I like solving problems with clients. I particularly love solving complex problems. Business is never entirely without problems…but the best part is my clients are always ‘trading up’ for ‘better quality problems’ as they grow and scale.

Today’s lesson was…”One problem at a time…but which one?”

I have a client who was faced with an opportunity that, despite being a perceived gift, could create real challenges in execution due to timelines, and limitations in bandwidth of the team. They do great work and they are highly sought after, so saying ‘No’ is particularly hard for this client. They want it all!
There is also a time constraint in which the decision to pursue it has to be made while there would still be a lot of unknowns on deck which makes the choice a lot harder.

It is easy to get caught up in all the possible outcomes and the desire to look as far ahead as possible so you can mitigate risk and make the best decision in the moment. I am the queen of this as I have a gift for seeing and processing a vast array of scenarios and assessing and playing them out very quickly.

Today’s solution: Identify the single most lynchpin problem and solve for that.
​JUST. ONE. PROBLEM.
​​As a former homeschool mom I thought back to my pre-Algebra teaching days and tapped into the concept of ‘PEMDAS’ or as I was taught, ‘the order of operations’ for solving complex math problems.

First step: Determine the order of operations for this potential opportunity. We had to identify the first problem that would be created if we pursued the project and decide if we could overcome that​. Other decisions and paths flow from that one decision. You can’t solve all things at once. Once we identified the ‘one thing’ and made a decision around that a course of action emerged. I know it may sound like I am oversimplifying here…but in the moment we tend to compound complexity. ​​

What’s the biggest problem in front of you today in your business? What one problem does the order of operations dictate you solve first? If you solve that ONE problem what impact does it have on the others?
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Just pick the one…then take action big or small! Little hinges swing big doors.

Can I help? Comment or book a chat here https://thebalancemaven.youcanbook.me/
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PS…Your Bonus lesson for the day. PEMDAS, the acronym for the order of operations for solving complex math problems is : parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction
​​…in case you want to brush up on some Algebra