The “Smart Loves Problems” TV Ad — But What Does Fear Do to Smart?

3
0

This ad caught my attention while watching a little bit of Monday Night Football this week.

It's an IBM ad titled “Smart Loves Problems.”


The ad's voiceover says, in part:

“Problems. It's human nature to hate problems. But why is that? After all, problems inspire us to mend things, end things, make things better. To rewrite the rule books, the history books. And future books.

Problems even got us to the Moon and back, on one tank of gas. And who knows where they'll take us next?”

It's thought provoking… but I'm not sure I agree with all of it.

It might be true that “smart loves problems,” but it might also be said that “brave loves problems” or “fear makes smart hate problems.”

In my experience, it's not” human nature” to hate problems. I think it is human nature to hate how others respond to problems.

People hate being blamed for systemic problems that aren't their fault. People hate being yelled at for problems. People hate being “empowered” to solve problems that are out of their control.

As I quoted John Dyer, from our upcoming podcast, the other day:

“Fear causes good people to do stupid things.”

John Dyer

I agree that problems “inspire us” to “make things better.” That is, if the culture of the organization doesn't make them hate problems.

There are many problems worth solving in healthcare, such as the patient safety crisis — a crisis that's been a crisis forever, it seems. People in healthcare are driven to solve those problems — if their organization will let them solve them, which starts with being able to admit they exist.

As the famous Toyota expression goes, “No problems is a problem.”

Problems are a fact. How we react to them is a choice. And that choice is influenced by our environment…


What do you think? Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Or please share the post with your thoughts on LinkedIn – and follow me or connect with me there.

Did you like this post? Make sure you don't miss a post or podcast — Subscribe to get notified about posts via email daily or weekly.


Check out my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation:

Get New Posts Sent To You

Select list(s):
Previous articlePodcast #348 — Cinnamon Dixon, Tiered Huddles at Cleveland Clinic
Next articlePodcast #349 — John Dyer, “The Facade of Excellence”
Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker, and podcaster with experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. Mark's new book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation. He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.