I was on a brief family trip and we went to my sister-in-law’s house. My children had a blast with their cousins and we sat outside enjoying the weather and talking as adults. As the day wound down we needed to leave and head home so I could get to a meeting.
My middle child loves puzzles and he was close to done with a puzzle he had been working on with his cousin. He really wanted to complete the puzzle before we left. Part of me wanted to say “no” and get us on the road back home, but instead my wife and I joined forces with my son and helped complete the puzzle.
We could have pulled him away and then had a very frustrated child on our hands or we could have sat and impatiently watched him attempt to complete it. Instead we solved both our problems by working together. As we all tried and failed and tried and failed and eventually tried and succeeded we accomplished the result as a team in less time than it would have taken for one individual. Mom and dad got out of the house quickly and my son enjoyed the satisfaction of accomplishing his goal.
Often I think it would be easier for me to solve my problems alone. Sometimes this is true, but I do not have the benefit of learning from others in the process. As a leader many problems come your way, do you try to solve all of them alone or do you involve others in the process? When we solve our problems with others we can look at the problem from multiple angles and try multiple strategies similar to putting together a puzzle. If we include a team of people they create a mastermind. They put their minds with our mind and create a huge group of thinkers who can help look at the situation from multiple perspectives.
Next time you have a puzzling problem maybe these concepts will be helpful:
- Determine is this a problem – something I can change
- Determine if this is a predicament – something I just need to adjust my attitude on and accept
- If this is a problem, are there people you can bring together to create a mastermind to help solve this problem?
- Maybe the problem ultimately requires you to grow as a leader and you need others to help you along in your growth journey
Next time you are feeling puzzled by a work or home leadership challenge create a team or invite another individual to coach you through the process on how to solve this challenge. Work with a team to help you fulfill your dream. Oh, by the way, you may find that you don’t have a complete answer to the problem like we did when we found a piece missing . . . but that is a story for another time.
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