Solving Problems by Refusing to Solve Problems
“Not having heard something is not as good as having heard it; having heard it is not as good as having seen it; having seen it is not as good as knowing it; knowing it is not as good as putting it into practice.” — Xun Kuang from the book Xunzi
Can you remember a time in your life where you remember doing something really right?
If it’s helpful, you can take a few moments to bring it to mind. The people that were involved, the time that it took to accomplish, your feelings after it was completed.
Now, while it’s in the realm of possibilities that you succeeded on your first try without a single wrong turn, my guess is that your path included a few obstacles to overcome, lessons to learn along the way, and a progression similar to the one that Xun Kuang speaks to culminating with putting knowing into practice. What were they, and how did you come to them? Was it a question you asked, or something you read, or maybe a mistake that you made that revealed the way to eventual success?
When we set out to accomplish a goal, there are a few key components that are always at play. Our actions, the things we do, consequences, the results of those actions, and reflections, the analysis, and feedback as to whether the action placed us closer or further from our goal.
There’s another term for this process; learning. We, all of us, have the capability to take our own actions, have our own consequences and then act again. We may need reminders at times that the answers we are looking for are not, in fact, answers outside of us at all, but a process within us. This process as reflected in the Xun Kuang quote is a progression of decreasing abstraction. From knowing less to knowing more and then bringing that knowledge into the world (or your job) through doing.
There’s another progression that happens in startups, after we’ve exhibited competency and excellence in our roles. It starts at individual contributor, proceeds to managing other individual contributors, and continues on to managing those that are managing individual contributors, etc. Ironically, at this point, abstraction increases as the distance between us and the work becomes greater, and though no one ever tells us outright, the rules that made us successful in the first place change. It no longer becomes about what we can do, but about how well we can support others in the doing.
Here’s where it all comes full circle. The best way we can support others in the doing is to remember how we learned in the first place. By supporting them to take their own actions, have their own consequences, reflect and receive feedback on the process and do it all over again.
At Reboot, we start with the assumption that we already have the answer, but perhaps need support finding it within ourselves. Realizing that the learning process doesn’t happen overnight, we make space to practice open and honest questions with a trusted group of peers in support of your goals.
