When you fixate on any single solution too early, you’re much more likely to get stuck in a narrow perspective and ignore other possible (and potentially better) solutions.

Staying open to breakthrough ideas starts with defining the problem using facts, not opinions.

When you state a problem using objective facts, you’re describing it in a way that acts as a starting point for further exploration.

But when your problem statement includes subjective opinions about the cause and solution, you’re making assumptions that bias your thinking and limit your perspective.

Here are 2 examples for comparison:

“Sales have dropped by 28 percent over the last 3 months” is a factual problem statement. It doesn’t include any assumptions about root causes or the right solution.

“Sales are dropping because we’re not innovating enough” is a subjective interpretation. It implies that “lack of innovation” is a root cause, and “innovating more” is the only viable solution.

Factual problem statements allow you to look at the issue with greater objectivity, making it easier to discover new possibilities and solutions.

On the other hand, framing a problem based on assumptions leads to stale thinking. You’re much more likely to simply repeat the same ideas and approaches that led to the problem becoming an issue in the first place.

What will you do today to start framing problems based on objective facts vs subjective opinions?

Will you hold off on jumping to any conclusions about the cause or solution, and focus instead on capturing the key details you need to explore more deeply?