The Fastest Way To Eliminate A Problem
How A Single Simple Truth Can Change A Lot
Over the course of my career I've had the pleasure of bringing to life dozens of TV commercials as part of a slew of different ad campaigns for a variety of colleges and universities.
Along the way, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to travel the country, shooting in over 35 states with several hundred different crew members.
It was during some of my earliest shoots at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) that I relied heavily on Hank, our Executive Producer, to not just guide our productions, but guide me as I worked with our team to bring our collective vision to life.
Hank got his start as a production assistant, working his way up to become one of MTV's top music video producers. He shot with the likes of Aerosmith, Guns & Roses, Nine Inch Nails, and Marky Mark. He produced films that have premiered at Sundance and he dabbled in television, producing pilots for networks like ABC, NBC and TNT, all in hopes of bring a new series back to his hometown of Boston.
Ultimately, Hank settled down into the stability of commercial work, owning and operating his own Boston-based production company, which is where I met him in 2011, when I moved from LA to New Hampshire to join up with SNHU.
Hank’s Simple Solution To Solving Problems
Hank was so mellow it was maddening. On our productions, we dealt with bad weather, bus breakdowns, and flight delays; bad food, sick crew, and just about anything else you could imagine.
But along the way, Hank never lost his cool. And it was on one such occasion when everything that could go wrong had that I asked him how he dealt with all these problems. And he said:
"If you can solve a problem in 15 minutes, it's not a problem. It's simply an inconvenience."
And the truth is, Hank was right. While we dealt with tons of issues on set, so many were quick fires with quick solutions. And if these really were issues we could quickly address, were they really actually issues at all?
That little gem has been one that has worked wonders for me, on set and off. Because I realized that more often than not, I was spending more time worrying about a problem than I was actually solving it.
And while it's by no means absolute, the reality often is…
The fastest way to eliminate a problem is to realize you might not actually have one
Now this isn't to say there aren't big, elephant-sized problems out there, because there are. But it's important to realize that if we're not careful, sometimes those little inconveniences can lead to some elephant-sized stress.
Conclusion
So the next time you're faced with a problem, ask yourself how long it will take you to solve. If all it'll take is 15 minutes, perhaps it's not a problem at all.
Because as Hank likes to say…
If you can solve a problem in 15 minutes, it's not a problem. It's simply an inconvenience.
About The Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.
You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.
Great article and reminder from Hank's perspective.
Depending on the problem if you want your "glass half full" you can regularly spin it as an opportunity.
I just got in a car wreck and destroyed my car. Well maybe I wanted to try a different car?
You get laid off from a job. Is there possibly something else that you would rather do more?
You hit a roadblock at work. Maybe there is a better way to do this that doesn't run into that barrier?
It could be as simple as perspective. Maybe you just gave me an idea for a new post. :)