The Influential Nonprofit Episode 44: The presenting problem and the actual problem
People sometimes don’t know what they really want, so the best thing to do before executing a plan is to figure out what people really want to happen.
The first problem is what you know and admit to, the second is what you know but don’t admit to and the third problem is the problem that you don’t know and don’t admit to. The third is often called a blindspot.
Don’t directly call people out on their blindspot, they would need to be guided into a deeper understanding of it or else they will shut down.
The best way to solve the third problem is to guide someone into seeing that problem and encouraging them to come up with a solution on their own.
“What they say they want and what they actually want are two different things.”
“The presenting problem is typically not the actual problem, there’s something going on deeper”
“Your job is not to walk around, solving everybody’s problems, your job is to understand what the true issue is, what that third problem is - not call them out on it, but help them reveal to themselves a greater understanding of self. ”