Feeling stuck within a problem sometimes, with no clear path out?

Several times over the past few weeks, I pulled “reframing” from my coaching tool belt. Going from “This won’t work” to “In order for this to work, these things would need to be true.” From “How (the hell) to do this” to “Who is the best person to do this.”

Yes, the second example is from Dan Sullivan’s & Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s “Who not How”, and it is one of the most powerful reframing and obstacle-overcoming tools.

As another example, at a seminar a few years back, the facilitators used the story of the island of Mauritius tourism agency going from “damn, we have very little land” to “yay, we have a LOT of ocean!”

Such reframing often means a switch from an obstacle to an opportunity. From impossible to possible, by just a gentle shift of the viewpoint. From being perceived as a naysayer to becoming a true collaborator, opening doors to creativity and innovation.

In SWOT analysis, simple reframing can take a weakness and discover a strength or opportunity in its place. In the case of a construction company I was talking to, the thought “we have a short supply of qualified labor” turned into “there’s an opportunity to provide trade training,” as obviously the short supply is not just “our” problem. The issue we are facing means there is a huge market for skilled labor training. One we can also capitalize on.

From my recent personal experience – I found myself stuck trying to move a piece of furniture. After fumbling for a bit with a dolly and other stuff, trying to figure out how to do it, risking my back, just the simple (and yes, obvious) “who could help me” led to a phone call and a friendly neighbor showing up 15 minutes later. I know, that’s an exceedingly silly example, but we often get stuck in the problem, rather than looking at it from different angles – reframing it – and finding surprisingly effective solutions.

Here are a few generic examples of reframing:

“Can’t work” to “It would work (only) if…”
“Don’t know how to” to “Who would know how to…?”
“This is an obstacle” to “What impact would overcoming this obstacle have?”

“No one is willing to do this” to “What would make people want to do this?”

Do you have any examples of your own? Do you have team members who already take this approach and you can leverage their mindset for the entire team?