Be A Problem Finder, Not Just a Problem Solver.

For marketing professionals, especially in mid-sized companies, a lot of time is spent in problem-solving: managing calendars, handling requests, answering questions and providing feedback. I ran across this thought that’s worth sharing:

Problem finding is more important than problem solving.

Problem finding drives “i” words, like innovation, inspiration, and inventive, and “u” words like unusual, unfamiliar, and uncommon which is where creative solutions live.

Problem-finding alerted us to why a credit union client was whiffing on Gen Z members; problem-finding helped us anticipate a branding problem with a national grab-and-go grocery product. Problem-finding elevates the marketing function and yields innovative and affordable solutions.

Fall in love with problem finding, and encourage your team to do the same. It might not shorten your “to do” list, but remember:  while problem-solving helps us survive, problem-finding helps us thrive.

If you’d like to rally your organization around problem finding, let’s talk.