I'm looking for the answer. The solution that will solve my problem or allow me to reach my objective.

Yet, despite good thinking and some experimentation, the answer seems as far away as before.

Ever experience this?

A clue to overcoming this situation is in our language, which reveals our thinking. Look again at what I wrote: "I'm looking for the answer. The solution that will solve my problem…"

Do you see it? It's there three times.

...the answer, ...the solution, ...my problem.

Let me change the language a bit to emphasize: 1 answer, 1 solution, 1 problem.

We are losing from the beginning by assuming our challenge has one cause and one solution. Most problems have many different influences, thus many different aspects, thus many different problems to solve. The same goes for answers and solutions. There's rarely a single answer. Often many would work to move us forward, each in their own way.

To make progress, we often need to address many different answers to the many different aspects of the problem. This is as true in ministry as anywhere. A struggling team, a stalled initiative, a conflict that won't resolve. All these rarely have one cause or one fix.

When coaching, this insight changes how you ask questions. Pluralizing the language opens the coachee's thinking beyond the single solution they've been chasing:

• "What are the key elements of this problem?” 

• "What are a couple of ways to approach this?” 

• "What answers are you coming to as we talk?"

Looking for the answer is a losing proposition. Look for answers to the many aspects of the problem.

Grace & Peace, 

Keith Webb