Problems,
problems. Everyone has problems. By this time in 1492, Columbus had
encountered plenty of problems connected with his voyage of discovery and
had many more problems ahead. Initially, he dealt with planning and
financing an innovative, daring project. Then he had to convince the crews
of three ships to keep sailing west when there hadn’t been any land in
sight for three weeks. In spite of fighting, shipwreck, spoiled food,
arthritis, foul weather and eventual disregard from his backers, he
managed to make four trips to a previously unknown land — and back —
using primitive navigation methods. Single-minded determination helped,
but he must have had a few good problem-solving methods besides.
It's
interesting how close he came to not discovering America on that
trip we commemorate in early October. On Oct. 10 the group had decided to
go on for only three more days before turning back. I suppose Columbus may
have had another alternative or two in mind if the time had run out with
no land in view, but they did sight land on Oct. 12.
It's an
example of one of the simplest problem-solving methods I've run
into: Wait until the problem goes away.
In this
case, once the explorers reached land, the problem of failing to reach
land was resolved.
Another easy
method is this: State that the problem does not exist.
In earlier
times, for example, there was a belief that the world was flat, which
would, of course, present a problem at the edge. In fact, it works very
well to say that there is no such problem.
In other
cases, a given circumstance does exist, but it doesn't have to be treated
as a problem. Mother Teresa knew that. She suggested substituting the idea
of a gift. I've read that when her companions were upset with delayed
flights, for instance, she urged them to regard the situation as a gift of
time available for other purposes.
Along life's
journey we pick up problem-solving skills from people around us — as
positive or negative examples — and from other sources, such as formal
training. There are even copyrighted strategies for considering variables
and arriving at rational conclusions.
We also
learn from experience. In one situation I experienced, I was caught off
balance by responses to my complaints about some problems. At first I
thought I had encountered a pattern of avoidance: State that the
problem does not exist. Wait for the problem to go away.
So, it came
as a surprise when I heard, from someone whose opinion I respected, that
the leadership was particularly good at solving problems. I had to
reconsider my view. Actually, I had little knowledge of what strategies
were used for problems that were actively addressed. What I had seen was
mostly related to determining what really needed attention and what
didn't.
The more I
thought about it, the more I saw how applicable the two simple concepts
could be. Saying that it's not really a problem is a legitimate way to
handle trivialities. Even the larger difficulties don't have to be framed
as problems. They can be challenges, opportunities, temporary
inconveniences. After all, earthly life itself is temporary.
Some
problems can't be fixed, and waiting them out is part of survival. Other
difficulties will eventually resolve themselves without significant
intervention. Waiting until a minor problem disappears can at times be a
valid way of refocusing attention on more important concerns.
Problem-solving
skills of a more complex nature can still be applied when and where
needed.
With a
little creativity — certainly a basic for handling all kinds of problems
— the two simple (or simplistic) methods do hold quite a bit of water.
For me, it was worth running into them along the way — much as Columbus
bumped into the Americas on his way to the East.
