Problem Solving 101

Ken Watanabe's Problem Solving 101 is becoming a business book hit in America.

At just 100 pages long, it "was originally written as a textbook for seventh- and eighth-graders" in Japan but its simplicity has struck a chord with Japanese business people, as well. Using "simple-looking illustrations and flowcharts," the book tells readers how to diagnose a problem and then implement a solution.

For example, a case called "The Mushroom Lovers" is about "a rock band that can't get an audience at concerts.

Ken instructs readers to think like doctors trying to cure a patient.

He recommends:

1. listing potential causes of the problem
2. arriving at a hypothesis for the most likely cause
3. analyzing the cause
4. coming up with possible solutions
5. then prioritizing action and implementing a plan.

hmmmmm....practical, actionable, measurable......maybe we should ship a few cases of this to Washington D.C.

A commonsense person lives good sense; fools litter the country with silliness. Proverbs 13:16 (The Message)

World Headquarters of the VERB!

“Life is a verb.” - Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860 - 1935)

Investments are a noun. Investing is a verb.
Paint is a noun. Painting is a verb.
Proposal is a noun. Proposing is a verb
A gift is a noun. Shopping for or giving one is a verb.

We care much more about verbs than nouns.

We care about things that move, that are happening, that change.

We care about experiences and events and the way things make us feel.

Nouns just sit there, inanimate lumps.

Verbs are about wants and desires and wishes.

“Love is more than a noun -- it is a verb; it is more than a feeling -- it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing.” - William Arthur Ward

So, here is the question I am asking today: How am I making who I am, what I do, and how I do it more of a verb than a noun?

Can I make my life the World Headquarters of the VERB?

A MOMENT of TRANSFORMATION?

In 2004 I read a book that helped literally change my life, my career, and the way I approach the future. The book is Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus.

I was reading through this book again this week and want to share an excerpt with you.

“What if you knew somewhere in front of you was a moment that would change your life forever, a moment rich with potential, a moment filled with endless possibilities?

What if you knew that there was a moment coming, a divine moment, one where God would meet you in such a way that nothing would be the same again?

What if there was a moment, a defining moment, where the choices you made determined the course and momentum of your future?

....When a moment is missed, you have a glimpse at an opportunity lost. The moment you must seize right now is the one in from of you. If you begin to imagine all the moments you are responsible for, it can become overwhelming. Yet moments are not independent, isolated or disconnected. What you do with this moment affects every moment to come. This is your moment.
The biblical imagery for a moment is the wink of an eye. In other words, don’t blink or you’ll miss it.”

THIS IS YOUR MOMENT! Don’t miss it!

Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. Mark 11:22
(The Message)

Actions into FOCUS

This post is mirroring a few things I have read and seen lately that have me thinking about how "we" (culture) are becoming so philosophical about who we are, we have forgotten that what we "do" is important.

If it acts like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it's a duck. It doesn't matter if the duck thinks it's a dog, it's still a duck.

Here is something that rings true, authenticity is doing what you promise, not "being who you are".

That's because 'being' is too abstract. The statements might go something like this, "that's just not who I am, if it works for you that is fine but it just isn't who I am" and then, "I need to be who I am but I won't do anything I am not supposed to do" yet the actions after this statement proved this person untrustworthy to the people who heard it.

You see, "being" is too internal and internal vision is always blurry.

Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.

I know you have heard this, "actions speak louder than words".

I think this is worth a moment of thought.....

Are we telling the world, our family, our friends, our business, we are "something" and then our actions don't back it up?

And yes there are those of us who "put on an act" so we don't really know who they are for a while. But, eventually time will reveal because pretending is hard to maintain.

We all live like this at times for all kind of reasons and I will be the first to say I am not perfect. This is where the next question becomes very important:

Do you have anyone in your life who helps bring your "internal vision into focus" and helps you align your actions?

For me, I need to stop a moment and say thank you to some of the people who have helped me in this area over the years; my wife, my parents, Erwin Mcmanus, Ed Litton, Jon Vesely, Seth Godin, Max Lucado, Karl Horstmann, Todd Burkhalter and countless friends who speak truth at a moment when I need it.

And then there is the ultimate "life OPTICIAN" who brings everything into focus, God. I can never recommend to you enough how the words in the Bible can revolutionize your actions and align your heart.

Don't take my word for it.....try it :-)

...this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life.... so that your ACTIONS will refute prejudices. 2 Peter 2:11 (The Message)

The Creative EDGE!

If everyone around you is sure the economy is tanking, that the end is near, that time is up and the company is headed for the tubes, it's almost impossible to find a creative solution. - Seth Godin

Do you remember the story about Archimedes? In ancient times, he was asked by the king to find out if a goldsmith had cheated him. The king had given the goldsmith an amount of gold to make a crown, which the goldsmith did. But the king wondered if the goldsmith has taken part of the gold and made the crown with less gold. Since the crown was so irregularly shaped, you couldn't easily measure it's volume.

