There are times, likely for all of us at least once in a while, when we want to ignore problems with the hope that they will go away on their own.

I have a friend of mine who swears that practice works. Of course he’s a dentist and says it works “best” when the problem concerns your teeth. Ignore it long enough and the “problem” will be gone for good. Of course, your beautiful smile might be gone with it. 

In most every case ignoring a problem is like feeding it. The problem gets bigger and bigger. 

Pretending a problem doesn’t exist is not an effective strategy for dealing with it. But for some people, neither is always trying to eliminate the problem too quickly. With some problems the solution is obvious. If the new car you purchased turns out to be too big for your garage you have four obvious options. You only need to pick which option suits you best. 

But other problems can be more difficult to deal with and a solution may be far from obvious. It’s at those times that effective problem solvers block the temptation to jump to a solution too quickly. They instead allow the problem to live with them for a time. They get to know the ins and outs of the problem. They want to understand it’s origins and the consequences of the problem. 

What they want to make sure of is that they are solving the root cause of the problem and not a symptom of the problem. That’s the big difference between effective problem solving and problematic problem solving. Problematic problem solvers solve the problem but they “solve” it over and over again until they happen to hit on the actual cause of the problem. IF they happen to actually hit on it. 

Effective problem solvers are comfortable with uncomfortable situations and circumstances. That allows them to solve a problem once and solve a problem permanently. 

If you’re jumping to solutions too quickly when problem solving then slow down and ask yourself how long you’re willing to deal with this problem. Do you want to live with it for a while and then solve it permanently or do you want to “solve” it quickly and potentially live with it forever?

If you decide to solve it too quickly you might as well ignore it because the outcome is likely to be the same. 

On a another subject…I’m trying something new over on Twitter. It’s called “Super Followers.” For $5 a month, that’s 17 cents a day, people can follow a part of my Twitter stream that is for subscribers only. It features short videos of me discussing leadership topics, sales tips and ideas for better overall relationships. I’m assuming there will be far fewer Super Followers than regular Twitter followers. That will give me the opportunity to answer questions more throughly than I can on regular Twitter. Most of the answers will come in the evening cause we all have day jobs, right? Think of it as ”mentoring on demand!”

My goal with SuperFollowers is to build a better connection, one where I can perhaps help more and have a greater impact. I’m hoping it gives me a chance to mentor to a wider audience. It’s still new, we’ll see how it works. It’s a $5 dollar investment that may just be the extra “push” you need to get to where you want to be. I’d be honored to be able to help get you there. 

You can find more information by clicking the Super Follow button on my Twitter profile page IN THE TWITTER APP. http://twitter.com/leadtoday Give it a try if you’re so inclined, and if you are, be sure to let me know how I’m doing and how I can be of even more help.