I have a new title to add to your current role. Whatever you do, wherever you may be in life, you must embrace this unwritten duty. Are you ready?
You are a CPS…you are a Cheif Problem Solver. If you want to be a great leader and a great influencer, you MUST be a great problem solver. Your value is directly connected to your ability to solve problems. The more problems you solve for others, the more valuable you become.
Author Dr. Malcom Maltz said, “We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.” Big problems are what great people face. Small problems are what average people face. No problems are what lazy people face.
There are 3 things I want you to know if you want to be an incredibly valuable CPS (Chief Problem Solver).
1. Eat Problems For Breakfast
I like how philosopher Alfred A. Montapert said, “Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” Stop wishing you had it easier and start working to become better. Change your mindset to admit that it’s ok to have problems, but it’s not ok to not have problems. Always remember that successful people have problems, they just don’t allow their problems to have them.
“Always remember that successful people have problems, they just don’t allow their problems to have them.”
The longer you deny you have challenges, the longer you’ll delay progress towards solving them. Don’t avoid problems. Why? Because, as one of my virtual mentors Craig Groeschel says, “Small problems are just big problems that haven’t matured yet.” If you continue to avoid the small things they will grow into monstrous things. Wake up with the understanding that you are a Chief Problem Solver.
2. Stop Thinking You Know Everything That’s Going On
Innovative solutions require humility. Humility helps you realize you don’t know everything. You only grow by admitting you don’t know. Learning begins when pride ends. Coach John Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” People who think they know how everything works never open themselves up to learning new information. If you think you already know everything there is to know, about whatever it is you think you know, you will never fully know it.
The greatest enemy of creativity is pride. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you’ll stop growing. When you stop seeking new ways to innovate, you stifle your ability to produce greater results. Unfortunately, many people have stopped growing because pride blocks them from learning. It’s only when we admit that we don’t know, that we can hope to know more. Vernon Howard said, “Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.” Humility is the key that unlocks creativity.
“The greatest enemy of creativity is pride.”
3. Stop Putting Band-Aids On The Same Problems
The first variable in elevating your success is about engaging your challenges. It’s about identifying what is holding you down from moving up. Defining precisely what problems exist enables you to know just how to fix them. Most people know they have challenges, but they haven’t clearly defined why. In order to fix a problem, you have to first know why you have it in the first place. It isn’t enough to know what challenges are in front of you; you have to know where they came from. Anyone can tell you there is a problem, but not many can accurately tell you why there is a problem.
“In order to fix a problem, you have to first know why you have it in the first place.”
It’s like the old farmer’s proverb that states don’t tear down a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place. You’ll never be a great problem solver until you get to the root of the issue. Dealing with a challenge is one thing, but dealing with the root cause of the challenge is another. We too easily settle for a quick fix rather than getting to the heart of the matter.
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