99 Problems at Work? Try the One-Pound Strategy

True confession—my heart’s bleeding, and it’s for Jay-Z. Sure his life and wife look all sorts of glam, but let’s get real—he’s got 99 problems. The internet says, so it must be true.

Ah, problems. They’re all around us, haunting and taunting us without an ounce of shame. Much like Jay, we’ve all got ‘em in every facet of our lives. My expertise doesn’t qualify me to advise on who you date, what you should binge-watch on Netflix, or whether or not to go paleo, but I'm never shy about diving into a conversation on solving problems in the workplace.

Everyone has problems at work

In my practice, I hear all sorts of issues plaguing those around the water cooler. Comments like:

• I have 17 hours of meetings today and I still have to get that brief written up
• I am so bored in my job. Every day feels like I’m on autopilot
• My big project is totally stuck because everything is caught up in an approval process and I can’t move forward

Any of these sounds familiar, or even familiar-adjacent? If yes, we’ve all been there with you. And if no, please give me a call—QDT may need you to host your own podcast on living problem-free!

No one gets through their working life without problems. And while it's nice to know you're not alone in your workplace struggles, what do you do about them? Many of us groan and grumble around the water cooler to blow off steam and then rage-eat the stale donuts leftover from the morning’s staff meeting (definitely not paleo, btw). But then what?

Finding solutions is hard work. Unless … the word “solution” is actually the problem.

Are we too focused on solutions?

At a client organization several months ago, I was talking to a product manager named Liz. No disrespect, but poor Liz was not looking well. Under-eye circles, chewed-up cuticles … Liz bore all the signs of burnout.

I sat down with her and she showed me her calendar. It looked unwell, too. Overlapping colored boxes showing meetings on top of meetings. No wonder Liz barely had the will to move.

I said “Liz ... that’s a lot. Is there maybe just one meeting you have this week that you can find a way to opt out of? Like, literally, just one?”

Do you know what Liz said? “I don’t think that’s really a solution.”

Solutions are all around us, often disguised in one-pound increments.

I invited Liz to sit by me while I told her a quick story, and I promised that, in the end, it would be relevant. Because she was too tired to move anyway, Liz was a captive audience. So I told her about something I'd recently read. It was about a...

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