“No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” – Einstein
Problems bring tension to our lives and even chaos. Our usual response is fear. This is understandable. It brings the unknown, and we feel out of control.
However, real transformation to something better does not happen without tension. In order to walk, the muscles in your legs experience tension to move you forward. In the same way tension is a part of change to move us to something new.
Do you want to reach your full potential? Do you want your team or organization to be the best it can be? Then you need to see problems, tensions, even chaos, as something to embrace. They are part of the process of transformation. Here are some transformation mindsets to apply:
Embrace Problems as Opportunities
We have been conditioned to see a problem as a negative. I know that this is true in my own life. We are often taught from a young age not to cause problems. This point of view becomes unspoken norms that we live by. My mom and I identified a norm in our family that had been passed down for generations. It is the belief that those who fail deserve to be punished. If you are living by this norm, of course, you will fear problems, and you will live stifled from fully growing.
But, if instead we see problems as an opportunity to learn, then a new level of freedom is embraced. Our perspective becomes positive. We wonder what we can learn. If you truly felt freedom, what could you accomplish? Imagine the higher levels of energy people would feel as a part of a team if they saw problems as opportunities. Is this the kind of attitude you have? Are you inspiring it in others?
View Problems from a Higher Perspective
When a problem happens, we tend to want to fix it now. We want resolution as soon as possible, and we become more controlling. As leaders, this often causes us to micromanage individual’s behaviors. However, this frustrates the people we are leading and only slows down progress to our mission.
The solution is to step back, not control and to look at it from a higher perspective. A client of mine had a problem behavior happen with a board member. Her initial reaction was to try to control his behavior through coming down hard with a policy. However, as she took time to step back and view the situation from another perspective, she began to see the opportunity in this problem. She had been wanting to engage this board member more deeply. She then saw that how she approached this situation was actually an opportunity to build a relationship and cast vision with him.
Another friend of mine gave me an example of how she has been applying a higher perspective with her children. She has a transformational outcome of her children becoming responsible. When she focuses on their every individual behavior, she becomes controlling and often negative with them. But, when she looks at their progress from a higher perspective across multiple behaviors and patterns, she can see how they are becoming more responsible. She has become less controlling, and her children have felt more empowered.
Do you have a problem that you need to look at from another perspective? What are your transformational outcomes for yourself or your team, rather than just individual behavior changes?
Move from Fear to Curiosity with Problems
I think that the biggest hurdle to overcoming a negative mindset with problems is fear. When we feel fear, we have a fight or flight response. The fight response will cause us to try to control and micromanage the problem as quickly as possible. The flight response causes us to ignore the problem and not face the potential in it.
When a problem happens, we need to take a deep breath and not be driven by fear. This is where you need to bring yourself to a state of calmness. Silent reflection can be helpful. Or, maybe you need to take a walk or exercise.
Once you are calm, you can bring your mind to look at the problem from another perspective. A great way to prompt this is by being curious about the problem. Ask questions. What brought about this situation? What can I learn from it? What is someone else’s perspective about it? Then see where your questions take you. This is where transformation can occur through creativity.
When problems happen, do you treat it as a fire to put out or an opportunity for creativity? How do you inspire your team with creativity?