How Many “Ands” In Your Life?

© Michael Wynne 2010

I recently came across a quote that has been around for centuries, yet it still has the power to make you think; here it is”

You think that because you understand “One” that you must therefore understand “Two” because one and one make two.  But you forget that you must also understand “And”.       Sufi Teaching Story.

There are many ways of interpreting this quote.  It could refer to so many of the assumptions we make in life where we think we know the next thing because we already know the first. 

As a management consultant with over 30 years experience, I often see where an expert in one area of business such as manufacturing, or finance, or technology, or human resources, or marketing is promoted to the position of CEO of a company. Usually, this person has a record of excellence in an important area of expertise; therefore, it is assumed that he or she has the ability to run the entire business. 

Naturally, the new CEO starts out by bringing important changes in his or her area of expertise, “And” then begins to tackle problems in the other areas of business applying many of the approaches that were a source of excellence earlier. Surprisingly, or maybe not, this “And” can be totally mystifying to the new CEO, and serious mistakes can happen. 

Because you understand one thing does not mean you understand the ones that follow.  For example, you know what a rose looks like – or do you?  Have you ever tried to draw one from memory?  Or, when you graduated from high school did you know what college would be like?  Or, after a lovely romantic relationship, did you know what marriage would be like?

Because you have experienced a problem before and solved it, does that mean that the same solution will work with what looks like the same problem – but may not be?  I frequently hear about companies where clients ordered a part or a product because it worked before on what looked like the same problem, “And” then complain that the product was defective because it didn’t work.

How many “Ands” do you have in life?  How many in business?

Be cautious when you quickly assume that you have the solution to a problem; there will always be “Ands”.  That’s why they say:

“Every little problem hides a big one inside.”

By the way, in case you are wondering, Sufi is an ancient Moslem school of philosophical and devotional mysticism. (You never know where your next lesson in wisdom is going to come from.)

If you run into an “AND” that mystifies you, or you are not sure you have  defined the problem correctly, it might be better to not make any decisions, that is, any decisions other than picking up the phone and dialing 630 420 2605, or e-mail Michael Wynne at mykwyn@aol.com for some creative problem solving assistance.  Remember:

There is no right solution for the wrong problem.