We specialise in both "A and E Problems"

Let's Talk About Problems

Every person and business experiences problems. Don’t feel bad about that – it’s actually good news.

Progress happens as we learn to solve problems. 

How do we know we have a problem? We know because our reality does not match our expectations. 

There are 2 types of problems we can encounter. Let’s call them ‘E-Problems’ and ‘A-Problems’.  It’s much better to have ‘E-Problems’ than to have ‘A-Problems’. Here’s why.

‘E-Problems’ derive from the environment of normal business operations. Examples of ‘E-Problems’ are dealing with competitors, marketing or sales issues, or changing staffing requirements. 

You need to find the right strategy when dealing with ‘E-Problems’. 

‘A-Problems’ don’t originate in the environment. They originate from inside people and organisations – from their lack of agility. This lack of agility affects how people think, how they behave, and how the business functions.

‘A-Problems’ are worse than ‘E-Problems’ because they make it harder to solve ‘E-Problems’.

You see, there will always be ‘E-Problems’ but when people and organisations are agile and adaptable, ‘E-Problems’ are easier to solve. 

'A-Problems'

Why do ‘A-Problems’ even exist? And how big of a problem are they?

To understand why people have a problem with agility, you need to take a wide perspective on human history. Most of us think that 200 years is a long time. When we think of ancient times, we typically think of the Romans, the Greeks, or the pyramids of Egypt. But, in reality, that’s not a very long time ago.

Our species has been around for about 300 thousand years. For 95% of that time, change happened very slowly. Each generation lived much the same as all the generations that preceded them. They were adapted to their environment and they knew how to solve most of the ‘E-Problems’ they encountered – their ancestors had learnt to do that and this knowledge was passed down via genes and culture.

But that is not the world we live in. Today, change happens all the time – faster than ever before. This rapid and constant change requires people to be more adaptable and agile than ever before. And this creates ‘A-Problems’ because we are not hard-wired for this much change. 

The video below explores this further. 

Two Pathways

So, where does this leave us today? Every person and business has problems – ‘E-Problems’. And some recognise the importance of agility. These ones are on a pathway that leads to growth, competitiveness, and success.

Others don’t think much about agility. All they just want is to solve the ‘E-Problems’ that arise. They go from problem to problem without ever building more agility. This is not sustainable in an environment with more agile competitors.

Here’s something to consider. Which pathway are you on?