It was Archimedes problem, to come up with a way of measuring the crown's volume. Try has he might, Archimedes couldn't apply geometry to the situation. Then, one day when he was taking a bath, he noticed that the bath water level rose, as he sunk into the tub. Suddenly he said "Eureka" and went off running naked in the streets to the palace to tell the king "I found it". He could measure the volume of the crown by seeing how much water it displaced.

That was a creative solution, one we can picture.....hmmmmm thought:

Is it the possible the
CREATOR of the UNIVERSE can find a
CREATIVE SOLUTION to our current problems?

I will wait a moment while you ponder this............

OK the answer is yes!....it may be further out on the edges of where you have been before, but isn't that just like God....stretching us farther and pushing us to be all that we can be?

“…creativity is the stuff you do at the edges. But the edges are different for everyone, and the edges change over time.” - Seth godin

That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Romans 18:8 The Message

Don't give up.....God is more creative than your problem!

Ask Him for the solution!

SOUND-COLOR-SUCCESS

"It has to be right, It needs to sound like nut butter!"

Eddie Van Halen is talking about his new "signature" guitar, made by Fender but designed by himself and named after his 17-year-old son, Wolfgang. "In the past, guitars with my name on them weren't as good as my own," says Eddie. But this time, Eddie says that the Wolfgang "is identical to the one he uses on stage." This created special challenges for the design team at Fender's Custom Shop factory.

"Ed is always saying, 'It needs to sound like nut butter," says Matt Bruch, who has been Van Halen's guitar tech for years. To which Fender's Chip Ellis responds, "Nut butter, yeah ... What does that mean?" Hm. Smooth, rich, creamy and a little bit sticky, perhaps?

Chip says Eddie "can even hear the difference between a guitar plugged into a 5-foot cable and a 10-foot cable." He knew instantly that Fender had substituted alder for basswood, and insisted that the guitar wouldn't sound right as a result, even before he had plugged it in.

"Sound is a funny thing," says Eddie. "It's like color to a blind person, I guess. You just feel it instead of seeing it."

This leads to asking myself some questions:

What am I so passionate about that "it has to be right"?

What am I doing to bring "color" to a dark world?

What will be said of my work and my work ethic?

There is a man who is referred to in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 31:20 by the name of Hezekiah. It says this about his work and how he did his work.

Hezekiah carried out this work and kept it up everywhere in Judah. He was the very best—good, right, and true before his God. Everything he took up, whether it had to do with worship in God's Temple or the carrying out of God's Law and Commandments, he did well in a spirit of prayerful worship. He was a great success.

MAYBE THIS IS THE SOUND, COLOR, & SUCCESS factor:

-the very best
-good
-right
-true
-spirit of prayerful worship

A great success :-)

INTENTIONAL INTERACTIONS!

INTERACTIONS are largely expected to be intentional.

On purpose.

Planned.

People assume you did stuff for a reason.

Be clear, be generous, be kind.

Can't hurt.

And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3:12

A SOUP PLAN!

The challenge for us is to be relevant," says Douglas Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup Company, "We've been around for 139 years, but that's not relevant to consumers."

Where relevance is concerned,
Doug says it's about four things, for Campbell Soup:

value
wellness
quality
convenience

After eight years at the Campbell helm, Doug believes he "has at least a beachhead in all four."

Where value is concerned, he notes that Campbell's condensed soups cost just 52 cents a serving, on average. On wellness, Campbell has introduced low-sodium soups, although Doug admits the company still has an MSG problem (which he plans to correct). Quality is wrapped up in Campbell's acquisition of "the Wolfgang Puck line of organic soups." And for convenience, he points to Campbell's introduction of microwaveable soup, although he admits, "The microwave was invented in 1947 ... Why did it take us 55 years to do that?" Each of these moves may be incremental, but they appear to have paid off, as Campbell managed to outperform the stock market.

I would submit to you that in a culture where we have built a lifestyle of convenience that the reason Campbell's soup may still be around after 139 years is really because of the first three things on their list; value, wellness, & quality.

The question for us?

What are we doing about the
value, wellness, & quality
quotients in our life, business, and relationships?

How do evaluate and plan for these elements in our lives?

Conant also says:

"You can't talk your way out of something you behaved yourself into".

That really hits the target for all of us! It is an action proposition isn't it? value, wellness & quality won't just happen by talking about them. They only show up when we take action!

Now, I'm off to have a bowl of soup and make a
value, wellness, & quality plan!

Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind. Proverbs 21:5