Brian Gubernick argues most people skip the crucial step of clearly defining their problem before solving it. He walks through a two-step framework: ask clarifying questions about what's wrong and why, then dig into root causes with repeated "why" questions. A fictional example shows how misdiagnosing the problem (late bedtime versus stress versus caffeine) leads to the wrong solution.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Today we are yet again going to talk about how to be a better decision maker, but we're going to talk about the one thing, the secret that very few know that I believe to be a key to decision-making. See, we oftentimes default to different models or systems to make better decisions, and those things are important. But the one thing that very few people actually ever talk about that I really truly believe is the key to being great at decision-making, it's in actually identifying the problem we're, we're trying to solve. In other words, oftentimes we are solving for things that are not even the true problem. We're coming up with decisions around things that are not even— that don't even need to be decided for. And why is that? It's because we haven't clearly identified the problem to begin with. I'm going to give you an example. Let's make— let's make believe my friend Caitlin, uh, is having a hard time getting enough sleep and she feels tired the next day. So Caitlin's tired, not getting enough sleep. She feels tired the next day. Well, what's the problem here? Well, some might say the problem is that, again, she's not getting enough sleep, but it's probably because she's going to bed late. So her problem is she goes to bed late. Or maybe they think her problem is that she's too stressed. Or maybe they think the problem is that her room is too cold. Well, see, what you realize is that how you solve for this depends on how you actually define the problem. So is the problem stress? Is it caffeine during the day? Is it going to bed too late? Is it the temperature in a room or an uncomfortable bed? Who knows what it is, but how you solve for this supposed problem depends on how you actually define the problem to begin with. And that leads us to what I believe to be the key, which is defining the problem statement. See, a problem statement is a precise description of something you're trying to solve for, something you're trying to improve. A problem statement identifies the 5 W's: who, what, why, where, and when. The 5 W's of the issue, and it shows the discrepancy between the current state and the desired one. They're useful in all sorts of areas in business or scientific research, or even just in our lives, or when, when we feel something's wrong, but we're not sure what it is or why something's even wrong or, you know, what's going on. We write a problem statement because we want to make certain that we know exactly what we're trying to solve for and then how to assess when you— when we get there. It gives us a clear focus. So you're not, you know, drawing a bullseye after the fact like so many of us do. Too often we end up devising solutions and then matching these solutions to the problems. But if we start with a meaningful problem first, we have such— we have a much better chance of doing something that actually moves the needle. So when we think around writing the problem statement, I think there's a couple steps here. Step 1 is defining what's wrong and why. How do we define what's wrong and why? Well, we ask some powerful questions. What's the current state? How can I measure why it's wrong or bad? What evidence do I have that it's a problem? What are the negative effects this is having? What is the desired state? How would, how would I measure when I get there? What's the history of this problem? Has it happened before? What solutions have I previously attempted? How's the problem developing over time? I could go on and on and on with deeper questions. But ultimately, the step 1 here is going to be to ask a slew of powerful questions in an effort to better clarify what is wrong, and why in fact it is wrong. So if I go back to the example I was giving, Caitlin's tired. She's, she's not sleeping enough. She's having trouble getting enough sleep. And the next day it's impacting her performance because she's tired. Well, that's the current state. How can I measure why it's wrong or bad? Probably subjectively, how she's feeling the next day. And what evidence do I have that's a problem? What is the evidence here? I don't know, but I'm going to make this up here. Let's say her work is suffering. Maybe she's had multiple projects where she's been underperforming. What's the desired state? The desired state is to feel better, have more energy. How would she measure when she gets there? Well, maybe it's better performance, better, just a better overall feeling. What solutions has she previously attempted? Maybe she's tried to go to bed early, but it hasn't worked for her. She hasn't been able to fall asleep. Maybe she's tried meditation or whatever it is to lower her stress. Maybe she stopped drinking caffeine afternoon. I want to better understand the solution she's previously attempted. Again, I'm going to keep asking questions because ultimately, I'm going to define what's wrong and why. And what I would find maybe in asking these clarifying questions is what's wrong may not be her lack of sleep and her feeling tired. Maybe it's simply that She's overstressed or having caffeine or the bed's off or whatever it may be. Step 1, define, define, better define what is wrong and why. Now, step 2, identify the true cause of the problem, not the symptoms. Some questions to ask, what would it take for this to never be a problem again? Really, really good question. What evidence do you have or can you collect to show a connection between causes and effects? If you keep asking why, what explanation do you eventually reach? How can you break this problem into parts and what are the connections between them? Lastly, what process could be added or improved to solve this problem? Let's go back to the Caitlin scenario. Remember, she's not sleeping at night and she's tired the next day. What would it take for this to never be a problem again? Well, it's gonna have to be something to do with changing her sleep hygiene or whatever it may be, or her actions throughout the day. If I keep asking why, you know, why is she tired? Well, lack of sleep. Why are we getting lack of sleep? Well, because I'm stressed. Why are you stressed? Because I've got so much on my plate. See, if you keep asking why, you actually get to the true root of the problem, the true cause of the problem and not the symptoms. So in, in wrapping this up, a little bit shorter of an episode today, the point I'd like to make is that decision-making is an incredibly important skill that we talk about quite a bit here at No Days Off. However, the key to decision-making may not be a model or a system. While important, it may not be that. It may be simply better defining the problem that you believe you in fact have or that you're solving for, that you're making a decision around. So, in an effort to do that, we're gonna wanna write a problem statement. And the way we're gonna write a problem statement is number 1, define what's wrong and why by asking deeper, more clarifying questions. And then step 2, identifying the true cause of the problem, not the symptoms, by again asking some questions around that topic. My challenge for you today or this week is to take a problem that you perceive you have and send that problem, do the analysis of that problem using step 1 and step 2 and the questions that I just outlined, and see if it helps you make a better decision, as I'm certain it will once you run it through the step 1 and step 2. That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
