Why duct-taping doesn’t work?
An en”lighten”ing story on holistically embracing creative thinking to solve problems.
The problem with “Solutioning” Myopia
I am sure you have been through this, as I have been many times in our careers. The need to quickly put out a fire or be time-constrained to deliver a product or feature swiftly. The pressure makes us myopic about the solution space, resulting in a patch to get there without realizing it might be unsustainable. Even worse, it could cause more anguish in the long term for everyone. I call this “duct-taping” a problem. The more you tape, the harder it becomes to be agile as the product carries legacy baggage where “rapid” quickly goes from one week to one year. Your product is now in prison!
I had this experience recently, quite literally, using duct tape to set up a fixture. It got me thinking how often an obvious solution is staring right at us. It might even be much easier to implement but gets ignored in preference for a sub-optimal solution.
What appears to be a solution might simply be a “patch” job that lacks sustainability.
The Fight with the Light
As a serious amateur photographer, one of my prerogatives has been to ensure the proper setting during a video call. Covid did make a case for taking a more conscious approach to applying the appropriate lighting within my room. How you show up defines your professional demeanor, and lighting plays a significant role.
I invested in a ring light, given the propensity to be on video calls with clients. As it turned out, the tripod design required that I place the light on one side. There were two problems:
- It creates unbalanced lighting (like this and makes a movie villain effect!)
- It got in the way of my whiteboard. That was an absolute no-no!!
The “Solution”
I came up with a killer idea! Tape the ring light to my monitor. Why the heck didn’t I think of this before. Duct Tape to the rescue! I quickly got to work, and voila, the setup was complete, and the tape held the light to my monitor. Unfortunately, it peeled away in just about an hour. Several iterations of stronger duct tape and multiple layers didn’t help either. I resigned that it wouldn’t work when it came crashing down as I spoke with someone on a video call! It wasn’t possible to beat the laws of physics after all!
The solution eventually came from my daughter. She asked, “Why don’t you just fold the tripod and put it behind the monitor?”. That couldn’t be possible — I already tried that!. However, once fully folded, it was reasonably stable on my desk. The previous issue was that I had the legs fully extended, making positioning the tripod on the desk impractical. It was considerably more elegant than my duct tape. I can also tell you that it has been that way, and I am confident that it won’t come crashing down.
And my point is…
Creative Thinking is just as crucial as Critical Thinking
We all do this. It might be required as stakeholders cry foul over holding them up. However, I have found that bringing the right perspectives and brainstorming possible options often results in sustainable solutions and better features more frequently than we believe. Everyone talks about Critical Thinking, but there is a step before that — Creative Thinking. It is the act of brainstorming as many ideas before Critical Thinking steps in to identify the best. There is no stupid idea with Creative Thinking.
I remember solving a problem in the mid-2000s where a scenario caused the hardware to reset. The fix, unfortunately, wasn’t to re-architect in prior releases (it was high-risk to make such a significant change) but to put a band-aid. My colleague and I had cataloged these issues. When the opportunity came to re-platform, we brought in colleagues that had just joined our team for a “memoryless” point of view. The brainstorming session was mind-blowing in terms of solution space. In some instances, it streamlined the entire system beyond our imagination.
You don’t have to be the most intelligent person in the room!
Leaders don’t have to solve every problem. They just need to create an environment that enables a truly innovative organization.
While I have had a “why didn’t I come up with this idea?”, I have had the good fortune of working with mentors that did not allow that mindset to steep in. They had encouraged me when I came up with a different point of view, and as leaders, that is critical. The goal should be to trigger that and get everyone to a place where they are comfortable with sharing their thoughts. That’s what leads to true creative thinking!
My observations and learnings from mentors and leaders I look up to:
- They build a team willing to opine and disagree openly.
- They speak last and the least.
- Their views are consistently high-impact because they connect the dots.
- They ignore “who” and focus on the “what.”
In conclusion
- It is easy to take a myopic point of view when you see a problem. Time constraints might even dictate that you act fast (read rash). Don’t fall for that trap. Engage and challenge the team to find better alternatives.
- Take a negotiation approach to solving problems. Negotiations disregard positions. There are multiple options on the table, backed by credible data.
- Don’t let objectivity walk out of the door. Don’t let ego get in either!
