How to solve problems – big or small – with smart questions: Part 1

Personally and professionally, my approach to problem solving has evolved over the years, and it’s still a work-in-progress. One of the biggest insights I’ve had is that the best breakthroughs come after I’ve been intentional about problem solving, and framed objective questions around them. I’ve used this approach during informal discussions with friends and family, and more structured workshops with early-stage business start-ups, women’s support groups, my own team at work, and others who needed their thinking to be challenged. 

Think about it for a second: Have you ever felt discouraged – or even numb or paralysed – by a particular challenge? Have you considered giving yourself a break from the feeling of stress or overwhelm for a few hours or an entire day, and pretending that the problem isn’t really yours, but someone else’s, and you’re just helping them solve it, so that you’re not emotionally attached to the problem in question? Of course, some challenges are harder to ‘put on pause’ than others, because they may need your constant attention, such as a personal illness or the illness of a loved one. 

Still, if you can trust your own ability to think your way out of the challenge, you can be a little less emotional about it, and begin to think critically to arrive at good or even excellent solutions. To paraphrase Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach, 90 percent of most problems is the bother and worry they cause – only about 10% is usually the actual problem. Just ponder that for a minute!

Feeling overwhelmed by a problem? Try and suspend emotion for a little while, so you can tackle the challenge more objectively. Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

The questions below, the first part of a short series, are in no strict order; they’re intended to get you to ask yourself intelligent questions related to your problems; more specifically, how you feel or think about them, and why. I hope they help bring you some clarity, a sense of purpose, and most of all, solutions if you’re facing challenges of your own. 

Trust yourself – it's quite possible that you already have all the answers. 

The problem-solving questionnaire - Part 1

First, begin by writing down aspects of your life are you trying to change, or problems (big or small) that you are trying to solve. Then, answer these questions. 

Q. If there are things that need to change, why do you think or believe that? 

Q. What happens if these things don’t change? OR What happens if these problems aren’t solved? 

Q. How bad is the worst-case scenario? Is it really that bad? Think about this long and hard.

Q. If the worst-case scenario came true, what would you have to change or do? 

Q. Are these things you’d have to do impossible (or close to impossible)? Have you even thought that far with clarity and tried to figure out solutions, or have you just accepted their ‘impossibility’? 

Q. Is this ‘worst-case scenario’ an abstract thought / bundle of feelings, something you may not have processed or articulated in terms of the actual details? 

Q. Can it be supported by logic or evidence, or is it irrational to think this way? If it came to pass, do you have the resources to fix it (friends, family, staff, skills, thinking, etc.)? If you do have the resources to fix it (even if it somewhat hard to bring those resources together), is it logical to be so fearful of this scenario?

Q. Are you truly keeping an open mind? Is your thinking influenced by past experiences? If yes, how much – and can you change that? Ask yourself: Is it logical to believe that if it happened in the past, it will definitely repeat itself in the future? 

Q. What is your desired future state? (It doesn’t need to be a perfect state, but a good or great state). Be as detailed about this as possible. Approach this with a hopeful attitude, and with a balance of heart and head. This helps you answer the question: “What do I really want?”   

The next part of this series will ask more questions. Sometimes, the particular way a question is phrased, or its specific content elicits a powerful answer. 

Let me know if you found this helpful, and I’d really appreciate if you could share your own questions or approaches to problem-solving. Stay tuned for Part 2!