Once a problem is seen, the next action I usually see happen is the search for a solution.

Problems regularly call for solutions.

It’s an invitation to shortcuts.

What happens most frequently, is that the visible problem will give information inviting towards a solution. Most often it’s this immediate solution that will be chosen.

It usually ends up being a temporary solution, the root cause of the problem being somewhere else.

The solution, if I may call it like that, is to take the time to step back and ask questions.

By reversing this approach and asking questions instead of searching for solutions we allow ourselves to open up space. It enables us to see those problems which might have been leading to the problem we have been seeing.

Once in a while when I’m stuck I revert to a technique I’ve once learned from Hal Gregersen: the question burst.

The idea is that to step back from an issue that concerns us, we can write down as many questions related to this concern as possible. Prior to writing the question we can check in with our mood to assess how well we feel. Then we give ourselves 4 minutes to write down as many questions as possible. After these 4 minutes verify if you feel better than before. If yes there is good hope that the questions you’ve written down have uncovered something useful for you.