Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There is always one more solution. Sometimes we just need a little more of this or that to see it. And when people claim no more solutions, they are telling us all sorts of things.

I liked Seth Godin’s recent blog post. In it, Seth wrote:

The only possible response … isn’t.

Well said. This is a variation on something that has been said in several ways in several places.

There is always at least one more solution.

These sayings are good to use as a consultant. When the consultant hears one or a variation of one of these, the consultant should know that the person speaking is saying:

• (1) I am tired,
• (2) I have a headache,
• (3) I want to go home and take a nap,
• (4) my boss is killing me,
• (5) my wife is ill and she needs me at home,
• (6) I hate this job and I want to quit and get another one,
• (7) I have an artificial time line that is stopping me from thinking,
• (8) my artificial budget is at or below zero,
• (9) my bonus depends on a solution today
• (10) and I don’t think it would be hard to add to this list

There are more solutions to a situation. Most of them we just don’t know…yet. Some time, rest, food, and recreation usually increases the list of solutions. Sure, some of them won’t fit in the constraints of the situation. Well, at least we don’t know yet how they will fit in the constraints.

You see, once you buy the basic statement, all sorts of possibilities open.

Life, however, is often easier if we close all possibilities but a few. It is easier to think about a few things; it is easier to work hard on just a few things. Working hard is a good thing, but it is a poor excuse for stopping thinking. Then again, must excuses for stopping thinking are poor.