Solution as a Problem (SaaP)
What Sherwin-Williams, the Royal Family, and your corporate client have in common
In the 1980s, the British Royal Family was struggling with popularity across the Commonwealth of Nations. Prince Charles married Lady Di in July 1981, and she became the most popular member of the Royal Family almost immediately. She also didn’t fit in — she didn’t follow protocols, she challenged authority, she did things no one had ever done before. The media loved this new Princess who looked more human, more real. The Royal Family was more popular than ever. Their response was to give her the silent treatment and make her life miserable. We know how it ended.
On Monday, November 22nd 2020, Sherwin-Williams, a major paint company, fired one of their retail employees, Tony, because they found out he kept a very popular social media account on TikTok showcasing Sherwin-Williams products. The account had millions of followers and Tony did it for fun. Sherwin-Williams gained nothing but popularity in a new platform with the account yet chose to remove the employee from their roster and kept things as they were before.
Now look at your business experience. How many times have you been, at work, presented with a problem, then came back with a solution, only to have it rejected? It’s a common practice, especially in large corporations. You couldn’t understand — the solution fit all the requirements and would solve all the issues they had, but they decided not to do it — many reasons were given, and they were, you know, excuses: budget, deadlines, staffing. The harsh reality is that they chose to maintain the problem.
People, and therefore businesses, are attached to a sense of security. That sense of security comes in different shapes and sizes. If a problem exists for a long time, despite being a problem, it also gives a sense of security. It becomes part of the comfort zone — it's become Problem as a Comfort (PaaC). And your Solution is, now, the problem — Solution as a Problem (SaaP). Your client doesn’t want a solution. Your client loves their problem, is emotionally attached to their problem, your client will do everything they can to keep their problem. Your Solution adds uncertainty, fear and a disturbance in the Force. Your Solution is Lady Di, is the TikTok guy. It’s Very Scary. They will fight the Solution, which has now become the real Problem.
Your position, in this situation, is to avoid turning your Solution into SaaP. Your position is to agree with them. Validate them. But sometimes, here and there, do yourself little bits of the Solution, just enough so that it sparks their curiosity. Make they crave it. Make them ask for more. And, bit by bit, they will themselves want more of the Solution. It, unfortunately, won’t happen fast, and sometimes doesn’t even change completely. But the compromise is a good start.
Compromising doesn’t mean you’ve lost. Means you’ve got a long process started. Compromise is the gateway drug (if you do it right). And with patience, can be the first step to finally make the Solution happen not as a Problem, but organically. It turns out, your job is not to find a Solution, is to help people leave the PaaC zone and shed their fears of SaaP. Your job is to make people figure out their Solutions themselves. Your job, turns out, is to show people the way. You are the Business Therapist, and that's how you change the world.
