In many of my seminars and courses over the last 15 years I have talked about the importance of making the shift from Problem Identifier to Problem Solver. It is easy to be a Problem Identifier; to sit around over coffee, lunch, or a beer, or on Skype, Zoom or one of the many social media platforms and talk about what’s wrong. What’s wrong with all levels of government, what’s wrong with the health care system, what’s wrong with the educational system, what’s wrong with your organization, what’s wrong with your boss, what’s wrong with your co-workers, and the list goes on. 

While it may feel good to vent, little, if any, good comes from these complaining sessions. The negativity unfortunately is infectious and a number of other people usually jump on the “What’s Wrong with ___________________” bandwagon. As a result of these sessions people usually walk away with a sense of depleted energy, frustration, agitation, victimization and sometimes helplessness or even hopelessness. If you could measure the loss of productivity resulting from these sessions, the impact would be staggering.

The shift to being Problem Solvers redirects the conversation from problems to solutions. It encourages everyone to ask, “What piece of this do I own?” and “What can I, and we, do to make a positive impact on the problem?” Instead of sucking the energy out of you, this mindset usually energizes people as possible solutions and action steps are discussed. The key is to have open conversations where ideas can be put forward and discussed, refined, enhanced and assessed. 

In the Dare to Be Great leadership workshop we explore Two Guiding Questions and Three Rules. Rule #2 is - No whining. No complaining. No Excuses. This is a rule about making that shift. The power of Rule #2 is that it forces us to shift from being a Problem Identifier to becoming a Problem Solver. 

If you are continually pointing the finger of blame at others and unwilling to accept your role in the current situation, you are violating Rule #2. If you are demanding others change, but are unwilling to first change yourself, you are violating Rule # 2. If you are screaming that things need to change, but not putting forth any practical, sustainable solutions for change, you are violating Rule #2. If you complain about “how things are”, but are not willing to take an active role in creating positive, lasting change, you are violating Rule #2. 

It is easy to be “The Critic” or “The Opposition” and complain about what is wrong with the system, the organization, your boss and your peers without proposing viable solutions or being willing to take an active role in implementing change. 

“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” 

Mahatma Gandhi

What’s Important Now? Make the Shift. Be a Problem Solver. Be the change you want to see in your world. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com

www.winningmindtraining.com

Maximizing human potential through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?

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