Turning Problems into Opportunities: A Four-Step Approach

It’s all about your perspective and thinking of it as a creative problem-solving opportunity.

*For those that would rather watch/listen than read this video is for you:

Let me present to you today my opportunistic perspective and approach to problem-solving. It starts with a story from a friend of mine, Seth Odell, who wrote a blog post last week about the fastest way to eliminate problems. In this story, he talks about a friend of his named Hank, who says,

“If you could solve a problem in 15 minutes, it’s not a problem. It’s simply an inconvenience.”

That got me thinking, and later that week, I had a meeting where someone mentioned, “Well, we do things like this, and it creates problems.” My response was, “This is an opportunity to change it, to come up with a better solution.” This approach received high praise, and we ended up with a solution that everyone was happy with. This is where changing your mindset about problems can make a significant difference. There’s a reason it’s called creative problem-solving, right?

You know, if you wreck your car, it seems like a huge problem, but maybe it’s an opportunity to get a new car. It’s all about your perspective and thinking of it as a creative problem-solving opportunity.

So, I want to present to you today a four-step approach to turning problems into opportunities, into wins, into something that everyone is happy about. Here’s how you can transform a problem into a positive outcome:

Step 1: Analyze the Problem

Start by digging into the problem to understand its root cause. If you’re familiar with the Five Whys framework, this is a perfect opportunity to use it. Ask why—why is this a problem, and what are we trying to solve? Look for opportunities to come up with a better solution than just solving the problem. Maybe this is an opportunity where one plus one equals two. You could combine this problem with something else and create a solution that everyone is happier about. Sometimes, it’s an opportunity to not do something at all.

Step 2: Develop a Plan

Now that you’ve analyzed the problem, share those solutions and brainstorm with your team. If it’s just you, it’s simpler, but strategic planning is still essential. Spend a little time to think about what you’re trying to accomplish. Depending on the complexity, outline the steps, assign responsibilities, and set goals. Write it down if that helps align everyone and crystallize the plan. Having it all documented makes it easier to ensure you’re following the plan and to foresee any potential pitfalls.

Step 3: Execute

This step is straightforward—take action to address and solve the problem. Execute the plan you’ve developed.

Step 4: Learn and Reflect

After completing the process, hold a lessons-learned session. Reflect on what you’ve learned. We often learn more from failures than from successes. By turning a failed state into a win, you create a perfect opportunity for reflection and learning.

That’s it—short and sweet.

If I could ask a final favor today: if you know someone who could benefit from these short, five-minute weekly lessons that I share, please invite them to join. Forward them the email, get them to sign up for the weekly newsletter. The great thing about Substack is that it sends out an email every Friday when I post these at 7:00 AM. Invite them to the club—I’d love to grow the readership, knowing that more people are benefiting from these little reminders and nuggets on how to be more effective in personal and professional life.

With that, have a great day!