How do you define a problem? Of course there are a myriad of ways to do it, but I'm here to suggest if there's no emotion behind what has been defined as a problem, it probably has no legs. You are probably someone who likes to constantly improve. You're probably a "fixer" too and I'll bet you find yourself trying to solve problems that nobody cares about fairly often. Join the club. The dues are steep and the work is hard, sometimes harder than it needs to be and that's why there needs to be a club - a club of people who are willing to share their insights and missteps. A club of people willing to help another member when they are falling into the trap of working on the wrong end of a problem, working on a problem that isn't theirs to solve, working on problem that isn't a real problem, or any other "problem" with problems.

The best definition of a problem that I know is this - a problem is the gap between where you are and where you want to be, with "want" being the important operative word. Why? Because if you want something, you've had an emotional reaction. If you don't have a gap between where you are and where you want to be then you don't have a problem. It doesn't mean there isn't a problem, it typically means you haven't noticed there's a problem, you haven't accepted that there's a problem, or that you choose to ignore the problem. If you are a club member, those are all reasons for you to continue paying your dues and showing up for meetings.

There's been a lot written on Gap Analysis and lots of business process coaches that are really good at walking you through the process. What is seemingly lacking are the tools to recognize the root cause of the problem so that as you plan for the future...implementing a solution, you're on a better track. And watch out - or even run in the other direction if possible when someone says "well, we should improve "XYZ"." The word "improve" is way too vague. The problem hasn't been identified and by the way, clues that you haven't found in the problem are when people use words like increase, decrease, get better, reduce, fix, repair, etc. Way too vague for anyone to help effectively.

Club members know that it's not ok for someone in leadership - someone who has a great product that really does solve problems, or anyone for that matter to take the stance that it's not up to them to define or help define the problem for others. It sure is. It's like being a clinical therapist. You know that the "problem" that a  patient first tells you about isn't the real problem. The patient might think it is. As a matter of fact the patient most likely believes that it is, but only through a learned process of questioning does the real problem come out so a solution can be devised. So I'm back to where I started from. For there to be a problem to be solved, there has to be emotion behind it and it's your job to get to that emotion

You have to be really certain that there really is a problem to be solved. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to solve one that doesn't exist. We all know of times when we have done that and the frustration that causes us. Again, it's not that the problem really isn't there, it's just no one is ready to admit it. Only the best professionals know how to guide someone through discovering that they have a problem that needs to be fixed. I've known lots of these people in my life and I strive every day to be one of them. You should too.

One way to stay disciplined enough to determine if it's worth your time to help someone accept the help they need is to stay intently focused by asking this question, "who here knows what the exact problem is?" Don't accept answers such as, "well were just trying to make things better," "the boss thinks we can improve," "we'd like to do things faster," or any other "soft" issue description. Until you know an emotional reason that someone wants to fix the problem, you really can't be helpful. Your job is to be skilled enough to uncover the real problem or move on accepting the fact that there is no real problem. Don't forget you're not a trained psychologist, profiler or psychic, so you have to use good processing skills and business discipline in determining how much time to spend to help someone recognize their problem. Don't get stuck. If you cannot clearly identify a gap between where you or someone else is and where you or where they need to be, you don't have a problem. And sometimes that's a great thing!