Solving the REAL Problem
Monday, May 28th, 2012Fifty percent of good problem solving is knowing what the problem is. Too often, that step gets lost in the rush to make things “right.” When that happens, instead of solving a problem, you just create more.
How do we miss on figuring out what’s wrong in the first place? Lots of ways!
On the top of that list is the tendency to assume that a symptom is the problem itself. It’s wet under your sink. If you assume that’s the problem, then you will just mop up the water. Problem solved? Not really. If it’s wet under your sink, somethng is leaking. If you don’t find and fix the leak, the water will collect under the sink again and again, eventually rotting the wood.
It’s also easy to assume you know what is causing that symptom. I had a nice little reminder of that last week. I recently recoupled in terms of living arrangements and we are living in his house. So all the peculiarities are new and different. When the whole house circulating fan went on after I’d started my morning routine in the bathroom a few days ago, it included a rather irritating rattle, which kept going and going and going.
I assumed it was the ceiling fan and went on with the teeth brushing, face washing, etc. It was only when I had finished and opened a drawer to put away my hair brush that I found the real cause of the problem. Once the drawer was opened, the rattle became much louder. And when I investigated, I discovered I’d accidentally turned on the little battery powered gadget that takes fuzz off your clothing.
That example isn’t a big deal. We hadn’t spent hundreds–or even thousands–of dollars to get the “not real” problem assessed and “repaired.” But there have also been several situations where that kind of expense was involved. Both were related to health care.
My significant other has a genetically transmitted kidney condition. He does a great job of managing his diet and his lifestyle so that it’s not an issue for him. But when he gets sick, the medical community automatically assumes it’s because of this condition.
The first time I was witness to this, the eventual diagnosis was pneumonia. The second time, they ordered a series of high risk and expensive ($5000 a shot) injections to help his kidneys work with his blood. Even when there was no improvement, they kept going. The side effects of this treatment are serious–an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, for starters.
Eventually, the situation got so bad that he ended up in the emergency room and then admitted to the hospital. And that’s when they took the time to find the real problem, which was a no-longer-indolent lymphoma that they’d noticed several years before.
We need to do better at diagnosing problems. Right now, the Democrats have diagnosed the budget shortfall as not bringing enough money in. The Republicans see it as a matter of spending too much. It is both, but nothing is being done to solve the problem because neither side is willing to expand their diagnosis.
So what do we do about this as plain ordinary people? Try not to fall into those same traps with your own problem solving, certainly. But we can also serve as the “double check” with others making decisions on our behalf.
Ask questions to force those service providers to go beyond what they are assuming:
- If a doctor says “Well, that’s just because of your XYZ disease ask”If I had not already been diagnosed with XYZ disease, what would you do to figure out my current health problem?”
- If your mechanic tells you your car is just getting old, ask “If this car weren’t ten years old, what would you recommend?”
- If your financial advisor says “The market is too unpredictable. We can’t invest now.” ask “How do other advisors keep people invested in this kind of climate?”
It’s easy to see others’ shortcomings–and frustrating to have to deal with them when they are affecting our own quality of life. But this is not a solo difficulty. As a culture, we are used to instant fixes, be it while playing a video game or ordering a new bike off the internet in the middle of the night.
We all need to take more time to be sure we understand the problem we are trying to fix. When you do, it increases the odds of it staying fixed once you address it considerably.