Exit problem trance! - With Executive Consultant Thomas Gelmi

Success factor solution-focus vs. problem focus as a basic mindset in business

(firmenpresse) - Klingnau (Switzerland), March 2013 - Who hasn"t yet experienced it: you have a more or less complex problem and are literally, well ... stuck! Thoughts turn in paralyzing circles - around the problem. "This condition is often called problem trance or problem hypnosis" says Executive Consultant Thomas Gelmi, who supports leaders and their teams in getting out of this mindset through a change of perspective.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them" said Albert Einstein. So then, why do people mostly tend to focus their attention on the problem instead of the solution? The answer lays in the history of our own evolution: ever since the early days of mankind, man tends to give more attention to problems and obstacles (= threats) rather than to the desired state. A pure survival mechanism - and there"s nothing wrong with that. But isn"t there perhaps a more effective and faster approach to achieving a desired state?

"Basically, there"s nothing wrong with researching into a problem and getting to the bottom of it" says Gelmi. Psychoanalysis and most known problem solving techniques are based on exactly that. However, the question is what will get you unstuck fast and into a more effective solution-focus. Interestingly, experience shows that a detailed understanding of the problem is often not even necessary. Au contraire: trying to get to the bottom of the problem often increases the problem-trance even more. "Like a person standing on quicksand, getting more and more stuck with every movement."

In contrast to this view stands a consciously chosen and consistent solution focus. Much more than a technique or method, this is a specific mindset. It puts emphasis on exploring different facets of the preferred future and is used in solution-focused coaching as well as in business management with astonishing results. Especially in coaching, the "art of not knowing" (Heinz von Förster) supports adopting this mindset. What does that mean? Maybe a ZEN quote describes it best: "In the beginner"s mind there are many possibilities, in an expert"s mind there are few (Shunruy Suzuki Roshi). Typically, this becomes noticeable whenever an outsider or "inexperienced" person spontaneously spots possible solutions that no expert would ever have found.

Metaphorically speaking: when standing in front of a hollow, a problem-focused approach would be to first exactly understand why there"s a hollow. Digging even deeper would be an option, in order to get to the bottom of the cause. A solution-focused approach would be to acknowledge the existence of the hollow, but then immediately start exploring the preferred future - e.g. standing on the other side of it - and begin looking for concrete possibilities to achieve it step by step. This procedure is unusual for most people and often requires a complete change of mindset.

Thomas Gelmi compares it to a well-known situation: "When in a pitch-dark room, nobody would start by trying to find out why it"s so dark. Instead, everybody would start looking for the light switch right away." Therefore, one of the key solution-focused questions would never be "what do you want to get rid of?", but rather "what do you want instead?" An experienced and solution-focused coach can be very helpful by consistently asking solution-focused questions and by guiding through the process.

Weitere Infos zu dieser Pressemeldung:

Themen in dieser Pressemitteilung:


Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
PresseKontakt / Agentur:
Bereitgestellt von Benutzer: Adenion
Datum: 27.03.2013 - 13:30 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 243539
Anzahl Zeichen: 3568

contact information:
Contact person: Thomas Gelmi
Town:

Klingnau

Phone: 056 535 7996

Kategorie:

Mining

Typ of Press Release:
Anmerkungen:


Diese Pressemitteilung wurde bisher 477 mal aufgerufen.


Die Pressemitteilung mit dem Titel:
"Exit problem trance! - With Executive Consultant Thomas Gelmi"
steht unter der journalistisch-redaktionellen Verantwortung von

Thomas Gelmi (Nachricht senden)

Beachten Sie bitte die weiteren Informationen zum Haftungsauschluß (gemäß TMG - TeleMedianGesetz) und dem Datenschutz (gemäß der DSGVO).

Employees criticize: managers lead poorly! ...

Employees do not quit jobs or companies - employees quit their managers. This is quite a provoking statement which gives food for thought. Especially if you consider that up to 45 % of all managers do an insufficient job in the eyes of their team, as ...

Resilience - a Key Quality of Successful Leaders ...

Why is it that some people literally blossom during crisis situations, whereas others almost crack under pressure? People who manage to survive crises or failures possess a quality called resilience - a quality that is especially required in leaders. ...

Alle Meldungen von Thomas Gelmi