I’ve written before (and podcasted) about using the ‘Problem to Possibility Tree’ exercise (originated, as far as I know, by Mac Odell) to help a problem-focused team move beyond problem analysis to look at desired outcomes, without them feeling they were having to pretend everything was wonderful, or sweeping problems under the carpet.
Recently I’ve started using it in one-to-one coaching as well, and I was glad to see it works just as well in that context. In this article I’ll lay out the basic format, and then consider why it works so well.
The basic idea is simple. We set out two images of trees, side by side. The left one is the ‘problem tree’.
We invite the client to label the trunk of the ‘problem tree’ with the name of the problem they are grappling with.
We then ask them to add all the symptoms of the problem as sticky labels in the leaves of the tree.
Finally for the problem section, we ask them to identify the causes of the problem as sticky labels on the roots of the tree.
Then we turn our attention to the tree on the right. This is the ‘possibility tree’.
We invite the client to label the trunk of this tree with the opposite of the problem – the name we would give to the situation when they have solved the problem completely.
What will be different when they have achieved this? We ask them to add all the signs of the solution as sticky notes in the leaves of this tree.
Finally, we ask them to identify what conditions will be in place that will enable the solution to happen, and ask them to place those as sticky notes on the roots of the tree.
Notes:
- If the client doesn’t have an overall name for the problem yet, they can add the symptoms and perhaps the causes first, and see if an overall ‘big picture’ emerges.
- For a longer-term perspective and to supply some additional motivation, they could add the future consequences of not dealing with the problem as ‘fruits’ on the problem tree, and the consequences of resolving it as fruits on the possibility tree.
- We position the ‘problem tree’ is on the left, and the ‘possibility tree’ on the right, because we want the client to feel like they’re moving from problem to solution. In Western culture at least, time traditionally moves from left to right when we think of it in diagrammatic form.
- For online coaching, we’d use a virtual whiteboard like the one built into Zoom. You can download free-to-use tree images like this one from pixabay.com.
The last time I guided a client through this exercise, he got some clarity on his presenting problem (financial uncertainty) and got clearer on his desired solution of financial security, and some ideas for steps he could take to get there (the example in the diagram above is used with the client’s permission).
How does this exercise work?
Coaching clients sometimes find it hard to look beyond their problems to where they want to get to. This is not surprising, given the human brain’s tendency to give more weight to problems and negatives than to opportunities and positives, with predictable morale-sapping effect.
If there are more than four or five aspects or symptoms of the problem, it can be hard to keep track of them all, especially if we don’t write them down or talk to someone who can help us identify what’s important.
So just identifying the different aspects of the problem, and classifying them as symptoms or causes on the ‘problem tree’ can help us get some distance from the overall problem, and make it easier to see if what we’ve noticed up to now are actually different parts of the same thing.
We could say the same for any method that gets us to write down our thoughts about an issue, rather than swirling about in our heads. But even if we do get everything pinned down on paper, it’s still possible to get trapped in ‘analysis paralysis’ if our attention is still focused on the problem.
The beauty of the ‘problem to opportunity tree’ exercise is that first we map out the problem (so we can’t accuse ourselves of ignoring it) but then we take the step that’s often omitted in conventional problem-solving – moving beyond just analysing the problem in order to fix it, to thinking about what we want instead of the problem and how to get there.
And of course, you could also use this exercise yourself to help you get unstuck from a problem or as a first step towards visioning or goal-setting.
Have you used this exercise, or something similar, with your coaching clients? Let us know in the comments!