Option Solving Blog

A nasty war with no satisfactory solution in sight. Israel has vowed to demolish Hamas so that it cannot repeat the trigger event on October 7^th. The world so far seems to be siding with the Palestinians, who are the in the middle of a vicious battle where many lives will be lost. Many demonstrations are occurring across the world, although primarily on the side of the Palestinians. The US has pledged to give whatever reasonable support to Israel that it can both politically and militarily. Meanwhile the scenario is like a tinder box, since it could easily erupt into WWIII. Russia and China are giving Iran all the encouragement it needs to foment all its proxies in the region to attack small American bases in the area. China is likely hoping the US will become fully committed in the Middle East thereby possibly giving it an opening to potentially invade Taiwan. Russia is hoping this war will distract US and Allied efforts in Ukraine.

So this author decided to examine the options Israel has to resolve this tough situation. He came up with the following question to bring some objectivity to the situation: “What is the likely optimum solution to the Israeli-Hamas war; considering 1) Israel’s heightened level of rage, 2) world and Arab support of Palestinians, 3) Israel’s determination to crush Hamas forever, 4) need to recover 200+ Israeli/Western hostages alive, and 5) Allied pressure on Israel to be wise for longer term solutions?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these five considerations to reduce complexity in your editor’s eventual suggestion, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

He then set about producing yin and yang “bookends,”as posed by this question, to keep his mind focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

These came to be: “Let events play their natural course” – Questionable success – too much anger in support of Palestinians;and “Western allies push Israel out of Gaza” – Strong reluctance to do so  You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely sub-options, which shows why they are not particularly good ideas for consideration. Even so, these revised bookends will now hopefully nudge this editor’s intuitive thinking into high gear once more to come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Option Example.

He then set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic options – A thru E or F – that would then be ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow him to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/ suggestion. You can replace these proposed options with any new ones of your own.

His final six options look quite interesting and he was particularly intrigued by – Option B: Israel besiege Hamas forces, negotiate hostages release, minimize collateral deaths – immediately followed by Option E: Israel withdraw the moment UN or United Arab administration installed. He should then offer these options to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It would only likely work against the PM to second-guess himself once his initial decision was made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “Peel the Onion: What is the optimum solution to the Hamas-Israeli War?”Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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In fact, this author has already received input from a development editor (DE) regarding book chapter format. He has now to do the same with the book intro and proposal format; the latter with a view to securing an alternative literary agent. Consequently, he can proceed to secure DE’s input on his current book intro, when she is ready, and then decide on optimum book proposal for her to endorse.

Consequently, he came up with the following sub-question to help him along: “Peeling the Onion: What is this author’s current optimum way forward toward book publishing – Option C-Work with development editor to decide chapter and book Intro format; considering 1) need to secure publisher, 2) challenges funding the publication, 3) need to settle on book intro format, and 4) need to continue building “followers/likely buyers?”Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in your editor’s eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

He then set about producing his yin and yang “sub-bookends,”as posed by this revised question, to keep his mind focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

These came to be: “Start from scratch to produce own book proposal” – Questionable success;and “Ask Development Editor to produce book proposal” – Needs educating on current manuscript –Expense (?). You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely sub-options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these revised bookends will now hopefully nudge this editor’s intuitive thinking into high gear once more to come-up with a range of realistic sub-options – see ourLatest Worked Option Example.

He then set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic sub-options – AA thru FF – that would then be ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow him to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/ decision. You can replace these proposed sub-options with any new ones of your own.

His final six sub-options look quite interesting and he was particularly intrigued by – Option DD: Ask development editor for an example as template. He should then stick with whatever choice his intuitive mind arrives at. It would only likely work against him to second-guess himself once his initial decision was made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “What is a likely solution to the Hamas-Israeli war?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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As this author figures out the best way forward to get his important leadership book published, he naturally turns to option solving to arrive at an optimum decision. When you are not immediately surrounded by people steeped in the publishing industry, option solving is the next best thing along with networking and researching as much as possible.

Consequently, he came up with the following question to help him along: “What is this author’s current optimum way forward toward book publishing; considering 1) need to secure a publisher, 2) challenges funding the publication, 3) need to settle on manuscript format, and 4) need to continue building ‘followers-likely buyers’?”Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in your editor’s eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

He then set about producing his yin and yang “bookends,”as posed by initial question, to keep his mind focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

These came to be: “Play by ear as opportunity presents itself” – Questionable success;and “Secure bank/venture financing” – Need wealthy backer to secure loan. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these same bookends will now hopefully nudge this editor’s intuitive thinking into high gear once more and come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Option Example.

