When you observe or identify a problem, do you tend to avoid it or invest in it?

And by invest, I don’t mean you make it worse. I mean, do you invest in the solution?

Sometimes we don’t want to get involved, and to be fair, sometimes we shouldn’t. But there are times we should. But it can be uncomfortable. We know we can make a difference. We know we need to, at the very least, say something. It’s not even about someone’s safety. But there’s a problem and no one is moving toward the solution. In fact, the situation is devolving. Sometimes we think someone else will speak up. Especially in work situations, we can become tired of situations that don’t seem to be solved. If no one else seems to invest in the solution, why should we waste our time? But why shouldn’t we? Why do we excuse our disengagement because of past patterns? To be honest, we’ll probably get the exact same response. Nothing will change. But the point isn’t always to get the result. The point is to do the next best thing. The person who responds to us has to live with their response—if we do something. If we don’t, there are no expectations. We only have to live with what we do, or do not do. If we become bitter because things do not change, and we did not speak up because we presumed it wouldn’t make a difference, we are being counterproductive. It is as if we are simultaneously avoiding the problem, standing at a distance, while discussing it with anyone passing by. We look cowardly, unwilling or intimidated to move close enough to engage.

Confrontation doesn’t have to be escalated. If we wait until we’re worked up, and we will only consider the situation solved if it matches our expected resolution, we will rarely be content in the end. Solution resolution requires multiple people. It requires communication and collaboration. It requires listening and, in most cases, compromise. It’s not easy.

But for those who want to navigate healthy solutions to challenges, no matter what the size and situation, easy isn’t the concern. It’s not the topic. The focus is moving toward solutions. The recognized reality is the full solution will rarely be met. There will always be more to resolve. There will always be improvements to make. But there isn’t time to get paralyzed or overwhelmed when progress can be made, even if it’s a little at a time. 

Do you know how when you spill a drink it seems to find every nook and cranny across the floor, in a seat, on a counter, or wherever you spill it? It goes behind, between, around, under, and inside. There are immovable objects it can’t overcome, but it snakes everywhere else. That’s what determined problem-solving does. It won’t move some people and situations, and for some people, that fact will keep them from even speaking up or approaching the problem. They’ll easily justify their distance. For others, they know they can seep into other spaces. They don’t need to be in every space to make a difference. 

There isn’t just one approach, so I don’t want to make it sound as if there is. I simply want people to begin to see how they can best invest. Not bulldoze, not bully, not give up, not passive-aggressively hope, not rationalize, not let anger guide, not do anything but take a deep breath and let wisdom and discernment guide. It’s going to look different at times. It’s going to be counterintuitive to your typical approach at times. But I can guarantee you it will be much less focused on results than on the process. One step at a time. You won’t always see the impact, but it will be there.

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