Building a Solution-Based Mindset
Imagine, if you could, a day that went entirely sideways. Think of it this way, you’ve planned and gathered everything you needed to crush the tasks and are ready to take on the day, but then something (life) comes at you, and now your plan won't work. We’ve all had those moments where we want to throw our hands in the air and walk away because things don’t go as planned because you made a plan, an excellent plan, but now it’s not going to work, and you need to figure out how to move forward. However, moving forward seems difficult and almost impossible. Have you ever wondered why you do this? As humans, we thrive on knowing what is coming up next and enjoy some level of predictability. That’s why it hits us so hard when we encounter turbulence and everything gets shaken up.
Feeling frustrated, angry, upset, or even frozen and unsure after a setback is normal. Still, it doesn’t have to be the only option, and there is likely a solution that will help solve this problem. So what are these events that cause us frustration? This could appear at work as your boss bumping up a deadline by a week on a large project you’re just now starting. Perhaps you’re getting ready to host an epic birthday party for your kid at home and realize your plumbing is backed up. Now, your basement is totally underwater and friends are arriving soon. That one *might* be a real-life situation one of us has encountered recently. We are constantly faced with situations where even the best-laid plans don’t work the way we intended, but that doesn’t mean that you should completely walk away from the task.
Rather than letting the bumps in the road throw you completely off course, begin working toward creating a solution-based mindset. Having a solution-based mindset will give you the opportunity to see that there is a solution in these situations that will help you continue to move forward rather than remaining stalled on the side of the road. Shifting mindsets isn’t an easy task, but we have broken the process down to a few steps that you can follow as you begin the journey toward cultivating a solution based mindset.
4 Important Things to Consider When Things Don’t Go to Plan:
1. Take the time you need to feel the “feels”.
When things don’t go as planned, you may be tempted to immediately pivot into finding a new solution or path forward, but it’s essential to give yourself the space to acknowledge the feelings you’re having about the situation. We strongly believe that moments that do not go according to plan are times that we can learn and improve our flexibility skills. If you ignore the feelings, then you aren’t learning but rather pretending the situation didn’t happen. This mindset doesn’t allow you to use the experience to grow; growth is a continual process we should embrace.
2. Make a list of possible solutions to move forward.
Once you have taken the time needed to process what just happened, you should begin working toward finding some alternative solutions. When creating a list of possible solutions, remember to focus on things that you have control over. For instance, a solution wouldn’t be to tell your boss that moving the deadline is a terrible idea, as that would likely only delay any adjustments from being made, thus stalling progress. Consider if your plan could be delegated out to team members so that you had more hands on deck working toward meeting the new deadline.
It’s important to note that while considering new solutions, you may feel like none of them are “worthy”. This is normal! You may be feeling this way because you already had determined what the best path forward was…but then it didn’t work out. Having a solution-based mindset means that you won’t let the bumps in the road stop you and that you are willing to keep moving with the “best for the moment” solution in order to continue forward.
3. Determine if outside assistance would be beneficial.
Having a solution-based mindset does not mean that you are the only person that can solve the problem. Part of having a solution-based mindset is recognizing when you need to seek out additional assistance. Asking for help can be difficult for many people, but you shouldn’t place the expectation on yourself that you, and you alone, can fix every situation that didn’t go to plan. Remember the example about the basement flooding before a birthday party? Perhaps you are decent at plumbing, but given the situation maybe hiring a professional to come out and assist is the best solution for the moment.
While working toward shifting your mindset, it is also helpful to have someone in your corner that is guided by a solution-based mindset. Guidance and modeling are powerful tools and it’s helpful to have someone with a solution-based mindset in your corner. They may be able to help you work through the process of finding new solutions or even share a few ideas on how they believe you can move forward.
4. Give yourself credit.
We struggle to be kind to ourselves. As coaches, we often encounter people speaking harshly of themselves when things don’t go to plan. Life is unexpected and things will happen that will throw off your plans. With a solution-based mindset you need to remember to intentionally give yourself credit for working through the situation. You did the best you could with the pathways you found along the way and that is worth celebrating.
There really is a solution to the situation, even if it isn’t your first, second, or even third preference. As you work toward cultivating a solution-based mindset, give yourself the space to acknowledge what happened, gather new options, call in reinforcement if needed, and most of all be kind to yourself.
Just in case you need a little reminder, perfection doesn’t exist. Having a solution-based mindset will help you remind yourself of that notion.
