Assumption 1: There Is No Problem-Free
No matter the discussion, whenever I am looking for a strategy that will help meet a particular need…I begin my thinking by acknowledging that there is no problem-free solution to anything. This is where the thought process begins. In fact, when I begin a consulting session I often draw this diagram up in the upper right part of the flip chart and then refer to it many times during the day.
I’ve been writing about this for quite a while. In fact, I noticed this morning that one of the first blog posts I wrote at StrategyCentral was about this assumption. To me, stipulating that there is no problem-free is an essential first step. Why? I believe that the pursuit of problem-free is the number one obstacle in ministry.
What can be done? Rather than allowing the pursuit of problem-free to delay your next step, I suggest that you:
- acknowledge that there is no problem-free solution
- list the possible solutions
- underneath each solution list its problems
- choose the set of problems you’d rather have
So much for assumption 1. What’s number 2? Come back tomorrow!
