Why You Should 'Love the Problem'

During our recent stay in Hawaii we were looking forward to an enjoyable evening on the patio at a well-regarded restaurant. I knew as soon as our host led us to our table that something was wrong.

We were being shown to a table inside, in a corner near an exit. I explained that we had specifically requested a patio table when we made our reservation and I offered to wait at the bar until something opened up there. Our host apologized and said that it could be a long wait – most of the diners out there were just beginning their meals.

I apologized too and said that we would simply have to dine elsewhere.

That could have been the end of it, but our host was not about to let this problem go unsolved. "Let me see what I can do," he said. He then ended up clearing a new space on the patio, and brought out another table and a couple of chairs. Problem solved. And we had a wonderful, memorable dinner in a gorgeous setting.

This problem was solved because the host saw a challenge and he thought of a creative way to deal with it. In other words, he loved the problem.

Too often we fall in love with tried-and-true answers. When an issue arises we go through our mental catalogue of solutions and try to make one fit. If none of them do, we throw up our hands and say we tried everything.

That can happen with your team when it comes to dealing with a patient's financial problems, insurance issues or even appointment difficulties. It can happen with dentists as well when a patient presents with a problem and they automatically start going through the usual list of solutions.

Maybe the best answer isn't there among those usual solutions. Maybe the patient's problem is best served using an interdisciplinary approach with other practitioners. Maybe with some new advanced education and coaching, you would see the problem in whole different way.

The point is, if you start from a place of loving the problem – rather than loving your arsenal of solutions – you are starting from a pure place and are more likely to arrive at a good solution.