Pitch Solutions, Not Problems

The other day I was sitting with a friend discussing how he would float an idea to his boss.

I can’t remember what the exact situation was, but after hearing what he was going to say, I suggested a few tweaks so he would be more likely to get the outcome he was after.

Here is a made-up example of the type of thing I am talking about.

Let’s say you are deciding on the arrangement of a stack of toilet paper on the supermarket floor. You know there are several ways to do it, but you prefer the pyramid because it is faster for you.

Instead of asking your manager “How would you like these stacked?”, you could say, “I’m planning on stacking them in a pyramid. It’s sturdy and looks good, is that okay?”

You could even leave out the “Is that okay” to be more assertive.

Or, to be even more assertive, you could just do it. Often when things like that are just done, even if the boss would have preferred it differently, he or she is likely to just leave it be. Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Anyway, another friend commented about how this wording was a kind of manipulation.

But I disagree.

This isn’t about manipulating someone’s decision. It is about presenting the person with ready-made solutions as opposed to open-ended problems. This approach makes it easier for the person making the final decision since they do not have to think up the solution from scratch.

It also helps the person pitching the solution since they can put their preferred solution front and center in the decision-maker's mind.

It’s a win-win strategy.

Furthermore, the final decision maker still has the power to make a different decision. Perhaps they already have in mind the best way to do something and your idea will get passed over. It’s fine. The main thing is that you didn’t just come with problems. You came with solutions.

As a small business owner, I appreciate when an employee offers a solution to a problem as opposed to just a problem. While it is true that I often don’t use the proposed solution, at least it shows the person is putting some thought into it.

Additionally, I often find the suggested solution is better than, or can be integrated with, my own, which in turn makes it better.

So if you are an employee, offer solutions, not just problems. And if you are a boss, encourage this type of thinking in your employees.

Moving this idea out of a business context, looking for solutions by default is a very helpful way to think.

Many people come across a problem in life and dwell on it. They think, “Why is this happening?”

Instead of asking “why”, ask “how”.

“How can this be solved?” is a far more useful question than “Why did this happen?”

To be fair, most people, including myself, will always ask “why?” first, and will then naturally get to the “how?”

I guess the trick is to shorten that gap between the “why” and “how” as much as possible.