In 1959, Henry Kramer offered the equivalent of $1.3M to the first person who could fly a plane around a specified course powered solely by the pilot’s body power. Teams spent years developing and testing prototypes only to have them destroyed in minutes or hours. Then it was back to the drawing board or repair shop for many more months
Paul McCready had a different perspective on the problem. “The problem is we don’t understand the problem.” He chose to focus on the process rather than the outcome. Instead of building an aircraft that wouldn’t be airworthy for months after being wrecked, he focused on creating an aircraft that could be rebuilt in hours, not months.
Within 6 months he flew his Gossamer Condor to win the prize because he focused on the right problem.
Recently, I was talking with a new client about being stuck. As she spoke she realized she had a problem that had kept her stuck for years. She had tried all kinds of tips and strategies and gotten all sorts of advice, but she still felt like she was just trying harder, doing more of the same and spinning her wheels.
It’s easy to focus on the wrong problem and stay stuck for longer than we need to. I’m grateful to my current coach for helping me figure out what my problem really was. Sure, I could’ve taken “massive action,” but adding more tools or speed won’t create lasting change if I’m solving the wrong problem.
Where are you stuck?
Where are you dealing with the same kind of problem over and over again?
Are you tired of nothing really changing?
Wondering if things could really be different?
You’re invited to complete this form and see if you’re ready to quit playing small and fill up the space you were meant to fill.
