#32 - Reframe It!
"A problem well-framed is a problem half-solved." - Charles Kettering
When you encounter a complex problem, do you tend to jump immediately to action, only to discover that you have been solving a wrong problem? When you negotiate, do you tend to leave too much value on the table because you stay narrowly focused on positions, not interests? Well, I've been there, and I can tell you, what a waste of time, opportunities, resources! How can we do better? Strange as it may sound, we should stop looking for solutions and instead, try to look at the problem from various perspectives, reframe it.
This newsletter is a collection of (1) my favorite stories that show the power of reframing and of (2) links to two great how-to guides to help you reframe the very next problem you encounter and your approach to negotiations.
Look at things in a different way
Here is one of the most passionate calls for reframing - from a cult movie that I recently rediscovered from a very unusual perspective (thanks to a recent week at INSEAD).
"...we must constantly look at things in a different way. Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way, even if it may seem silly or wrong. You must try. When you read, don't just consider what the author thinks, consider what YOU think..."
Dead Poets Society (3rd lesson: look at things in a different way) - YouTube
The 5 Dollars Challenge
How much money could you make in 2 hours with only $5? Dr. Tina Seelig challenged her entrepreneurship classes at Stanford d.school with this assignment. This story has turned so viral because it's so good. The team who made the most money did not use 5 dollars at all. Instead, they've completely reframed the problem. If you don't know the story, watch it please, I'm sure you'll love it.
Dr. Tina Seelig, Stanford University - Classroom Experiment in Creativity - YouTube
Why Can't We See Solutions In Plain Sight?
In 1912, when the Titanic tragically sank, how could more than just one third of all the people onboard survive? Famously, the ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board. ... Imagine you're a crew member on the Titanic and you redefine the goal from "putting people in lifeboats" to "putting people on things that float." What new resources do you see? ... there are always more solutions to even the most frightening problems, if people can learn to look beyond the obvious.
Harvard Business Review-Why we cant see solutions in plain sight - YouTube
Usain Bolt of Speed Eating
How could a slender twenty-three-year-old Japanese student totally disrupt the world of competitive eating? This story comes from one of my favorite books, "Think Like a Freak". Takeru Kobayashi arrived, in total obscurity, at one of the world's most famous hot dog eating competitions, and, in his very first contest doubled the world record. How did he do it? By completely redefining the problem he was trying to solve. While his competitors were asking, How can I eat more hot dogs? Kobi asked a different question: How do I make hot dogs easier to eat? Framed differently, the question led to relentless experiments and an approach that left his competitors bite the dust.
A Better Way to Eat (Ep. 173 Rebroadcast) - Freakonomics Podcast
Rockets that Rock
How could someone reduce the price of a rocket launch by a factor of 10 and continue to drive it even cheaper? Think Elon Musk and Space X, who had challenged almost every assumption about rocket launches, except the fundamental laws of physics. This podcast that tells this and many other space stories is absolutely captivating.
A Primer on Space: The Final Frontier - Colossus® (joincolossus.com)
Now, my two favorite books that can help you reframe: the problems you encounter and your approach to negotiations.
What's Your Problem?
If there is just one book on reframing you could read, please read "What's Your Problem?"
Using real-world stories and unforgettable examples like “the slow elevator problem,” author Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg offers a simple, three-step method—Frame, Reframe, Move Forward—that anyone can use to start solving the right problems.
Reframing is not difficult to learn. It can be used on everyday challenges and on the biggest, trickiest problems you face. In this visually engaging, deeply researched book, you’ll learn from leaders at large companies, from entrepreneurs, consultants, nonprofit leaders, and many other breakthrough thinkers.
It’s time for everyone to stop barking up the wrong trees. Teach yourself and your team to reframe, and growth and success will follow.
“What’s Your Problem?” Big Idea Webinar with Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg - YouTube
The website How to Reframe (wordpress.com) is a great companion for the book.
Value Negotiation: How to Finally Get the Win-Win Right
I was lucky to discover Value Negotiation this summer during INSEAD EMBA Electives. The method and the negotiation role-play we practiced made me completely rethink my assumptions about negotiation, starting from framing a negotiation as a power play or a need of trust for a win-win negotiation. Win-win is not soft. Win-Win creates value. Win-win is a choice. Win-win is positive, but not naïve.
Value Negotiation: How to Finally Get the Win-Win Right examines the complicated world of negotiation and provides a simple and practical approach in helping negotiators learn how to consistently deliver the most possible value at the lowest possible risk in the widest range of situations. The textbook consists of three parts: in Become a Negotiator, challenge yourself to rethink your foundations and assumptions about negotiation. In Prepare for Negotiation, find out how to choose a negotiation goal and strategy, and anticipate critical moments during negotiation. And in Negotiate!, uncover how you can connect with negotiating parties, work towards gaining mutual value, and finally, make the best possible decision.
This video is a nice primer on the win-win approach to negotiations. Negotiating to win - YouTube
Stay healthy, solve the right problems, be positive, but not naïve,
Arina