How to Solve a Really Big Problem

Fast announcements before this week’s guide:

1. Applications to the Coaching for Leaders Academy just opened for a brief window until Monday, April 17th. Details on the Academy and application are at this link.
2. I’m hosting a live, virtual forum this week via HD videoconference on the best lessons from Q1 of the podcast. There are still seats available here.

Monday’s Episode

292: How to Solve a Really Big Problem: Teresa Chahine is the social entrepreneurship program leader at the Harvard School of Public Heath. She’s the author of Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship* an joined me on this week’s show to teach us how to approach problems productively.

Key Points

• Find the root cause of problems to make sure your solution is not just a band-aid.
• Many leaders make the mistake of reinventing the wheel.
• Find local leaders and build solutions with them.
• Don’t try to solve a problem on your own, work with the people who are impacted by the problem.
• Think of research as a form of action.
• People are more likely to be satisfied with a solution if they feel like they were a part of it.

Resources Mentioned

• Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship by Teresa Chahine*
• Food Truck Film
• Kickstarter campaign
• The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell*

Related Episodes

• CFL160: The 5-Step Strategy For Solving Problems
• CFL238: How to Be a Non-Conformist, with Adam Grant
• CFL262: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Next Week

Lisa Cummings is joining me on the show next week to discuss how to lead through strengths. She’s the CEO of a company by the same name and also hosts the Lead Through Strengths podcast.

Quick Reads

Could Time-Blocking Replace Your To-Do List?: Of particular note in this article is that the most high-performing people don’t run their days off to-do lists.

Avoid Disastrous Decisions With These Four Meeting Practices: Past guest David Marquet pulls four lessons from a major accident. I especially like his advice to ask, “Tell me more.”

To Be a Genius, Think Like a 94-Year-Old: No, you are not too old. Here’s why.

Don’t Look for a Great Idea. Look for a Good Problem: Great reinforcement of this week’s episode. Most successful leaders I know have been willing to tackle really big problems.

Is Swapping Date Night for Meeting Night the Secret to a Happy Marriage?: Yes, but still read this one from past guest Adam Grant.

In-Depth Reads

The Arrival of Artificial Intelligence: There’s been a lot of talk of this in the news recently. Ben Thompson frames the debate and shows why we should care.

Books

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals*: Just reviewed this powerful book from Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling. Chris will be a guest on the show in the coming weeks.