“Great solutions must take a significant bite out of problems by clarifying their true cause.”

~ Adapted from Duke Rohe

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How to Create GREAT Solutions

This is the first in a series of short essays devoted to the criteria that create great solutions. I ran across these ideas in an email from Duke Rohe, and he has given me permission to adapt them to my “Life from the Top of the Mind” philosophy.

First, I think it’s important to note that we are talking about “great solutions,” not just “a solution.” In other words, it is certainly possible to come up with solutions to the problems we face, either in our family, organization, or our life, but they all aren’t “great solutions.” In fact, often they only tend to treat the symptom (the pain experienced around the problem) versus getting at the true cause. When this happens, the problem and pain will inevitably return.

One form this takes is our perceiving the problem to be the result of something or someone “out there.” It’s our boss’s fault, or our spouse, or our kids, or traffic, or our coworkers, or the weather, or… well, you get the picture.

While this external focus is understandable (it certainly seems as if _______ makes me ______), the only time that such a perspective is helpful is when we can control the person or situation that is triggering the problem. For example, I like to drive a clean car. I feel good when my car (exterior and interior) is clean, and given that 95% of the time I can control this external situation, I do so.

However, there are many situations in life that we can’t control (our boss, our spouse, our kids, traffic, our coworkers, the weather, etc.) and, therefore, I suggest we do not label these as “the cause” of how we find ourselves feeling, thinking, and/or behaving.

For those of you who follow my “Life from the Top of the Mind” philosophy, you know that the true cause of how we react to life is the way in which our limbic system (the middle part of our brain) interprets, or ascribes meaning to, the person or situation we are either experiencing or thinking about. This is why different people can have very different reactions to the same situation. It’s not the situation that is causing the reaction, but how each person’s limbic system is interpreting what is going on.

The challenge, of course, is that the limbic system operates as part of the unconscious brain, and therefore these critical interpretations are often made not by choice, but by chance… or, as a result of everything we have experienced up to this point in our lives.

Therefore, when I am helping people solve problems or create “great solutions,” I make sure that we are clear about the true cause… i.e. the way our limbic system is ascribing meaning to some aspect of life. In this way we can see our reaction as good information about the quality of this interpretation, and choose to feed it or change it.

If this concept resonates with you, I suggest you take a significant bite out of your problems by first becoming clear about their true cause, i.e. the way your limbic system is interpreting the situation. You will then be in the best position to influence this interpretation, which will then create a more purposeful experience of life.

If you want help with this in your personal life, professional life, and/or the life of your organization, feel free to contact me. Helping people access their clarity, confidence, and creativity is what I love to do.

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill