Percentage of people who can clearly articulate the primary challenge they are facing: 5%
Can you clearly identify what you are trying to solve for in two sentences or less?
Avoid confusion ……. simplify things with this important question!
It was a sunny Tuesday morning. Sharon, the Executive Director of a non-profit pulled her car into the parking lot of her favorite coffee shop. She had trouble sleeping last night. Sharon had recently been promoted to her role and she was consumed with the conversation that took place at last night’s board meeting. The meeting began with the usual review of agenda items — more operations of the organization, but shifted towards the end with the new board members asking more about the future direction of the organization. The board meeting ended with Sharon being tasked to create a multi-year plan for the organization. Although the organization had a plan, it had not been updated in two years and was sitting on the shelf in her office. Even though Sharon had been part of the previous strategic planning committee, she really couldn’t remember much of what was in it. Sharon was beginning to feel anxious.
However, the anxiety stemmed not so much from her own confidence with her new position, but in the circumstances that existed in the community and the consequences for her organization. She did not know where to begin. She too had questions and with her mind racing, she decided to grab her coffee, find a table in the back of the shop and jot down some of her thoughts. Although she thought she had secured some private space in the corner of the coffee shop, Sharon looked up and saw her neighbor and good friend Larry. “Hi Sharon” he said. “You look like you are deep in thought.” Sharon replied “I have a lot on my mind and I am trying to collect my thoughts. Larry, you are a seasoned executive, help me here! I have been asked to create a three year plan for our organization. There are so many things at stake here; I don’t know where to begin. I don’t have all the answers, at this point just a list of questions and issues we need to address.” “Sharon” Larry replied, “In the beginning that is all you should have, but that is not the place to start.” “Great Larry, that helps – here is my list, where do I start?” Sharon said. Larry chuckled and replied, “Sharon, forget the list. You need to define your overarching issue. You do that by starting with a question.”
“And what would that question be Larry?”
“You mentioned, that you tossed and turned all night…thinking about the board meeting. So my question is, ‘What do you need to solve for?’”
People are so eager to get to a solution; they overlook the definition phase of the process. Or they assume everyone has the same understanding and definition of the issue so there’s no need to discuss it. Yet, whenever we work with teams or groups within companies and go around the table asking each person to give their view of the issue, there is never consensus or anything remotely close to a common agreement. Imagine if you could use the same techniques used to solve major business issues, to solve your personal issues.
That’s why you need an Umbrella Statement!
The Umbrella Statement lies at the heart of the Think to Win process. “What, exactly, are we trying to solve for?” The first and most important step of the TTW methodology is Identifying the Overarching Issue. By identifying where the problem begins, the correct space for analysis is pinpointed AND you can now begin to address the challenge! Consider the following questions:
What are you trying to solve for? This question must be answered first.
Who can help me best define the Overarching Issue?
What is it that I am trying to change?
Exercise: Creating an Umbrella Statement: (This process can be done at an individual or a group level)
- Begin by individually considering the question: “What Overarching Issue am I really trying to solve for?”
– Capture the answer in 1 – 2 sentences. - Review the Overarching Issue with this criteria in mind:
– Is what you captured clear and succinct?
– Is what you captured focused?
– Is what you captured free from former solutions?
– Is there tension and/or a sense of urgency in what you captured (what is at risk)? - Have a conversation with other stakeholders to clarify and gain alignment.
- The output is an Umbrella Statement that will set the stage for your analysis.
Source: Think to Win