7 Realities of Problem-Solving

I’m constantly humbled by problems.

Every time I think “I got this…” the Universe responds with, “hahaha.”

To which I’m reminded of how much I still don’t know.

What follows isn’t a set of answers.

Just a handful of realities I’ve run into again and again when it comes to problem-solving.

1 — Be a problem-understander, not just a problem-solver.

We glorify those problem-solvers with a bias to action.

But I find something special about problem-understanders.

They pause.

They sit with the problem long enough to see its shape, its ripple effects, and its real cost.

They don’t just figure out what is happening, they distill why it matters.

And that’s the difference.

Solvers produce answers. Understanders produce clarity.

When an understander explains the problem so well that the solution feels obvious, you realize that was the real work all along.

2 — Ask “So what?” (until it hurts).

Most problems arrive dressed up as symptoms.

The question that cuts through is simple: So what?

• So…what does it really mean?

• So…what else does this touch?

• So…what happens if nothing changes?

Each “so what” peels back another layer until you reach the real consequence underneath.

It feels uncomfortable and repetitive, but that discomfort is the sign you’re finally getting somewhere.

3 — You don’t get credit for pre-solving (preventing) a problem.

That’s the curse of prevention: when it works, nothing happens.

The only time you know for sure is when it doesn’t work, when the problem shows up anyway.

Which makes prevention feel like a thankless gamble.

And yet, I’m certain some of my most valuable work I’ve done was invisible.

But honestly you’ll never get the credit.

And you’ll just have to live with that.

4 — Many problems stem from ‘people’ problems.

I used to think most issues came down to direct things: money, time, or systems.

But the breadcrumbs always led back to a person.

They delay, avoid, or soften the truth.

Which means the “problem” you’re reacting to is often just the story around it.

Once you understand the motives, fears, or blind spots behind the person, the real problem usually becomes clearer.

Money doesn’t lie.

Nor does time.

But people do…even if they don’t mean to.

5 — Effectiveness beats efficiency.

Efficiency feels productive.

But efficiency in the wrong place is just wasted motion.

Effectiveness asks a harder question: Am I solving the right thing?

Efficiency matters…

…but only after effectiveness points you in the right direction.

Otherwise, you just get lost faster.

6 — Some problems don’t vanish.

There are categories of problems that never fully go away: compensation, stress, turnover, shifting markets.

They are recurring by nature.

The real skill is managing them with boundaries, knowing when to intervene, when to step back, and when “good enough” is actually the win.

Trying to solve a forever problem just creates more problems.

7 — Choose the problems worth keeping.

Every solution makes space for the next problem waiting in the queue.

And most of the time, the next problem is bigger or higher stakes than the last.

That’s why I no longer think the goal is to clear the queue.

It’s to recognize which problems are simply the cost of doing meaningful work and which ones deserve your best effort.

Knowing what to keep is as important as knowing what to fix.

When I first wrote these thoughts over a year ago, they felt like fresh realizations.

Re-writing them now, nothing’s changed, if anything, they’ve only been reinforced.

Some even contradict each other.

But that’s the world of problem-solving, it’s full of paradox.

What’s true in one situation can flip in the next.

These aren’t neat formulas.

They’re the realities I keep running into.

Thanks for reading.

See you next week.

— Peter

P.S. Which of these 7 hit hardest? Any you’d push back on?