132 Leading with NLP
learning circuit a few times before you shift to the double
loop pattern and question your assumptions.
solutions and resolutions
Leaders face complex problems and need to be able to find
their way forward. Some problems are relatively simple –
there will be a definite number of appropriate solutions and
a clear procedure for solving them. Plotting a route by car,
for example, is a simple problem. Also, the more you study a
simple problem, the more the possible answers tend to con-
verge on one optimal solution. Complex problems are the
opposite. The more you study them, the more possible solu-
tions there seem to be, and more depends on your
assumptions about the problem than the problem itself.
How can our business stay competitive in the market? What
is leadership and how can we get it? These are complex
problems. All the important and interesting problems are
complex ones. And the assumptions you bring form part of
the problem.
Problems can be dealt with in at least four different ways:
1 They can be solved. This is only appropriate for simple
problems. There is a single optimal solution, usually in
the form of ‘What shall we do: A or B?’ For example, buy
a new car or take a holiday? You solve the problem by
doing one or the other.
2 They can be re-solved. Then you see them as part of a
larger, wider-ranging problem. Instead of thinking about
whether to have a car or a holiday, you shift your attention
to earning more money so you can have both if you want.
3 They can be dis-solved. Then they do not matter any
more – something more important happens, a sudden
illness means you have to use up your savings, so you do
not get either, or you win the lottery and can have 10 of
both and still have plenty of money left over, or you de-
cide you don’t care and stop thinking about it.