Tackling

I learned early on as a young football coach that there was not just ONE magical offensive or defensive scheme.  If there was, of course, then everyone would deploy them.

The analogy of football coaching informs us as to the challenging elements of complex problems:

• Constantly shifting circumstances
• Talented, often VERY talented, competitors
• Uncontrollable contexts
• Competing objectives within one's own team/organization
• Limited resources (of all kinds)
• Opponents who are extremely smart

So, whether in football coaching or in organizational leadership or in personal life, what tenets should drive our solution crafting?  How best do we tackle (pun intended) complex problems?

Solution crafting strategiery:

• Be crystal clear about our objectives - know exactly what we're trying to achieve.
• Focus on the things we CAN control, not on the ones we can't.
• Adopt principles that drive desired behavior, not rules that manage undesired behavior.
• Work on the "fundamentals" (i.e., the habits) that reinforce those principles every day, regardless of current standings or skill level.
• Build adaptability into our systems - conditions, people, weather, markets are constantly changing.
• Communicate, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE!

And know, without doubt, that tomorrow will bring more complex problems to tackle.