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Solving Problems
How to Solve Problems Effectively and Ethically
By Jim
Marggraff
Like many
young girls, my daughter Annie was an avid Scout.
So, when
it came time to sell their traditional baked goods, Annie approached the task
with gusto.
She
wanted to excel in sales, both for the good of the organization and for the
prize that came with high sales.
Annie
enlisted me to help her sell cookies at LeapFrog, where I had recently invented
the LeapPad and where many young cookie lovers would be delighted to help a
sweet Girl Scout. Annie frequently visited the office as a voice talent, recording
for the LeapPad, and she knew many people.
I looked
forward to watching her introduce herself in her Girl Scout uniform. This was a
unique bonding opportunity for us and a proud moment for me as a dad.
Unfortunately,
there was a problem. My wife and I had learned, well ahead of the general
public, of the severe negative health consequences of partially hydrogenated
oils, now more commonly known as trans fats.
We had
eliminated foods containing trans fats from our family’s diet.
When I
looked at the ingredient list for Girl Scout Cookies, I was astounded to see
trans fats as a key ingredient (trans fats have thankfully been largely removed
from the cookies since then).
I pointed
this out to Annie, and we were instantly in conflict.
“Do you want me to sell my friends cookies that we wouldn’t eat
ourselves? That we know are poisonous?” I
asked, admittedly ramping up the drama.
“But Dad, they’re Girl Scout Cookies!” Annie said.
My
campaign against trans fats paled in importance when Girl Scout Cookies were on
the line.
“All
right, let me think about it,” I
said.
Annie
sighed, knowing that I wouldn’t come back to her with a simple “yes” or “no.”
I’d want
to talk about the PTS — the problem to solve, something my career had shown me
was a foundational part of success.
Solving
Problems Effectively and Ethically
Annie
just wanted to sell the cookies. But I knew they were seriously unhealthy for
people.
More
importantly, I knew that letting Annie compromise our values for the sake of a
prize would set a bad example and was not good parenting. So, what could we do?
Most
ongoing conflicts stem from one critical mistake: People do not clearly define,
and agree to, the problem to solve. Worse, they often solve the wrong problem.
People
typically skip problem definition and focus on treating symptoms. Annie and I
needed to identify the core issue, carefully craft the right problem statement,
and then agree to solve it.
I really
wanted to help my daughter, but not at the cost of our family’s integrity or my
colleagues’ health.
After a
patient exchange of questions and answers, which was frustrating though
informative for Annie, we realized that the problem was less about selling
boxed cookies and more about helping her raise money.
We struck
on the idea of baking our own healthy cookies for Annie to sell, assuming we
could get the Scout leader’s approval, which provided another opportunity for
Annie to learn about making proposals to her supervisors on a project.
She
obtained this approval, and Annie and I spent a magical weekend baking
together. She sold every last cookie to my LeapFrog colleagues and won the
prize she had sought.
Why the
PTS Matters
The Girl
Scout Cookie story is Marggraff family lore now that Annie is an adult, and I
look back on it as a defining moment in her journey toward becoming a founder
in her own right.
Finding
the PTS through forensic Q&A changed her attitude toward “unsolvable”
problems and became a fun experience instead of a source of frustration.
The desire
and ability to pursue and identify the right, clear PTS is absolutely crucial
to a founder’s mindset — a way of approaching your work with the productive and
insightful perspective of a problem solver.
By
encouraging Annie to really think about the problem we needed to solve, I
helped her think critically about addressing tough scenarios.
People
often run in circles trying to solve problems because they’re chasing a
problem’s symptoms, not its cause. Once you properly articulate the core
problem, the solution often presents itself.
Learning
to identify the correct PTS is a skill. Like any skill, it takes time to
cultivate. Here are three steps that are helpful in shaping this critical
ability:
1. Begin
with your values in mind.
When you
have clearly defined values, problem-solving becomes
much easier. Right away, you have a framework for approaching an issue because
you’re guided by your ethics as valuable constraints in defining your PTS.
In the
story I shared about Annie, I was committed to solving the problem. I knew that
some solutions — such as selling the original Girl Scout Cookies — didn’t align
with our family and societal health values.
Once she
and I understood and agreed to this, we were able, with some coaching, to think
creatively to identify the real problem.
2. Identify
your problem calmly and one step at a time.
Our
instinct when conflict arises is to react
immediately. When someone feels slighted at the office, we often say whatever
comes to mind to assuage their feelings.
When an
investor criticizes a product, we often become defensive and try to rationalize
our solution or try to solve the same problem a different way. However, this
initial instinct does not focus on finding the true PTS.
With
slighted colleagues, go ahead and apologize if you feel you created undue
offense — but think about why the situation occurred in the first place. Maybe
you’re frustrated with performance, or perhaps your communication has been
lacking. Addressing those issues will lead to a better working relationship.
In
business, if you find yourself on the receiving end of investor criticism,
embrace their comments without ego, and don’t jump to an immediate solution.
Forensically,
respectfully, question the provocateur and listen carefully.
Review
your core business needs as well as changes that may have occurred in the
market and decide whether you’re solving the correct problem.
Identifying
the right PTS demands deep, comprehensive, critical thinking rather than a rush
to action at the first sign of trouble.
3. Ask
“why?”
When you
think you’ve defined the problem statement, stop and ask “why?” Answer this,
then ask “why?” again. Keep asking until you get to the real PTS.
The first time I asked Annie why she wanted to sell Girl Scout
Cookies, she said, “Because I have to.”
After my second ask, she said, “Because I was told to.”
By my fourth “why” to Annie, she became frustrated.
By my
seventh “why,” she had become engaged and began to think
critically. (I was patient and persistent, which is important in these
situations.)
It was
then that we realized it was about fundraising, not boxes of Girl Scout
Cookies.
In the
years since the great Girl Scout Cookie baking adventure, Annie has blossomed
into a successful founder.
She is
now nationally scaling Step Ahead, a nonprofit program she founded for children
on the autism spectrum, and she is full of motivation and clarity of mind.
She
didn’t develop these skills overnight but rather through persistent practice in
many situations (the cookie bakeoff being just one).
Every
time you apply yourself to find the right problem to solve, you’ll strengthen the founder’s mindset within
yourself and those around you.
You’ll do
more than just resolve issues effectively — you’ll all become leaders and
critical thinkers, as well.
Jim Marggraff is a serial
entrepreneur dedicated to developing innovative technologies. Jim’s latest company,
Eyefluence, was recently
acquired by Google. He also invented the LeapPad learning system and
the Livescribe smartpen. Jim is not only an entrepreneur himself, but a parent
of entrepreneurs. Jim’s book, How
to Raise a Founder With Heart, is available now.