He then set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic options – A thru F – that would then be ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow him to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/decision. You can replace these proposed options with any new ones of your own.

His final six options look quite interesting and he was particularly intrigued by – Work with a development editor to decide chapter and book intro format. He should then stick with whatever choice his intuitive mind arrives at. It would only likely work against him to second-guess himself once his initial decision was made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “Peeling the Onion: What is this author’s current optimum way forward toward book publishing?”  Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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As Ukraine continues to press its attacks, it needs to constantly examine ways to adjust its strategy to make additional progress; hence the need to consider sub-options toward making further advances.

Consequently, we can suggest Ukraine’s leader team pose the following enhanced question: “Peel the Onion: What is Ukraine’s best option right now – Option  B – Ukraine persist with current ground offensive w/adjustments, closely followed by Option D– Drone attacks; considering 1) Russian forces are well dug in, 2) both sides are taking heavy casualties, 3) Russia counting on West to push Ukraine to settlement, and 4) Ukraine lacks air-power to support ground offensive?”Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in Ukraine’s eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

Ukraine’s leaders agreed to utilize the same yin and yang “bookends,”as posed by initial question to keep their minds focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

These are: “Ukraine wear down Russian resistance over time” – Unlikely while Putin’s in power;and “Ukraine to surrender country to Russia” – Politically unacceptable to Ukrainians or NATO. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these same bookends will now hopefully nudge Ukrainian leaders’ intuitive thinking once more into high gear and come-up with a range of realistic sub-options – see ourLatest Worked Sub-Option Example.

Ukrainian leaders now set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic sub-options – AA thru FF – that would then be ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow them to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/decision. You can replace these proposed sub-options with any new ones of your own.

Their final six sub-options looked quite interesting and they were particularly intrigued by – Option BB: Utilize fresh technologies to neutralize minefields. They did then pursue emotional distancing again with your editor’s advice that, once they revisited their sub-options, they should stick with whatever choice their intuitive minds arrived at. It would only likely work against them to second-guess themselves once their initial decision was made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “What is this author’s current optimum way forward toward book publishing?”  Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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We’ve all been focused on Ukraine’s war efforts against Russian invasion forces recently. With its new ground offensive underway and with incremental progress, it seems appropriate to consider its current options. In light of its current circumstances, its options are limited although need to be explored anyway.

Based upon public knowledge, we can suggest Ukraine’s leader team pose the following question: “What is Ukraine’s best option right now; considering 1) Russian forces are well dug in, 2) both sides are taking heavy casualties, 3) Russia is counting on West to push Ukraine to settlement, and 4) Ukraine lacks air-power to support ground offensive?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in Ukraine’s eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

Ukraine’s leaders agreed to pursue the following yin and yang “bookends,”as these help to keep their minds focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

Their “bookends” could be: “Ukraine wear down Russian resistance over time” – Unlikely while Putin’s in power;and “Ukraine to surrender country to Russia” – Politically unacceptable to Ukrainians or NATO. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these same bookends will now hopefully nudge Ukrainian leaders’ intuitive thinking once more into high gear and come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Sub-Option Example.

Ukrainian leaders now set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic sub-options – A thru F – that would then be ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow them to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/decision. You can replace these proposed options with any new ones of your own.

Their ultimate six options looked especially interesting and they were particularly intrigued by – Option D: Ukraine step-up selective drone attacks on Russian forces, naval ships and Moscow. They did then pursue emotional distancing again with your editor’s advice that, once they revisited their options, they should stick with whatever choice their intuitive mind arrived at. It would only likely work against them to second-guess themselves once their initial decision was made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com . Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “Peel the Onion: What is Ukraine’s best option right now?”  Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com . Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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Your editor’s friend decided on Option B: To mail a regret note. So, with tongue in cheek, that’s exactly what he did in short order. The question was: Would he get a response? With that indeterminate situation, your editor advised his friend to Peel the Onion and consider his sub-options.

His friend then contemplated his sub-options by posing the following interrelated question: “Peel the Onion: What could be a friend’s optimum way to neutralize a broken family friendship – Option B- Mail a regret note for an early lunch to reconcile; considering 1) been family friends for a number of years, 2) a desire to advise and help backfired, 3) shouted my friend out of his family friend’s life, and 4) offended friend’s personality unlikely open to permit reconcile-iation?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in his eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

His friend agreed to sustain the same fitting yin and yang “bookends,”as these help to keep people’s minds focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

Those “bookends” turned out to be: “Just wait for time to heal the emotional wound” – Haven’t got years to wait;and “Buy a very expensive gift as recompense” – Doesn’t have funds to meet the possibility. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these same bookends will now hopefully nudge his intuitive thinking once more into high gear and come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Sub-Option Example.

His friend now set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic sub-options – AA thru FF – that would then be ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow him to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/decision. You can replace these proposed options with any new ones of your own.

While these six sub-options looked especially interesting, his friend was particularly intrigued by – Sub-Option CC: No response – ask his wife to reach out to husband-relative. He did then pursue emotional distancing again with your editor’s advice that, once he revisited his sub-options, he should stick with whatever choice his intuitive mind arrived at. It would only likely work against him to second-guess himself once his initial decision was been made…no matter the challenges ahead.

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

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A friend of your editor recently mentioned the story of how a long family friendship was summararily broken when he tried to offer advice on a particular personal situation. Over a less than 24 hour period after the initial advice was offered, his female family friend as good as shouted him out of her life. This was really the first significant altercation between them after many years with no real chance to address the situation. He wasn’t rude in any way, but obviously unintentionally offered offending advice.

Your editor then encouraged his friend to contemplate his options by posing the following question: “What could be a friend’s optimum way to neutralize a broken family friendship; considering 1) been family friends for a number of years, 2) a desire to advise and help backfired, 3) shouted my friend out of his family friend’s life, and 4) offended friend’s personality unlikely open to permit reconciliation?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in his eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

He agreed to sustain the same fitting yin and yang “bookends,”as these help to keep people’s minds focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

Those “bookends” turned out to be: “Just wait for time to heal the emotional wound” – Haven’t got years to wait;and “Buy a very expensive gift as recompense” – Doesn’t have funds to meet the possibility. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these bookends will now hopefully nudge his intuitive thinking into high gear and focus to come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Example.

From there, he now set-about coming up with at least five plus realistic options – A thru F – that were then ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow him to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/decision. You can replace these proposed options with any new ones of your own.

While these six options looked especially interesting, he was particularly intrigued by – Option B: Mail a regret note for an early lunch. He did pursue emotional distancing with your editor’s advice that, once he revisited his options, he should stick with whatever choice his intuitive mind arrived at. It would only likely work against him to second-guess himself once his initial decision has been made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com . Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “PO: What could be a friend’s optimum way to neutralize a broken family friendship?”  Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com . Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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A female acquaintance was sharing with this editor how she was frustrated with a service provider she had been working with for 3 plus years and was not living up to expectations…in fact had not really lived up to expectations all along. She was wondering what could be her optimum approach to start a dialog to either get improvements or end the relationship. So it was natural for your editor to introduce her to option solving.

He encouraged this acquaintance to formulate an appropriate option solving question: “What could be a person’s optimal course of action in dealing with a frustrating service provider; considering the two parties have 1) a binding contract between them, 2) been working together for 3+ years, 3) not been in contact for almost a year, and 4) responded to recent email and requested competent assistance?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in its eventual decision, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

Your editor then tutored her into producing the following fitting yin and yang “bookends,”as these help to keep people’s minds focused against other immediate mental distractions. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

Those “bookends” turned out to be: “Just sit and wait for time to resolve the situation” – Haven’t got years to wait;and “Pay him off” – She doesn’t have funds to pay him off and he doesn’t deserve that. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not a particularly good idea for consideration. Even so, these bookends will now hopefully nudge her intuitive thinking into high gear and focus to come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Example.

From there, she now set-about coming up with at least five realistic options, which turned out to be six  – A thru F – that were then ready for some emotional distancing, Emotional distancing would allow her to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion/decision. You can replace these proposed options with any new ones of your own.

While these six options looked especially interesting, she was particularly intrigued by – Option A: Send follow-up email/ letter to challenge provider to respond to recent reply. She did pursue emotional distancing with your editor’s advice that, once she revisited his options, she should stick with whatever choice her intuitive mind arrived at. It would only likely work against her to second-guess herself once her initial decision had been made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com . Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time: “Peel the Onion: What is an individual’s best course of action against a service provider?”  Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com . Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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