Years ago I read the great book, Getting to Yes. It's a great book that teaches that we have to go hard on the problems, not the people.
Sometimes rather than look deeply at problems, people reach to blame others first. That blame gets in the way of good camaraderie and problem solving. I think a lot of us have fallen into that trap in our lives--a trap that's good to steer clear of.
I am thinking of this today as I anticipate an afternoon meeting that will deal with a problem in our midst. It's not a grave problem, but it's a problem that needs to be fixed. Frankly it's a problem that's go on for too long without good analysis, discussion, and problem solving.
So as we sit and discuss the problem today, I want to listen carefully to the processes, stories, perspectives, and information relayed by the people associated with this problem. I want to understand the problem from their point of view. Throughout the discussion, I will be listening for any comments related to blame, conjecture, or untruths too since I believe this problem has created some mythical threads as well--information that is not true, but conjecture instead--conjecture that has deepened the problem and made it more difficult to understand and repair. Generally if problems are not dealt with right away, lots of conjecture gets in the way.
Everyone involved in the problem has a right urgency to solve the problem, but everyone involved has a bit different perspective due to their roles in the situation--we all see it differently. That's why listening and understanding is important. I'm sure we'll solve this small problem, and the Getting to Yes lesson to go hard on the problem, not the people is the exactly right way to deal with this situation.
