Problem-based thinking is usually good to use in the short term.
For example, if you’re in a leaking boat, the best way to solve the problem is to plug the hole in the boat!
Similarly, if your change initiative is going over budget, you need to bring it back in line.
However, to really solve a problem in the long term, you need to use solution-focused thinking.
Solution-focused thinking takes a higher-level approach.
In the case of the leaking boat, you would ask questions such as, “How do we prevent this from happening again?” and “If it does happen again, what do we need to put in place to reduce the impact?”
You want to be able to answer the following question with a NO:
If we put this solution in place, will we be having the same conversation a year from now?
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