Option Solving Blog

A positive business relationship started building with another experienced executive from a related field and he approached me about exploring the possibility of a partnership. This prompted me to consider some of our options for starting some sort of joint venture before meeting with him.
I immediately started formulating an appropriate question: “What is our best option, as two prospective business partners, to forge a working relationship; considering we’re still getting to know each other, both have related people oriented business experience, both have wide organizational experiences, both have worked for consulting firms, and both have a good feel for the related marketplace?” There were more considerations but stopped at around 50% of the most vital ones…take a look at our Latest Example.
I then set-about producing two framing yin and yang “bookends.” These were the least likely options. They were, “Don’t consider the partnership” and “Form a limited company from the outset.” Our Latest Example shows why these two bookend options were the least workable ones.
With my question and bookends in place, I had to come-up with at least five alternative, practical options I produced six because I wanted to give him the option of coming up with other possibilities. That way he would have greater buy-in to the option solving approach and the outcome.
You can see that one of my options was “Option C – Start with a Simple Success Strategy.” A success strategy is based upon three interlinking components that will drive an organization to near term success; those being Compelling Vision and associated Strategies; the required People Power; and the necessary Effective Leadership…You can always contact Leadership Solutions, through its Website http://www.ileadershipsolutions.com for further insights on this approach.
In our next blog in 2 weeks time, we will complete the pictogram after my likely partner has been involved.
If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “Next step in best option for two potential business partners to start their working relationship?” 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.”)

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A close friend had inherited a house in Florida. The friend lives in the North East, 1400 miles away. The friend’s relative had a live-in housekeeper and her male companion for many years who were very reluctant to vacate the property. That housekeeper had encouraged one of her adult children and his family to rent the house, until our friend-inheritor decided what to do with it. That relative-tenant is already experiencing financial difficulty and has failed to meet the past month’s rent, even though it was very reasonable for the area.

This new owner is too far away to keep an eye on the property, in case the embarrassed tenant starts to misbehave. Also, there appeared to be difficulties developing between the tenant and his family, and the long-time, live-in housekeeper and her companion. Additional bad vibes seemed to be brewing all around  the situation. Hence, the new owner found themselves in a difficult spot.

We introduced the new owner to option solving and encouraged that person to put together an appropriate question with due considerations. The following question is what surfaced: “ What is likely to be a friend’s best option for evicting some non-paying tenants: considering that a live-in person is relative of tenant, tenant has stopped paying rent for 1 month, owner is not able to watch the property, live-in relative has deteriorating relationship with tenant, and that bad vibes are developing all-around?” These considerations were around 50% of the likely list, but were the most vital ones…take a look at our latest example.

It was now necessary for our friend to create two framing yin and yang “bookends;” so as to help along our friend’s creative intuition to find the most likely option. The ‘bookends’ our friend came up with were, “Throw them out immediately ” and “Draw up more favorable lease .” Our Latest Example shows why these two bookend options were the least workable ones.

With our friend’s question and bookends in place,  it was now time to challenge that friend to produce at least five alternative, practical options  In this case, our friend produced six. Then we suggested that our friend sleep on these options, owing to the importance of the decision:

They were advised to look at the created pictogram immediately before going to sleep and then revisit it first thing in the morning; allowing their intuition to ruminate over the options during the night.  Such an approach would be making good use of emotional distancing and its benefits to decision making.

We recommended that once our friend’s mind had made a choice they should immediately start putting together an action initiative to pursue their choice, while all the issues were still fresh in mind. It would also show confidence in their intuition and well thought out instincts.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.  Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “The best option for two potential business partners to start their working relationship?” 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.”)

