Don’t Leap to a Solution

Stoic Quote of the Week

No role is so well suited to philosophy as the one you happen to be in right now. -Marcus Aurelius

What I learned this week:

I was chatting this week with a new friend who is an advisor to a large metropolitan fire department for wellness and performance. As we talked about her client's problem sets and how to get them to adopt a different way of thinking, the thought came to my mind about critical thinking. Whenever I think of that, I fall back to a class I had at Naval Postgraduate School on critical thinking. The professor was a guest lecturer from Stanford. He was your stereotypical professor with gray hair, awkwardness in casual conversation, and even elbow patches on his heavy wool sports coat. But he taught me some amazing things about not just solving the problem but understanding the problem. He also taught me that my reality is only mine and everyone has their own reality. When we stop for a moment and look at what it is all about, why the problem exists, the effects of the problem, and how others might see the problem – or their reality of it- we find better solutions. Plato's The Allegory of the Cave is a straightforward story that paints the picture that you only know what you know, which forms your reality. When we pause to learn more and see more, there are so many more aspects of the problem that we can see. As a leader, one of your jobs is to see those aspects and understand them. I see so many leaders leap to a conclusion because the action is the only measure of success, vice pausing and studying the problem better to understand the second, third, and fourth-order effects. Don't rush to solve the problem; take a pause, and see what else is there. You will be surprised at how much better the outcome will be.

Planning thought of the week:

Always take a few moments to pause, collect your thoughts, and, just as important, collect the information around a problem before you begin to solve it. When we shift to problem-solving vice fact and information gathering, my mind closes the search for additional information and only wants to complete the solutions. So, take a moment, pause, breath, and look around at the information you have. What else is out there? What other tidbits might provide a clue to solving the problem? Don't leap to conclusions.

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

I learned about a new (to me) type of business that I am fascinated with. It is a group of freelance engineers. Since I'm a guy who has a piece of paper on the wall that says I’m an engineer, I was fascinated about what they do and how. Here's how it works. If you are one of those guys who have ideas and you can sketch out the concept and maybe even build a scale model but hit a roadblock when it comes to the actual design, materials, and prototype creation, these guys are for you. They take your concept that is made with toothpicks and match it to real materials and real physics. In a sense, they make the your ‘going to save the world concept' a real thing. Of course, they are still engineers, so you have to get over the “that won't work belief” sometimes. In the end, like a garage inventor, these guys are a great resource to bring that thing to reality.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

Free tech, IT training for veterans and spouses from NPower. There are more job opportunities and openings in the tech industry than any other, and this is a chance to get the training needed to land one of those positions. Here's the link. 

Someone I met this week:

I met Reggie last summer, and that was the last time we talked, until this week. Reggie and I have a lot in common as far as our transition post our first fully dedicated careers, so whenever we chat, the conversation just flows. Reggie transitioned out of being a professional athlete, and it is amazing how similar our experiences in that transition are. What I thought was great that Reggie is doing and that I wanted to share is that he has shut everything off, except for three things. He is only focusing and doing three things. If the shiny object does not fit into one of those three things, he doesn't do it or chase. That takes a ton of discipline and the ability to tell people, 'No thanks.' It is a great example for all of us to follow. I know he can do it and will continue to do it. After 10+ years as a professional athlete, focus isn't something he lacks.

Link to current The Cam & Otis Show podcasts Ep.143 Be a Better Human Matt Griffin CEO of Combat Flip Flop.

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