Coaching practices for Bring Solutions Not Problems
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Bring Solutions Not Problems, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- It feels like this is just how I am
- Somewhere in this I stopped seeing a problem we both have and started seeing the other person AS the problem
- The way I’ve worded this problem to myself already sounds like a verdict
- I keep fixing the thing right in front of me and the same trouble just keeps coming back in a new shape, which makes me think I’ve only been swatting at the surface
- I’m stuck on a problem because the way I’ve described it boxes in the solutions I can even see
Practices that may help
- Exception Finding: When Is the Problem Already Less Severe?
Identify times when the problem was absent or less severe — these are evidence that solutions already exist.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Building On What Works - Separate the person from the problem
Treat the conflict as a problem you face together, not a contest you fight each other.
The Third Alternative, Made Practical - Rephrase the problem as a "How might we…?" question
Convert a problem statement into a question that invites solutions without prescribing them.
Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First - Climb the why–why ladder
Ask "why is this a problem?" repeatedly to reveal the higher-level goal your current framing may be missing.
Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First - Reframe problems using cross-domain language
Describe your problem in a different field’s vocabulary — then use that vocabulary to search for solutions.
The Medici Effect: Innovation at the Intersection - Diagnose the challenge before choosing the response
Ask whether the problem requires new expertise (technical) or new values and behavior (adaptive).
Adaptive Leadership, Made Practical - Move to problem-solving only after understanding is mutual
Problem-solving before mutual understanding produces solutions neither party owns.
Looping for Understanding (Difficult Conversations) - Evaluate solutions for durability: realistic, mutually satisfying, safe
A collaborative solution that fails one of three tests — realistic, mutually satisfying, safe — will not hold.
Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene) - Transform the relationship, not just the issue
Use each conflict as an opportunity to raise the quality of the relationship itself.
The Third Alternative, Made Practical - Map who actually owns the problem
Identify whose problem it truly is before investing in a solution — the framing often changes when you name the real owner.
Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First
Related concerns
- Problem Reframing Solving The Right Problem First At Work
Problem reframing means deliberately reconsidering what problem you are actually trying to solve before generating solutions. Min Basadur’s work on creative problem-solving shows that the framing you start with strongly constrains the solutions you find — changing the framing often unlocks solutions that were invisible under the original definition.
- How To Reframe A Problem
Problem reframing means deliberately reconsidering what problem you are actually trying to solve before generating solutions. Min Basadur’s work on creative problem-solving shows that the framing you start with strongly constrains the solutions you find — changing the framing often unlocks solutions that were invisible under the original definition.
- How To See Problems Differently
Treat the conflict as a problem you face together, not a contest you fight each other.
Separate the person from the problem
- Presenting Problem Vs Real Problem
The presenting problem is rarely the actual problem — this question cuts through to what really matters.
Ask "What’s the real challenge here for you?"
- Problem Reframing Solving The Right Problem First In A New Job
Problem reframing means deliberately reconsidering what problem you are actually trying to solve before generating solutions. Min Basadur’s work on creative problem-solving shows that the framing you start with strongly constrains the solutions you find — changing the framing often unlocks solutions that were invisible under the original definition.
- Problem Reframing Solving The Right Problem First With My Team
Problem reframing means deliberately reconsidering what problem you are actually trying to solve before generating solutions. Min Basadur’s work on creative problem-solving shows that the framing you start with strongly constrains the solutions you find — changing the framing often unlocks solutions that were invisible under the original definition.
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.