Navigating the 3 Stages of Problems (and what to do at each stage)
Challenges aren’t merely challenges, however much they might seem that way. And problems aren’t merely problems, even if they present themselves as such. There are stages that challenges or problems go through, evolving each step of the way. And as they evolve, there’s a way to discern the best type of action to deal with them to get the best result.
1.CHALLENGES ARE BORN OF RISKS
Every problem, challenge or roadblock starts out as a perceived risk somewhere in the future. When confronted with a dilemma, it’s easy to give more weight to the possible negative impact, outcomes or drawbacks that are potentially ahead. This is where anxiety and worry typically reside: when we focus on things that might happen, might go wrong and/or our concerns about unintended impact or consequences. Of course, it’s totally appropriate to ask some of these questions as it’s hard to see the future accurately, especially if emotions are involved. Still, you may need to deal with what might be, may be and/or could be as part of solving the dilemma effectively.
The trick is to not dwell in the potential struggle, but to flesh out the actual risks, objective reality and the real likelihood of any of those risks coming to fruition. Objective answers to those questions will be your guide to seeing which risks might be probable and necessitate handling them versus those that have become monsters of your own mind.
2.SOME RISKS GROW UP TO BE REAL
Some risks become challenges that have manifested in the world. Things you must deal with! Legitimate obstacles that you see as preventing you from achieving the goal you’re looking to achieve right now. Not having enough money to.... Not having enough time to… Not having the skill set to…
As Tony Robbins would say, “It’s never a resource problem though. It’s a resourceful-ness question.”
At this stage, you must muster courage and draw on the creativity, ingenuity and determination inside of yourself (and maybe your company) to figure out how best to solve what you’re up against. This is where breakthroughs are usually found. And if not, at the very least you can learn a lot about what doesn’t work to grow.
3.REAL PROBLEMS, HAVE REAL RESULTS (THAT YOU PROBABLY DON’T WANT)
Left unchecked, challenges lead to the final stage, often resulting in negative outcomes or impacts that you didn’t want. This is when the seemingly out-of-control challenge has manifested the very things you may have been trying to avoid. Things like blowing a presentation, running out of money, or missing the window to do something.
At this stage, the important thing to recognize is that you have to be fully aware and cognizant to not only address the core problem but now you also have to address any impact that it has left in its wake. The impact of this final stage is typically fraught with more risk and more challenges, so I recommend practicing the discomfort of problem resolution by going after your problems early and going after them often.
If you need some support with challenges that you’re facing right now, join me in the #NOMATTERWHAT COMMUNITY to share what you’re up against. I’m there to help, along with hundreds of others.
We all have problems, challenges and limits that might at first appear to be blocking our way. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be a challenge and you probably would have done it already. By breaking problems down they become more manageable and can be handled in the most effective way.
Here’s to getting after them, #NoMatterWhat