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Having already gone through the option solving exercise, it is now easier for proponents to map out the sub-options connected to their earlier chosen Option. In this case I was working with Option E: “Settle on a key resolution, based upon my intuition, and then set out a serious game plan to fulfill.”
In the case of any participants, they will quickly set into formulating an optimal question with its due considerations. It could come out as: “What is likely to be my best Peel the Onion options for the New Year, based upon Option E – “Settle on a key resolution based upon my intuition”: considering that it’s not easy to stick with them; it’s not easy to come up with the right sub-options; and after so much traditional, rational thinking to be comfortable relying on ones intuition, at all?” They just selected the roughly 50% of considerations that were of the greatest importance…see this in our latest example.
Having got this far, they now created two framing yin and yang “bookends;” so as to assist their creative intuition find the most plausible option. The ‘bookends’ were, “Jump at first thing that comes to mind ” and “Go for a full rational analysis at the outset ,”… as shown in our Latest Example. It also shows why these two bookend options were the least favorable ones.
With my question and bookends in place once again, I was now challenged to produce at least five alternative, more practical options In this case, I produced six, although I didn’t show my true responses owing to the range of possibilities. For that reason I didn’t proclaim their choice of one particular option, in this week’s example..
Now these six were in place, I was ready to pursue some emotional distancing for about 30 minutes. I went off and chatted about something quite unrelated before returning to review my pictogram and made a spontaneous choice. Once done, I immediately used this choice to devise an action initiative while all the options and issues were still fresh in my minds. Now I had determined my New Year’s Resolution, for better or worse.
If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “Our best option for evicting a non-paying tenant?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger.)

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It’s that time of year, again, for everyone to be thinking or talking about their New Year’s Resolution. There are all sorts of myths and stories about this activity, which either add value to the event or disparage it as a waste of time depending on who you listen to. Nevertheless, I will share with you my approach, using option solving, that you can either emulate or use your own approach.
In true option solving fashion, I formulate an optimal question with its due considerations. This worked out to be: “What are likely to be my best resolution options for the New Year, considering it’s not easy to stick with them, it’s not easy to come up with one or two that will have the most beneficial impact, and they might lead into bigger scenarios that I can handle?” There were two or three more considerations, but I just selected the roughly 50% that were of the greatest importance…see this in our latest example.
Having produced this, I now created two framing yin and yang “bookends;” so as to assist my more creative intuition find the most plausible options. The ‘bookends’ turned out to be, “Not bother with any resolutions at all” and “Help everyone else with their resolutions,”… as shown, again, in our Latest Example. It will also indicate why these two bookend options didn’t make the most sense.
With the question and the bookends in place, I was in my most productive state to produce at least five alternative, more practical options My intuition couldn’t wait to set work on these because it was so bothered by the less and plausible bookends My five ultimate possibilities are in our latest example and at random I will share one: “Develop 4-5 resolution options and then sleep on them to produce one” – Option C. I’ve added another ellipse (F) in case you wish to include an option of your own.
Now these five options were in place, I decided to sleep on all of them to create some emotional distancing. However, I decided to “Peel the Onion” instead of working out “Next Steps” the following morning because I wanted to see how things might look with another iteration. Later that second day I did just that and I will share that with you in the next blog session in 2 weeks.
If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area. Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “Peel the onion: My best resolution options for the New Year?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger.)

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One of our friends was discussing her daughter’s college options the other day. Things had not been going well for some time and she was really quite upset about her daughter’s college prospects. We began to explore her daughter’s options and, as she became more interested in a more objective approach, she was ready to explore the idea of option solving.
Once she became familiar with the approach, she participated in mapping out an initial, rational question. Her ultimate question, with its related considerations, ended up as: “What is the best option for our friend’s daughter for getting back on her feet and finishing her degree; considering that she’s just had some sort of breakdown, has developed some unhelpful habits, tends not to keep her commitments, and it’s important she gets a degree relative to her career aspirations?” We’re sure you can imagine there were other considerations, but these represented the most significant ones. Such considerations would play an important part in shaping our friend’s intuitive judgment, and ultimately that of her daughter, too, when the time came for her to make a solid decision.
Now our friend proceeded to come up with two “bookends,” which would function both as extreme, unlikely markers and prompt her creative thinking. After some due deliberation her bookends came out as, at one end “Take her to task and challenge her to get a hold of herself ,” as the Yin, while the Yang at the other end was: “Give her everything she needs to move forward .” She has indicated why these were both highly unlikely in our Latest Example. Once she had her bookends in place, it set her intuitive mind churning to come up with other realistic choices.
With this in place, she now had to devise at least five options; so as to pull out the most feasible possibilities. In fact we left room for six, one for her daughter to propose, if she came up with an additional one (or maybe more). One of the six, turned out to be: “Help her set-up a daily/weekly framework to give her a new platform to build upon”…Option C. Her four other considered options are again shared by clicking on our Latest Example tab… click on the tab and view for yourself.
Our friend’s pictogram was now complete, and awaited her daughter’s input. Our friend was primed to share it with her daughter at the first opportunity. When this occurred, she was encouraged to allow her daughter some time for emotional distancing to make an optimum decision. She should get her daughter to put the pictogram out of sight for a while and focus on something else, while her intuitive senses absorbed and worked through her different options (including her own, if that /they, was/were injected into the picture).
Since it was such a momentous decision for her daughter, I suggested that she get her daughter to sleep on it. She should review the pictogram before she went to sleep and immediately she awoke. Whatever her intuition rested-on would be her likely best option.
Once she made her choice, she should be encouraged to develop her most likely game plan immediately while still fresh in her mind. What choice would you have made, if you were in her daughter’s shoes?
If you have an option solving example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.
Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “What is my best New Year’s resolution option?” – It’s that time of year again. Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger.)

