#TOW — What’s important is to solve the problem !
When faced with two problematic situations this past period, two colleagues of mine told me:”Don’t worry, what’s important is that we solve the problem.”
In both situations I felt good because the people were thinking proactively and trying to solve the situation rather than whine and complain about how the problem happened in the first place. What’s interesting is that, even though both situations were aimed at accomplishing the same goal, they were different. The intention of the collocutors to solve the situation wasn’t the same.
When someone tells you that it’s important to focus on the solution to the problem and not seek who’s to blame, he/she might have two possibilities in mind:
1. Focus on the solution
This is an excellent attitude that we should all have when a problem occurs. We shouldn’t vainly waste our energy on blaming and arguing about what could and should’ve happened, but instead focus our thoughts on finding the most appropriate and most productive solution. Also, it’s important to constantly have this attitude and not only in certain situations when it suits us.
Of course, once the situation is settled, it’s very useful to analyze it. Not so that you find who’s to blame (even though everyone must take responsibility for their actions) but because we have to learn something from that, find the lesson in the story and not make the same mistake again.
2. “Spin” the conversation
In the very same situation, the second possibility might be very manipulative. The collocutor can and will focus on the solution to the problem, but his/her intention will not be the same as in the first situation. He/she says that only to protect themselves and change the topic of conversation. They know that what you need is the quickest solution to the problem and that’s why they highlight it as the most important thing at that moment. But they’re actually trying to avoid the responsibility and the consequences using a “spin” technique of defocusing the conversation.
In any case, if we focus on the solution, we will be better and more efficient in conducting our tasks even if we want to avoid responsibility. It’s important to learn from it and reach conclusions that will make us better in our future work.
The next time you find yourselves in a similar situation, think whether you really have a “problem solving” attitude or you simply want to avoid responsibility!
