So many of us see just one problem, and therefore one solution. Sometimes, our mental models or filters prevent us from seeing alternative solutions. But sometimes, I think it’s literally how we see the problem that limits our mental models. If we can’t see the problem in all its glory, how can we possibly offer more solutions?
(I’m not discussing politics or world events here, but those are what prompted this post. Instead, I’ll keep this small and personal, and you can expand it to the greater world around you.)
As I’ve said before, I’m a realistic optimist. Sometimes, that means I can imagine many ways in which things will get worse. However, I don’t dwell on those, except to do some risk management. That optimism means I use rose-colored glasses to see the world and amber tints to clarify the details from the fog.
However, social media focuses on the ways in which things will spiral down until we’re all dead.
Now, isn’t that a happy thought? Don’t you wish you had more social media to spiral down?
Instead of spiraling down into the depths of despair, why not consider ways in which you can see the problem differently? That’s the lens idea.
Create Your Lenses
When I think about the lenses, here are the questions I use:
- What could make this much, much worse or much, much better? (Many of us start here.)
- If “everyone” thinks one way, how would I have to think to be a contrarian?
- What stories can I tell that reinforce one view and reinforce a different view? (Many of us have multiple stories.)
And an even better question might be this:
How many ways can I imagine to see these problems and determine the results I want?
That how many ways is a direct result of how I use the Rule of Three and avoid the traps of either/or thinking.
The more lenses we have, the more likely we are to understand the problem, which helps us create more possible solutions.
Understand the Problem in Depth
We often perceive a given problem in one way—one lens. But often, if we understand the problem in depth, we realize many people experience the effects of that problem differently. that’s why we need different lenses to understand the problem more fully.
(I wanted to write about universal basic income, UBI, here, but decided that was too political. Instead, see How Can We Balance Our Assumptions and Convictions to Start With Empathy? for more.)
Let’s just take the example of me trying to open a heavy door that opens inward. I use my rollator to balance my weight forward. That means that if someone wants to come out of that door, they either need to wait or I fall backwards. Most people instinctively understand that. What if someone behind me pushes the door open for me?
If I don’t know that person is there, I stumble forward.
But that person has no idea that I’m balancing forward. My problem is invisible to them. I’ve gotten quite good at grabbing onto my rollator to avoid falling. But I don’t always make it in time. That’s when the other person stops pushing the door and tries to grab onto me. (Awkward!!)
That’s why our lenses matter so much. Until we understand more aspects of the problem, we can’t create enough reasonable solutions.
Lenses Inform our Possible Solutions
The next time you think about a problem, examine it. Twist it around, inside out. Especially consider a contrary approach to one specific cause. Then, we are all more likely to create better possible solutions.
That’s the question this week: How many lenses can you access to see problems and solutions?