Matt Damon is Helping Me Solve Problems

This article was originally posted on www.stevebaue.com on March 30, 2020.

Right now, you are most likely facing several seemingly insurmountable problems that need solving. To further complicate things, what worked yesterday will likely no longer work today, and almost everything you are reacting to is dictated from the outside. Personally, and perhaps oddly, I’m finding comfort and guidance from what Matt Damon taught me in The Martian. The movie is ultimately a how-to on being a better problem-solver, and ideally a better leader in this unprecedented situation.

If you haven’t seen The Martian (BTW, what’s wrong with you?), here is the summary. Otherwise, you can skip to the paragraph after next.

The Martian: A team of astronauts working on Mars are caught in a big storm, causing them to flee the planet immediately. In the chaos, Matt Damon (Mark Watney) is left behind, because they think he is dead. He isn’t. With only a few supplies, Matt uses his experience, humor, and homegrown fertilizer to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, members of NASA and his team work to bring him home. It is basically Tom Hanks’ movie Cast Away, but in space.

At the end of the movie, Matt sums up his learnings saying, “At some point, everything’s gonna go south on you… everything’s going to go south, and you’re going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem… and you solve the next one… and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.”

How can we use Matt Damon’s insights to navigate uncharted waters…?

First, you need to get past the idea that you are faced with one BIG problem. It’s most likely a series of smaller problems that are loosely joined together, and often follow some linear path. While you absolutely must define and clearly articulate the desired outcome(s), your focus should be narrowed to manageable steps. I find the 3x3x3 approach to be extremely helpful in focusing.

The 3x3x3 approach begins with taking a BIG problem and breaking it into three slightly smaller problems to be solved. For example, during the current pandemic, my biggest problems are taking care of my staff, our clients, and our customers.

However, these are still pretty big problems to solve. So, take one of the three initial problems and break it down further into three smaller issues. For example, what are three difficulties to taking care of my staff? It’s keeping them safe, keeping them busy, and keeping them employed.

These are still rather big issues to tackle. So, take it one step further by breaking one of the problems into three more smaller problems. For example, what are the three problems to solve in keeping my staff safe? It’s addressing the following questions: How can they be kept safe in the office? How can I limit their time in the office? And how can I transition them to working from home?

By working through the 3x3x3 process, I determined the first small problem that I could solve: How to keep the staff safe in the office? The solution was manageable. I armed them with cleaning wipes and hand sanitizer, designated certain bathrooms for staff only, put robust cleaning protocols into place, and screened our clients, to name a few solutions.

Ultimately, my goal with the 3x3x3 approach is to get to a problem that’s small(er), definable, and doable. What’s the small first step you can take right now, and what’s the step after that?

It is helpful to practice a little cognitive restructuring and try to reframe the 3x3x3 process as challenge seeking rather than just problem identification. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed. The bigger the problem, the greater our anxiety as leaders. And, it’s not like there is just one problem coming at you at a leisurely pace. By seeking out and/or recognizing the opportunities within our problems, we are actually preparing for the future. We are most likely addressing challenges that have been under the surface of our businesses for a while (although that may not be the case for all). These problems could be leading you to better things! Heck, Matt Damon taught us how to grow potatoes in space.

There is another great line in the movie. Matt says, “So, in the face of overwhelming odds, I’m left with only one option: I’m going to have to science the sh*t out of this.” He’s right. The scientific method works by testing, observing, and measuring. In other words, it’s about the facts. We don’t want to wait until the end to see if our plans/solutions will work. We should be testing and observing the possibilities as we go. Facts don’t lie, AND they tend to make things binary. The solution either helped or it didn’t. If you are sciencing the sh*t out of your little solutions one at a time, it means failures typically happen on a smaller scale. That’s not the worst thing. Reframe, regroup, resolve, and try again.

Remember, nowhere does it say you have to do this alone. Ultimately, (spoiler alert) Matt Damon is rescued. His challenge was to stay alive until he could be rescued. The mission to get him back home was done by others. Regardless of your expertise, the best leaders look for those who not only know their stuff, but also their limitations. It’s okay to ask for input, assistance, or just plain help. There are people figuring out the solutions to the same challenges you are trying to figure out. Reach out to your network and find those people. In return, openly share what you are doing (without the expectation of anything in return). What may be known to you could be the expertise someone else is looking for.

In the end, we can only do what we can do. So much is beyond our control right now. To paraphrase The Martian: If we solve one problem… and we solve the next one… and then the next. And if we solve enough problems, we’ll get to come home (or in our case, leave our homes).

Steve Baue has more than 25 years of domestic and international experience in organizational development, human resources, and executive-level leadership. He owns Steve Baue, LLC, a consulting agency focused on helping leaders and organizations be themselves, but greater, and ERC: Counselors and Consultants, an employer benefit company helping lift the mental burdens that hold employees back from their full potential.