Time to read: 4 minutes
Article at a glance:
- Deep understanding fuels better solutions. Rushing to fix can lead to solving the wrong problem. Clarity upfront prevents wasted effort later.
- Exploration takes time and intention. Asking thoughtful questions, gathering diverse perspectives, and observing the real work are key to seeing the full picture.
- Reflection reveals root causes. Tools like the “5 Whys” and group reflection help move past surface issues to meaningful insight and direction.
- Understanding is ongoing. Even after acting, stay curious. Keep exploring, adjusting, and learning = how real progress takes shape.
“If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” Albert Einstein
Let’s talk about that 55 minutes of thinking about the problem.
We call this exploration or the understanding phase, and it’s crucial for creating true progress and momentum.
That can seem like a long time to do something that doesn’t appear to yield results. For those of us who are doers and like to take action, this can feel super tedious.
And if we’re not used to dealing with the discomfort of ambiguity, we’ll want to move out of that discomfort as quickly as possible.
So how long do we stay in this phase? When do we know we’re ready to move forward? How can we tell if we’re jumping to solutions prematurely?
Hard truth: If it were quick and easy to come up with real, lasting solutions that align with our mission and values, we’d just do that.
The best imaginable (always our goal) takes time.
Here are some reminders and tools to guide us through the exploration phase.
A Guide to the Exploration Phase
Don’t think of gaps as problems (no matter what the Einstein quote says).
There will always be a gap between where we are and where we want to be. That’s necessary for growth and progress! We want those gaps because without them, we’d stagnate. Which would be incredibly boring, because there’d be no room for progress.
Those gaps usually aren’t emergencies. We don’t have to pounce on solutions and slap Band-aids on every gap we see to give us the illusion of progress.
We don’t have to wait to act until everything is perfect.
There’s no point rushing on the wrong solution, or rushing to solve the wrong problem. We might think we understand the issue when really, we aren’t getting to the root.
We’ll never understand a situation perfectly. The goal here is simply to aim before we shoot.
Tools for the Understanding Phase
Go to Gemba.
In Japanese Kaizen practices, this means “go to where the work is happening.” This means actually observing what’s going on. Talk to the team that’s experiencing the issue. Watch the processes in action.
Gather perspectives.
Talk to people with different perspectives. The right perspectives, who are closest to the gap, and those who have more distance and a broader view. Occhiolism is important here.
Think of it as a shape. You want to shine light on it from as many angles as possible so you can understand what the shape actually is.
Reflect as a group.
This is one of the main reasons why Reflection is one of our core values. It reminds us to ask “What’s working? What’s not?” and “What are we seeing? What could it mean? What are our next right steps?”
Ask the right questions.
The right questions take us deeper into the root of the issue.
Here are some of our favorites:
- What are we seeing?
- What could it mean?
- What are we missing?
- Who else would have a different perspective?
- What would happen if we thought the opposite of what we actually think? (This helps us turn assumptions on their heads and get new perspective!)
- What could a next right answer be?
The idea here is to explore thoroughly to gain understanding.
Another good practice is to ask why five times. It’s easy to ask why once, then think we’ve reflected and move on with a solution, but asking why repeatedly helps us get to the root of the issue. It helps us get below the surface to the bottom of the iceberg.
Patience and curiosity
Time is also an important ingredient.
When we let things simmer, we give ourselves time to connect dots, to work on the issues subconsciously, and for more insight to appear.
And sometimes, we just need to develop patience. The more we see the value of understanding, the more patience we tend to have for it. (Though it may never be easy and cozy.)
Never stop exploring
So how long is enough? When do you stop exploring and start acting?
When you’ve talked to a lot of people and a right answer emerges naturally, if it seems obvious and makes sense (to several people with different perspectives), it can be time to try something, and keep reflecting.
But if you haven’t talked to a lot of people with different perspectives, you might not have the understanding you need to move forward.
As for stopping exploration? That was a trick question. We never stop exploring or really leave the understanding phase.
Even after we make changes or implement something, keep observing. Keep discussing. Keep questioning. Be nimble and willing to pivot, and adjust to what you’re seeing.
When you think you’ve solved it, keep asking why. If you think you have an answer, you probably haven’t explored long enough.
When you realize there isn’t an answer, that there are many possibilities and potential right answers, you know you’re on the right track.
