Why is it we work so hard to come up with solutions to problems only to have them fail? Because too often we are not working on the CAUSE of the problem, we are dealing with the EFFECT of the problem. Think about going to a Doctor because we are having stomach problems. the good Doctor looks us over, runs some tests, then prescribes a medicine. At first the problem goes away, then the prescription runs out and we again have stomach problems. The good Doctor was treating our symptoms, not the cause of the stomach problem which might just be over work, or an uncomfortable relationship.
The medication is a solution which isn’t a solution at all, simply a treatment for the symptoms. In all fairness to Doctors; often that is all we want when we come into the exam room; a treatment for the symptom. If your business is experiencing some issue, lets say a cash flow problem, maybe the solution is not borrowing money which will have to be paid back later, perhaps causing another cash flow problem. We must look to the root cause of any issue and work there.
If our relationship with our significant other is rocky, sending flowers might smooth the waters for now, but the issue still remains and must be addressed sooner rather than later.
If your car is running poorly, washing it will not get it to run better, you have to look under the hood.
The issue is we often do not want to look at the root cause of something because we are so entrenched in our ways of doing things we feel this would require us to accept responsibility for the issue. We regard this responsibility as meaning blame, which it is not. The Involved Observer in my book It’s All About Me might shed some more light on solutions which aren’t.
