Welcome to the February, 2013 edition of Insights. I hope you will find this month's selection of articles interesting and thought-provoking, and that you will take from these words at least one thought or idea that you can use to bring about a positive change in some aspect of your personal or professional life.

Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said,

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will
spend the first four hours sharpening the axe."

 What he was literally saying was that with a sharp axe in hand, chopping down a tree would be a fairly simple and undemanding task. But with a dull axe, it would likely be a very difficult and draining chore. In a larger sense, what he was really saying, I think, is that he would spend twice as much time preparing himself for a task as he would actually spend performing the task.

Don't we often see people starting a project or assignment without first preparing themselves for the challenges that lie ahead? How often have we done this ourselves?

Success rarely happens by accident. In order for us to achieve what we want, hope, desire, and dream about we need to prepare ourselves to attract our goals. Adequate preparation is critical to success. It helps us get the results we want exponentially faster than if we simply "go with the flow." How many professional athletes, musicians, speakers or trial attorneys, for example, do you know of who do not prepare extensively before they perform? Do you think that swimmer Michael Phelps could have achieved eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics without any or even very little preparation? There is no way he could have just rolled out of bed, skipped stretching and warm-ups, exercising, and weight lifting to achieve such phenomenal results.

We all know the powerful feeling that comes from being fully prepared for a challenge. We can also probably remember a time when we failed even though we thought we were prepared. Just understand and accept that failure will happen. All successful people have failed more than they have succeeded. It's how we rebound from failure and keep preparing and taking action that determines our successes in life.

So don't just grab an axe and start wailing away at a tree. YOU ARE THAT AXE. Always strive to be as sharp as possible when beginning an important activity.

If you know of anyone who you think might also be interested in receiving Insights, please forward this issue on.

As always, I would be very interested in receiving your feedback.

Pat Iannuzzi  

WHO'S PROBLEM IS IT ANYWAY?

Each of us is continually facing problems whether in our personal life or in our work. Clearly, some problems are more critical than others, and the urgency with which different problems need to be solved also varies. A problem can be defined as an obstacle that stands in the way of achieving a certain objective. The basic strategy for solving any problems is to identify and analyze the obstacles that stand in the way of success and then to implement solutions that can best resolve them.

Defining the true nature of a problem is the critical first step, and while this sounds easy, it's where the problem-solving process frequently goes astray. All too often a problem is simply described in terms of being the source of an obstacle rather than from the perspective of finding a solution to overcome it. For example, many business people tend to attribute decreased profits to a slow economy when the real problem is that they don't have a strategy in place for dealing or compensating for the slow economy. It's virtually impossible for any business to reverse a slowed economy and make it vibrant again. However, it is possible and appropriate for a business to take steps to overcome the specific business factors that a slowed economy causes, such as by increasing marketing budgets and developing effective customer loyalty programs.

The same can be said for problems that relate to personal interactions.  A person may have a subordinate or coworker who he or she feels is being extremely uncooperative. It's important to understand that the problem is not the person, but rather the person's behavior. We can rarely change another person, but we can sometimes positively influence that person's behavior. If we adjust our behavior toward another person in such a way that reflects positive expectations of the other person, he or she may respond to our approach by behaving and communicating more like we would prefer. See article on The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. 

Identifying Who is Responsible for Solving the Problem.

A problem only becomes YOUR problem if it is a problem YOU can Solve. If you do not have the capacity to resolve a problem, then it is not your responsibility. To be able to solve a problem, you must be in a position to control the factors that will lead to a solution. If you aren't, you will only be spinning your wheels and, in fact, may even be contributing to the exacerbation of the problem. Determine who can do something about the problem. That's the person whose problem it is. The problem may be having a significant impact on you, but if you don't have control over the factors that can solve it, there is nothing you can personally do to change your current situation. In others words, your problem may simply be the symptom of someone else's problem  The only recourse you really have is to decide what you are going to do about it.

Focus only on what you can do. If you're working for a boss you aren't getting along with or in a job you don't like, it is possible that you might be able to change your boss's attitude toward you a little if that is the issue, but it's unlikely you would be able to change your boss's personality or rewrite your job description. Basically the two choices you have are to either grin and bear it or implement the solution you do have control over which is to quit your job and move on. Simply agonizing over your circumstances is only likely to intensify your unhappiness.

Problem-Solving in Organizations 

Things can become more complex in an organizational environment, especially if a person holds a leadership position. In organizations, leaders often have responsibility for getting problems resolved but may not personally have direct control over many (or any for that matter) of the factors that need to be implemented to do so. They have to work with others or through others to solve problems. While situations do arise in which one person may be totally responsible for a problem and its solution, in most cases a problem is caused by several individuals and requires a collaborative effort to resolve it. This usually requires generating a team consensus for accepting accountability for the problem and the responsibility for its solution. The effective leader will frame the problem as the TEAM'S PROBLEM because only the team will be able to bring together all the pieces necessary to solve it.

Your Top Five Problems

Take a moment to jot down five of your most significant problems either personal or work-related and ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is really responsible for resolving each of these problems?
  Perhaps you are only participating in wishful thinking about some of these problems, and upon analysis, you realize that their solutions are really out of your control. Can you delegate some of the solutions to others who do have the capability to resolve them?
  
  
• How long have you had each of these problems?
  If you have had the same problem for several years and still haven't been able to resolve it, this is another indication that it really isn't your problem because its solution appears to be out of your control. Either resolve to living with the problem or move on.
  
  
• Is each problem a true problem, or is it an excuse for a lack of performance?
  Sometimes we hide behind a supposed problem when we don't want to face a real problem. We may state a problem as being the result of the economy being so tight that no one wants to spend money on home improvements when our real problem is that we don't know how to effectively market ourselves to get interview with homeowners.
  
   
• Which of these problems do you need the help of others to resolve?
  Determine whose help you will require and then develop a plan for gaining their willingness to help you solve it. Your plan should include an explicit benefit to them for their assistance.  

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