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Year end and life’s journey is a natural place to be thinking about the next step in ones career and with ones business. After a slow return to business as usual and rethinking fresh approaches to move Leadership Solution’s (LSI) paradigm forward, it has become more clear that LSI’s approach toward Enlightened Leadership is likely to have more appeal among the younger generations than current mainstream executives. This also implies a younger generation person to promote the concept among younger generations.
Being well-versed in the option solving approach, it didn’t take long to start generating a likely question to pose to my intuitive mind for consideration when the time came. My question came out as: “What would be my best future option; considering it probably needs a younger person to take the helm, it is poised with fresh thinking and capabilities, the market is still rather slow, and its know-how should not be lost?” As you can imagine, there were other considerations, but these were the most significant ones. These considerations would play an important part in shaping my intuitive judgment when the time came for a decision.
Within this context, I then set about producing two “bookends,” which would serve both as extreme, unlikely markers and prompts for my creative thinking. My bookends came out as, at one end “Cease to operate,” as the Yin, while the Yang at the other end was: “Seek a conventional buyer.” Why these were both unacceptable can be found in our in our Latest Example. Once I had these bookends in place, my intuitive mind started racing to come up with other more likely, realistic options.
From there I set out to produce at least five options; so as to plumb the best thinking out of my mental senses and dig-up every reasonable possibility. One of the five, although not the one I ultimately chose, turned out to be: “Expand current alliance partners”…Option D. My four other considered options are again shared in our Latest Example tab… click on the tab and view for yourself.
Now that my pictogram was complete, since our intuitive mind prefers to interpret pictures, I was primed for emotional distancing to make an optimum decision. This meant putting the pictogram out of sight for a while and focus on something else, while my intuitive senses absorbed and worked through my options… relative to my life’s experience base. Since it was such a momentous decision, I decided to sleep on it and review the pictogram before I went to sleep and immediately I awoke. Whatever my intuition led me to would be my likely best option.
I did subsequently make my choice and now I’m beginning to work that through.
In fact, I more-or-less immediately drew up an action initiative, while the whole matter was still fresh in my mind, and that initiative is now before me. What choice would you have made, if you were in my shoes?
If you have an option solving example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.
Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “What is the best option for a friend’s daughter?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger.)

