The grade-school mathematician in me likes
problems. I like knowing that when faced with a problem, I am called to lay the
appropriate groundwork to arrive at a solution. I also like knowing that the solution
already exists, regardless of my figuring out the equation. My work lies not in the solution,
but in the solving.
In the world of business, however, I am cautioned not to use the
word "problem". I am to speak euphemistically of "opportunities" or
"challenges". If the situation is particularly dire, I can speak of
"concerns" or "issues".
Somewhere between Apollo 13 and the advent of "new math",
executives became terrified of admitting that they had business problems. Before "new
math", a problem always implied a solution. Maybe the new math executives never had
story problems to solve or homework to do. Maybe they had teachers that let them whine
about how hard the problems were and the teachers never taught them the necessary skills
to actually solve problems.
Somewhere, somehow, a group of people emerged who believe that
talking about an issue is the same thing as solving a problem. Popular talk shows cater to
this tendency to gripe without purpose.
When, exactly, did this purge of the word "problem" occur?
It was with us in the 1960's -- we didn't hear, "Houston, we have an issue."
No, the Apollo astronauts didn't have an "issue" or a
"concern" -- that would be an extreme understatement. They had a problem that
required an immediate solution.
Issues don't get solved - they get discussed. We talk of
"resolving" an issue, but never do we "solve" an issue. An issue is
something that was once a problem, but then someone solved it. Then someone else forgot
the solution, so it has to be "re-solved". People enlightened with the original
solution are supposed to educate the unenlightened by means of thoughtful dialogue. A
dialogue implies that you listen as well as talk. This means you have to have an open mind
- you have to admit that there might be -gasp - a problem to be solved, instead
of an issue to be re-solved.
There is no real sense of accomplishment with resolving an issue. If
an issue is a problem with a solution, why do we keep discussing it? Why beat a dead
horse? Why can't we move on and solve some problems, for crying out loud? It is
increasingly tiresome to watch politicians and the media discuss issues without addressing
problems. I want to watch a press conference where a reporter asks a politician,
"What are three key problems that your district faces and how
are you solving them?"
I also want to hear a politician clearly answer that question. I
want to hear that a problem has been identified and actual progress is being made. We've
become so bogged down with constant chatter of discussing issues that we forget we have
problems to solve.
Talking about an issue until you are sick of hearing about it isn't
anything at all like quietly working on a solution and periodically reporting progress.
For one thing, doing actual work is a lot less noisy. For another thing, you stand a
better chance of getting some positive results by working quietly than by yapping on a
talk show.
A highly placed corporate executive told me that she didn't like to
use the word "problem" because it was negative: it implies that something is
amiss. She likes using "opportunity" or "challenge" because they are
positive and action-oriented words.
There is a fundamental "problem" with this line of
thought: it is terribly superficial, and everyone should at least feel slightly unsettled
at the glibness of failing to address a root cause. This is why it sounds ridiculous to
say, "Houston, we have an opportunity!"
This is why you can witness wry smiles on the faces of executives
when a middle-manager presents them with a list of "challenges." Everyone knows
there is a problem, but no one seems to want to admit it. Deep down, there is a fear of
not having a solution. There is a fear of blame. There is a fear of an emperor being seen
without clothing.
Hey, it's happened in recent history. I heard of an instance where
an emperor got caught without his pants, and the media, politicians and the public spent a
lot of time discussing the situation as an issue instead of focusing on solving a problem.
You knew it was being treated as an issue instead of a problem because it was really noisy
and in the end, nothing got solved.
An issue seemed to be resolved, but a problem didn't seem to be
solved.
And if nothing got solved, was there really ever a problem?
Having a known problem without a known solution is no cause for
blame - it is a call to action, it is a call to work. Having a known problem without
actively working on a known solution creates another set of problems entirely.
Advertisers know the value of systematically pointing out problems
and recommending solutions. I'm not a particularly stinky person, but some companies are
spending millions to convince me and my colleagues that we're smelly enough to use
anti-perspirant. That's one solution to a perceived problem, but I don't buy it. I prefer
to eat a healthy diet and bathe regularly.
When I casually mentioned to a small group of friends that I don't
use anti-perspirant, they edged away from me as a group. I watched as they simultaneously
cringed one foot away from me. Rather than trust their own olfactory senses, I became a
mock-pariah not by admitting that I have a problem with stinkiness, but by admitting that
I didn't adopt a solution that is part of the American conscious collective.
Once again, having a perceived problem is OK: not doing something
about it isn't OK. Being stinky is OK as long as you make it known that you spread
aluminum chlorohydrate on your armpits.
If you work to discover a new and monumental solution that
completely changes a world view, you have a shot at becoming much more than a mere mock
pariah. You can become a real heretic.
To me, that's the ultimate in motivation.
Baby Boomers refer to my generation as "Gen X". (It seems
that Boomers can't even find a root cause for their own children!) Nonetheless, we
Gen-Xers seem to like ultimate-anything. We are climbing mountains,
bungee-jumping off cliffs and starting our own internet businesses. We are hyperlinking,
jump cutting and animating.
We're pretty active for a bunch of slackers with ADD.
We are working on solutions to the Y2K problem, a legacy
our ancestors are still treating as an issue to discuss.
