I ended this week feeling a little tired. Nearly every day, someone told me, “We can’t do XYZ. It’s not possible.” But they were wrong. Across town, or down the block, there was someone else not just doing XYZ, but making XYZ look like small potatoes.

It’s not hyperbole to say that most of our problems are self-imposed. They come from limitations in our thinking or ways that our perspective is skewed. Sure, the economy is doing this, and kids these days are doing that. Get over it.

Come up with better solutions. There is no point in leadership if you can’t, don’t, or won’t chart a path through the darkness. Get comfortable facing the unknown. Own the night.

Ok. I got that out.

It’s very difficult to lead well if you struggle to come up with ideas. It’s similarly difficult to lead if there are so many options and no way to sort through them. That’s what this article is about: Six tips for refusing to get stuck on, “We don’t see a way forward.”

Tip One: Practice Creative Idea Generation

I learned a valuable habit from James Altucher: generate ten ideas daily, no matter the topic. Don’t judge for quality, just jot them down—it’s an exercise.

Set themes if that helps: Monday, declutter your office; Tuesday, boost revenue by a million dollars; Wednesday, plan date nights; Thursday, scout job candidates; Friday, prep next week’s themes.

Tip Two: Define Issues Clearly

Issues are complicated when they are ambiguous or compounded. Instead of “Sales are down,” identify the real problems, like untrained sales staff or ineffective leadership.

Break it down: “We haven’t trained our salesforce to sell Widget X” or “The sales manager damages morale.”

Do the same for turnover, board disputes, budget matters, or any issue.

Tip Three: Utilize Forgotten Tools (Values and Vision)

Most organizations neglect their Values and Vision statements. Yet, these can help you quickly filter out options.

Values: Ask, “Do these ideas align with our values?” Choose those that do.

Vision: Ask, “Do these ideas move us closer to our vision?” Embrace those that do.

Tip Four: Define the Qualities of a Great (or Acceptable) Ideas

Define the top 3-5 qualities of a great (or acceptable) idea in advance.

For example, if you are planning on moving office locations, define the top 3-5 qualities of an ideal new location. If you do this with your team, you’ll find that a clearer picture of what you are looking for helps generate more options as well as faster decisions.

Tip Five: Avoid Fixating on One Idea

Don’t get stuck on a single solution. Be open to alternatives, especially when aligned with your values, vision, and idea qualities.

Tip Six: Don’t Confuse Means for Ends

Prioritize results over methodology. Too often people get so stuck on “how” that they start to disregard what they are trying to accomplish. Much of modern political debate is in this place. Everyone debates over “how” and they don’t have agreement over (or couldn’t tell you) what they are trying to accomplish.

Bonus: Don’t give Level 10 effort to Level 1 issues. 

Many issues just don’t matter that much. But we often give them a lot of effort and attention.

Identify Level 10 problems and opportunities; reserve your highest efforts for them.

Take good care,

Christian

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