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In our last blog we reviewed an international board’s strategic options, as it tries to create a more balanced approach to its meeting and operating activities. To this end, it decided to consider its options for discussing and implementing its operational issues.
Now that the Board is already familiar with the option solving approach, it readily developed a rational question to challenge their intuitive decision making powers. This turned out to be: “What is the right alternative for our Board to pursue its operational activities; considering there are different operational ideas on the Board, we are not entirely sure about our current approach, some Members find operational issues less interesting than strategic ones, and the need to be time-efficient with operational meetings?” Other considerations were brought up, but these were the most relevant ones. Such considerations play an important role in enabling our intuitive judgment to gain a full perspective of the decision situation.
Board members were then challenged to determine two bookends that would set unlikely limits and tease their intuitive minds to come up with more appropriate and likely options. These bookends turned out to be, at one end “Start from scratch again,” as the Yin, while the Yang at the other end was: “Have more frequent meetings that focus on a limited number of operational issues.” The reasons why these two extreme options proved unacceptable are to be found in our in our Latest Example. Once their bookends were in place, the intuitive minds of the Board members were already evaluating other likely, realistic options.
At this point, members were again invited to produce at least five options; so as to stretch their creative, intuitive senses to look at every reasonable possibility. One of the five, although not necessarily the one members ultimately chose, was: “Continue with current strict agenda and minutes approach “…Option B. The four other considered options are shown under our Latest Example tab… click on the tab and see for yourself.
With their completed pictogram now in place, since our intuitive mind prefers to interpret pictures, this Board was now ready for emotional distancing to aid their decision making. They put the pictogram away and then members discussed some other matters for the next hour or so. At that point, they reconvened to quickly refresh their minds with the pictogram and then make an intuitive choice.
They made their choices by confidential “paper ballot” to avoid a herd mentality, rush to judgment. Once a majority choice was made, they determined a related action initiative immediately, while all the issues were much to the top of their
minds.. What choice would you have made, if in their shoes?
If you have an option solving example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.
Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “What is the next best step for my firm?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger.)

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Somewhat recent discussions with an international Board prompted consider-ation of the various options they had for pursuing their strategic activities. Conventional wisdom will usually lead executive teams to pursue a strategic plan, which certainly has its merits relative to other more seat-of-the-pants approaches toward leading an enterprise forward.
However, strategic planning has its drawbacks like anything else, including being an oxymoron -since you cannot analyse and synthesize simultaneously – and its SWOT approach at the outset considerably reduces the possibility of involvement and producing a compelling vision. Hence other more vision oriented approaches are emerging, like strategic framing, transformational strategizing, or even “Dream, Focus, Commit, Act.”
These possibilities create new opportunities for Boards or executive teams to utilize an alternative, more leading-edge approach toward their strategic contem-plations. For those Boards already familiar with the option solving approach, they will be ready to devise a rationally based question to pose to their intuitive decision making powers. In this case, this particular Board’s question for consideration came to be: “What is the right alternative for our Board to pursue its strategic activities; considering there are difference strategic experience levels on the Board, we already have a strategic plan in play, there are fundamental differences between planning and framing, and we seek to have Board members fully engaged in our strategy?” Other important considerations were noted, but these seemed to be the most relevant. They will do their job of helping their intuitive judgment to put things into full perspective.
Board members were then challenged to determine two bookends that would set unlikely limits and tease their intuitive minds to come up with more appropriate and likely options. These bookends turned out to be, at one end “Use an Ad Hoc, seat of the pants approach to strategy,” as the Yin, while the Yang at the other end was: “Members attend 2-3 day strategic workshop at top business school to decide.” You will find the reasons why these two extreme options proved unacceptable in our Latest Example. With these bookends in place, the intuitive minds of the Board members were already churning over likely, realistic options.
At this point, members were invited to produce at least five options; so as to stretch their creative, intuitive senses to look at every reasonable possibility. One of the five, although not necessarily the one members ultimately chose, was: “Produce a Transformational Strategy – starting with Competence-Capability analogies “…Option D. The four other considered options are shown under our Latest Example tab… click on the tab and take a look.
Now a complete pictogram is in place, since our intuitive mind prefers to interpret pictures. The Board was now presented the opportunity to allow emotional distancing to aid their decision making. This is where they would put the pictogram out of sight and allow members to pursue some other agenda items for a while. At some agreed point, from 10-15 minutes onward, giving their intuitive thoughts chance to subconsciously review their internalized pictogram, they reconvened to quickly refresh their minds and then make an intuitive choice.
Individual choices were made confidentially, by “paper ballot,” to avoid a herd mentality rush to judgment. There was a majority choice, although, in the case of close calls, discussion around the choices should be made, and then a fresh poll can be taken…again confidentially. Chances are a more clear majority will emerge. What choice would you have made, if you were in their shoes?
Once that choice was made, they determined a related action initiative immediately, while all the issues were much to the top of their minds..
If you have an option solving example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.
Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting in 2 weeks: “What is our best option for pursuing Board Operational activities?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger.)

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