{"id":35440,"date":"2025-03-20T15:51:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T14:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/?p=35440"},"modified":"2026-02-23T10:09:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:09:56","slug":"creative-thinking-turning-a-problem-into-a-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/blog\/posts\/creative-thinking-turning-a-problem-into-a-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Thinking: Turning a Problem into a Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00abIf a problem has a solution, why worry? And if it doesn't, why worry?\u00bb<\/em>, Japanese proverb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY LYDIA VIDAL. Hands up who doesn't have a problem... or two hundred. We might think that we all have them. However, one of the things that Executive Coaching teaches is to transform the way we work. problems in challenges<\/strong>\u2014in other words, to change what we see as \u201cunscalable walls\u201d into a series of actions we can work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaching, then, is about seeing as opportunity what we usually see (and feel) as an obstacle. To achieve this shift, coaching proposes modifying our perspective, our mindset, and above all, our language<\/strong>. (Which is to say, almost everything).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start by proposing the idea that a problem is not a problem... but rather, a problem is a judgment.<\/strong>That is, instead of thinking \u201cthere\u2019s no way out of this,\u201d we think that \u201cwe\u2019re the ones not seeing it.\u201d<\/strong> This way, we can create distance and realize it\u2019s not the \u201cthing\u201d that\u2019s stuck\u2014it\u2019s us, as observers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning about judgements, observers of reality and approaches are key and happen in a coaching process (concretely and individually) or on a large scale in the Executive Coaching Certification<\/a>. In this text, we do not intend to go into specific methodologies, but to give an overview of how to go from problem to challenge.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A problem is a story we tell ourselves<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The brain looks for patterns and constantly creates narratives to make sense of reality. What we interpret as a problem is a mental construct based on our experiences and beliefs. If we shift our perspective, the interpretation changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • \u00abMy team is not committed\u00bb: Is this a fact or a perception? What other way is there to look at it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    2. Watch out for victim language<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Language impacts the way we perceive reality and affects our emotional response and, therefore, our actions. Expressions like \u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d<\/em>, \u201cThis always happens,\u201d<\/em>, or \u201cThis is out of my hands\u201d<\/em> make us believe we\u2019re stuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • \u201cMy boss doesn\u2019t listen to me\u201d, from problem to challenge: <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u2192 \u201cHow can I communicate more effectively with my boss?\u201d <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • \u201cI don\u2019t have time\u201d, from problem to challenge: <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • \u2192 \u201cI need to organize myself better. What changes can I make?\u201d <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        3. Focus on what is in your hands<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        The brain is more efficient when it focuses on solutions and actions instead of the problem. Neuroscience also shows that focusing attention on what we can control reduces stress and improves decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • \u201cOur meetings are chaotic\u201d, from problem to challenge: <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        •  \u2192 \u201cWhat clear structure for meetings would I like to propose?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          4. Stop reacting and start responding<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Responsibility is the ability to respond<\/strong> consciously. When we act from reactivity, the autopilot takes over. But if we train ourselves to pause and choose our response\u2014activating the prefrontal cortex\u2014we not only make decisions, we make more strategic ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • \u201cThey don\u2019t take me into account\u201d, from problem to challenge: <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • \u2192 \u201cHow can I make myself more impactful?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            5. A challenge has a goal and direction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Problems generate a sense of being stuck, while challenges activate motivation and learning circuits\u2014energy and action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • \u201cMy team isn\u2019t aligned with the goals\u201d, from problem to challenge:<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • \u2192 \u201cI\u2019m going to design a clear strategy to align and motivate the team over the next 3 months.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              We can\u2019t avoid judging, but we can change the judgment <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              As our facilitators say in the Certification, \u201cwe are walking judgments.\u201d<\/strong>We go through life interpreting reality through our beliefs\u2014something natural and inevitable\u2014and that\u2019s okay. What we usually ignore is that by changing our interpretation (changing the judgment), we change the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              So when you feel or say you have a problem, ask yourself:\n\u201cWhat if what worries me wasn\u2019t a problem?\u201d\n\u201cWhat question could I ask myself to turn it into a challenge?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Bonus Tip: \"Everything that happens, happens in conversation\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              \u00abSi un problema tiene soluci\u00f3n \u00bfpara qu\u00e9 preocuparse? y si no lo tiene, \u00bfpara qu\u00e9 preocuparse?\u00bb, proverbio japon\u00e9s. POR LYDIA VIDAL. Que levante la mano quien no tenga un problema… o doscientos. Podr\u00edamos pensar que todos los tenemos. Sin embargo, una de las cosas que ense\u00f1a el Coaching Ejecutivo es a transformar problemas en retos, es decir, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":[652,687],"class_list":["post-35440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-post","tag-desarrollo-personal","tag-liderazgo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35440"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39023,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35440\/revisions\/39023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escuelacoaching.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}