What do your customers (or clients) need?

You need to do or produce something of use to someone if you want to succeed.

In other words, you need to solve their problem.

Last week I gave you a formula:

When you put what you want + what you need + what you can do (or learn to do) + what your future clients/customers need + what is right and good = a winning idea! Now…

Let’s talk about Hammers and Nails and Problems – and Solutions…

I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. - Maslow in “Toward a Psychology of Being”

BUT…

Let’s be careful not to make every solution a hammer and nail solution.

The Concept

Different challenges and problems need different ways of solving them, in fact, there could be more than one way to solve a situation.  And with complex issues, there may be many steps or parts to a solution.

In Organizations

It’s very easy to try and do the same thing over and over in any organization.   The phrase “we’ve always done it that way” is common for a reason.  But when change comes and new problems arise, new tools need to be found and used to reach a positive solution.

In (my) Coaching and Supervision

What am I saying?  Well, in clothing terms, “one size does not fit all.”  In coaching and supervision terms it means that one theory has a better solution for one challenge and another kind or method of coaching or supervision  has a solution that fits better with a second issue.  This is one of the reasons why I use several different theories and methods, and why I continue learning and getting more training.

Of course, we all have our favorites and personal strengths.  Mine are psychology (in general, specifically, Jungian, cbt and gestalt) and systems theory, but I do not solely use these constructs to help me with my clients, of course I use an “artist’s pallet” of tools and theories.

For You

This phrase should also apply to you, your organization, and your business:  one solution may work in one case or have worked in the past, but now you may need another tool or method of problem-solving for the next time.  Therefore, we should all be extremely careful not to look at a situation with blinders or tunnel vision., or to “follow the crowd” with the newest or most popular method.

Some Questions for Reflection and Success:

Here are some questions for you to think about this week regarding your problems:

What is my biggest challenge, now?  When I put it on a scale, how important is it to me to solve this issue?  What benefit does NOT solve the problem give- and to whom? By when would I want it solved?  What was a previous solution to a situation that I was satisfied with?  How did I arrive at that solution?

Have a great rest of your week,

Patricia Jehle               patricia@jehle-coaching.com