As I have gotten older, I have come to realize that a proposed solution may or may not work. When younger, solutions were just that —— the perfect answer to a problem.
Solutions in life, in organizations, our families and in our businesses take work. They take time. There will always be shades of color that we did not expect. Where a person’s individuality changes things in some way. Where circumstances fight back and cause us to modify what we thought would be the best solution.
There is also an aspect of focus and energy that can make a solution powerful in the short term. But then our focus or energy dissipates. We get distracted. And the solution we thought was perfect isn’t. New problems pop up. Unexpected complications occur.
Never be seduced into thinking that all is solved when you decide on a solution to a problem. Solutions are simply your hypothesis or guess as to what will make a situation better. You still have to go out and execute your solution.
Where we get tripped up is in believing that our solution is the end. Saying it makes it so. (It never does.) Solutions are only the beginning part of a longer test to see if our assumptions were right and if our skills are equal to carrying out what needs to be done.
Life is never perfect. Nor are the solutions we create. Understanding this will make you much more effective.