reason you would not achieve that and that by stopping before your results are achieved.

So, jump in, get to know your new team of cooperative stars, and get ready for solving your problems and achieving your goals.


If you solve your problem...

• Imagine the difference it will make in your work, your team, your life
• You'll build stronger relationships that can propel you on to even better things
• You'll acquire the skills and tools that you need to solve many more problems
• You'll gain a positive financial return-on-investment by paying exactly what the workshop is worth to you -- and nothing more

If you don't solve your problem...

• You will have made significant progress in figuring it out
• You will have found people who could help you solve other problems
• You will have practiced working with highly collaborative tools that can help you with future problems
• You'll only pay what the workshop was worth to you (plus travel expenses)
• You'll have the opportunity to try the workshop again with a different set of people to find new ways to solve your problem or discover if it's a problem that must be managed rather than solved

How can we afford to do this?


We have helped so many groups save or generate so much money and produce so much value from solving problems that we are confident that a 5:1 return-on-investment or more for you will prosper all concerned and make us both very happy. If you're not happy, take the workshop again -- or, gasp! pay nothing. Our goal is to help you solve your problems and achieve your goals. And, we want to create moments that will stay with you, grow with you, and create something you'll talk about for a long time.


To arrange a Centered Problem Solving workshop at your location, contact us here:


info@frontrangeleadership.com







-- Douglas Brent Smith

One Generation Behind

It's not fair. It's not exactly logical. But how true do you think it is?

Every generation creates its own problems -- and must solve the problems of the previous generation.

Maybe it's the advance of technology. Maybe it's the quality of thinking. Maybe it's the incubator of time. What do you think?

-- Douglas Brent Smith