Captain Michael: Before you solve the problem, make sure you’ve found it.
That sounds obvious.
It isn’t.
The engine won’t start.
Easy
Before you solve the problem, make sure you’ve found it.
That sounds obvious.
It isn’t.
The engine won’t start.
Easy enough. Must be the battery.
So you charge it.
Still won’t start.
Replace the battery.
Still nothing.
Eventually you discover a loose connection that could have been tightened in thirty seconds.
We do the same thing with bigger problems.
Business is slow, so we assume we need more customers.
Maybe.
Or maybe the customers don’t understand what we’re offering.
Maybe they understand it but don’t see enough value.
Maybe the product is fine and the message is wrong.
Maybe we’re solving something nobody particularly wants solved.
The Stoics put enormous emphasis on seeing things as they actually are—not as our first impression tells us they are.
Epictetus warned repeatedly about confusing our judgments about events with the events themselves.
That’s useful when troubleshooting.
Symptoms are not always causes.
So before reaching for the wrench, slow down long enough to ask:
What do I actually know?
What am I assuming?
What changed?
What evidence would prove me wrong?
And perhaps the most important question:
Am I working the problem—or merely the first explanation that occurred to me?
Experience helps.
But experience can also fool us.
We’ve seen something similar before, so we assume we already know what this is.
Sometimes we’re right.
Sometimes we spend three hours fixing the battery.
Good problem solving requires action.
But before action comes something even more important:
Get curious.
Look.
Listen.
Test.
Question your assumptions.
Find the problem underneath the problem.
Then pick up the wrench.
Work the problem.
#WorkTheProblem, #Stoicism, #Epictetus, #StoicWisdom, #ProblemSolving, #CriticalThinking, #Curiosity, #LifeWellLived, #SeekingAWellLivedLife, #CrypTok
Captain Michael: Before you solve the problem, make sure you’ve found it. That sounds obvious. It isn’t. The engine won’t start. Easy eno
Before you solve the problem, make sure you’ve found it. That sounds obvious. It isn’t. The engine won’t start. Easy enough. Must be the battery. So you charge it. Still won’t start. Replace the battery. Still nothing. Eventually you discover a loose connection that could have been tightened in thirty seconds. We do the same thing with bigger problems. Business is slow, so we assume we need more customers. Maybe. Or maybe the customers don’t understand what we’re offering. Maybe they understand it but don’t see enough value. Maybe the product is fine and the message is wrong. Maybe we’re solving something nobody particularly wants solved. The Stoics put enormous emphasis on seeing things as they actually are—not as our first impression tells us they are. Epictetus warned repeatedly about confusing our judgments about events with the events themselves. That’s useful when troubleshooting. Symptoms are not always causes. So before reaching for the wrench, slow down long enough to ask: What do I actually know? What am I assuming? What changed? What evidence would prove me wrong? And perhaps the most important question: Am I working the problem—or merely the first explanation that occurred to me? Experience helps. But experience can also fool us. We’ve seen something similar before, so we assume we already know what this is. Sometimes we’re right. Sometimes we spend three hours fixing the battery. Good problem solving requires action. But before action comes something even more important: Get curious. Look. Listen. Test. Question your assumptions. Find the problem underneath the problem. Then pick up the wrench. Work the problem. #WorkTheProblem, #Stoicism, #Epictetus, #StoicWisdom, #ProblemSolving, #CriticalThinking, #Curiosity, #LifeWellLived, #SeekingAWellLivedLife, #CrypTok
Before you solve the problem, make sure you’ve found it. That sounds obvious. It isn’t. The engine won’t start. Easy enough. Must be the battery. So you charge it. Still won’t start. Replace the battery. Still nothing. Eventually you discover a loose connection that could have been tightened in thirty seconds. We do the same thing with bigger problems. Business is slow, so we assume we need more customers. Maybe. Or maybe the customers don’t understand what we’re offering. Maybe they understand it but don’t see enough value. Maybe the product is fine and the message is wrong. Maybe we’re solving something nobody particularly wants solved. The Stoics put enormous emphasis on seeing things as they actually are—not as our first impression tells us they are. Epictetus warned repeatedly about confusing our judgments about events with the events themselves. That’s useful when troubleshooting. Symptoms are not always causes. So before reaching for the wrench, slow down long enough to ask: What do I actually know? What am I assuming? What changed? What evidence would prove me wrong? And perhaps the most important question: Am I working the problem—or merely the first explanation that occurred to me? Experience helps. But experience can also fool us. We’ve seen something similar before, so we assume we already know what this is. Sometimes we’re right. Sometimes we spend three hours fixing the battery. Good problem solving requires action. But before action comes something even more important: Get curious. Look. Listen. Test. Question your assumptions. Find the problem underneath the problem. Then pick up the wrench. Work the problem. #WorkTheProblem, #Stoicism, #Epictetus, #StoicWisdom, #ProblemSolving, #CriticalThinking, #Curiosity, #LifeWellLived, #SeekingAWellLivedLife, #CrypTok
