Choose The Right Problem

The hardest part of problem-solving is not finding the solution, but choosing the right problem in the first place.

A client we were working with wanted us to perfect certain features in our solution — features that, in the bigger scheme of things, didn’t matter. For them, it felt safe and familiar. For us, it was a distraction from the real goal: transformation.

The stress between our teams kept building until we brought senior management into the conversation. Only then did the focus shift back to the larger outcome — embracing the short-term discomfort of change in pursuit of long-term transformation.

That’s when it hit me. Energy spent polishing what shouldn’t be worked on in the first place is energy wasted. Progress doesn’t come from making the wrong problem perfect. It comes from tackling the right problem, even when it’s uncomfortable.