Option Solving Blog

A friend in our apartment building was recently thinking aloud about the bedroom left empty by a son who had moved away for his first career position. He already had another vacant room from another son who was away at college, so that could be used for visitors. So your editor introduced him to the idea of option solving to figure out an optimum solution. He liked the idea, so we set aside some devoted time to clarify his issue.

After some time explaining the option solving approach and benefits, we set about framing an appropriate rational question: which turned out to be: “What is our best option for renting room at home: considering 1) have to do under the building radar, 2) not waste space in cash-hungry city, 3) current casual tenant moving out, and 4) extra income is welcome?” We came up with other considerations, but he felt it was best to stick with the four listed, without overly complicating his decision approach.

Now I invited him to produce two “bookend” choices to function as his yin and yang extreme possibilities. These would facilitate his intuitive mind to focus on his most realistic set of options. The bookends he selected were: “Not rent room” and “Sell-off extra room,” both of which he felt were least likely possibilities. Since our intuitive minds can so easily be distracted, bookends help keep them focused and on track – see our Latest Worked Example.

He now had to produce at least five realistic options to stretch his thinking as much as possible – you will see he produced six.  Look at our Latest Example and you will see those six options, one of those proposed was: “Option F – Departing casual renter – pay as he goes.”

With his “pictogram” now in place, indicating all six options, it was now time for him to engage in some emotional distancing. Emotional distancing would allow his intuitive mind to sub-consciously ponder these six options, now they were all in place, while he purposely moved on to other things. It will also enable him to be more objective when he returned to this pictogram to make his optimum choice.

He was going to sleep on his options overnight and make his choice as soon as he awoke. Once he made that choice, it would be important for him to stick with it and create an associated action initiative, while it is still fresh in his mind. Which option would you have chosen, if you were in his shoes?

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.  Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting will be in two weeks time: “What is our best collaboration option?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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