22: To Solve Or Resolve

 [00:00:00] To solve or resolve. It's going to be our topic for our conversation today. So your biggest business opportunity is creating a simple solution to a complex problem. Now, there are simple solutions. All around you. Typically at the core of every single successful business is a very simple solution to a complex problem that someone decided to go out and solve.

Think about some of your favorite companies. Jeff Bezos and his team at Amazon came up with a very simple solution to your complex problem called the shopping habit. Randolph and Hastings and the team at Netflix came up with a very simple solution to your complex problem called an addiction to movies.

Brian Chesky and his team at Airbnb came up with a very simple solution to your complex problem called needing a vacation. Travis and his team at Uber came up with a very simple solution to your complex problem called getting somewhere quickly. Adam Newman and his team had, we work, came up with a very simple solution to your complex problem called I need a place to work within our teams and almost any internal leadership meeting.

I've been a part of you'll hear me ask. Is there a simpler way to do this? We are constantly looking for more simple ways to accomplish what we're already doing. Simple as trainable, simple as duplicated simple removes friction, simple as predictable. Simple is scalable. Simplicity is the key to solving problems and true leaders and true CEOs across all industries rise to the top of their industry based on their ability to solve key problems in a simple way.

So the challenge is to choose the right problem to solve in the way that they need to be solved at the time that those problems need to be solved. So why is that the challenge? Well, because solving problems is an art and a science solving problems as a gift and a skill solving problems is is the key to growth and the key to success.

But I just two little letters to that science, that skill and success, and what emerges is a systemic problem that has the potential to destroy an otherwise incredible business. And those two letters, R and E. That simple prefects, R E changes, the verb solve to resolve. We solve problems. We resolve issues and issues become issues only because we didn't solve the problem the right way at the right time.

Initially. If we tackle the real problems in our business and take time to, to provide real solutions, we can move on to the next problem. Instead of finding ourselves constantly resolving the same issue in slightly different ways. In reality, our frustrations as leaders almost entirely STEM from the sense or that.

Feeling that we're repeating ourselves, that we wake up each day or each week or each month or each year. And we're stuck solving or really resolving the same issues we have the day before or the week before or the month before, or the year before in a, in an interview that I listened to with Mark Miller, the vice president of high-performing teams at Chick-fil-A.

He provided some incredible perspective on this. When he said the gift we get for solving a problem. Is a bigger problem. So by nature of the fact that you truly solved one problem, your team or your consumer or the world will bring you a bigger problem to solve. That's your gift. That's your reward.

In essence, you proved your skill and your value. Every single time you solved a problem. You have proven yourself as a true problem solver. And as you solve bigger and bigger problems, your business and your revenue in your world will grow as a natural by-product. There is a true dividing line between problems and issues.

Businesses have problems. People have issues. Now issues arise simply because we have not created the systems to eliminate the problem. And Dan Heath in his book upstream says that every system is perfectly designed to get the result it gets. Right. Think about that. Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.

Are you currently getting the results you want in your business? If you are okay. Then be looking or be prepared for your next challenge or next problem to solve. If you're not, then what have you designed? Because your business is getting the results based on the system you designed. If we find ourselves constantly fixing and resolving issues, we need only look upstream per Dan Heath at the systems we built address the problem that we actually created, our company or businesses solve in the first place.

[00:05:00] A bit more personally, if you find yourself frustrated by solving small problems or even resolving the same problem over and over and over again, it's evidence that you haven't proven yourself as a true problem solver. In fact, it's evidence that the original core problem you set out to solve in your business remains unsolved.

I used to enjoy doing the Sunday New York times crossword puzzle. And anyone who has attempted those? No, that they are not easy, right? That puzzle is a challenge. Some would go as far to call it a real problem. A couple hundred thousand people enjoy solving that problem or puzzle every single Sunday, but when solved, I've never decided to go back and solve it again.

Right. I never thought, well, that was fun. Let me erase this and try it again. I've never done that. The fun and energy you get while solving the problem is they're only the first time through who wants to solve a problem twice who wants to solve a puzzle twice X w will no one, the mystery is eliminated, but challenges are raised.

Business problems are no different. Our energy and enjoyment can be sapped very quickly. If we find ourselves resolving the same problem in the same business issues without moving on to bigger problems that need solving, adding two simple letters to one word may seem like a fine line, but in etymology and in practice, the difference between those two words is like crossing an eight lane highway, but we solve problems.

We resolve issues. Two simple letters to drastically different outcomes. Go solve complex problems with simple solutions.