Stuck In Frustrating Problems — How to Turn Them Into Forward Momentum

Situation

You may be experiencing this if:

• Problems come up and conversations quickly feel heavy or frustrating

• Your team spends a lot of time identifying what’s not working

• The same issues keep getting revisited without real movement

• People get quiet, defensive, or drained during problem-solving

• You leave conversations feeling like a lot was discussed — but not much shifted

In healthcare, problems are constant.

But over time, teams don’t just respond to problems —they develop a pattern for how they engage with them.

And that pattern shapes everything that follows.

What’s Really Happening

Problems themselves are neutral.

But the way your team talks about them

creates the experience of dealing with them.

When conversations stay focused only on what’s wrong:

The team builds a shared story about what’s broken

Energy drops

Thinking narrows

And progress slows

The key insight is this: Teams move in the direction of what they pay attention to.

If the focus stays only on problems,

the team gets better at seeing what’s not working —but not at moving forward.

When you widen the lens to include what’s working within the problem,

something shifts.

You’re no longer just fixing —you’re building from real strengths.

And that’s where momentum starts.

What Helps

• Shift the starting question

  Don’t remove problem identification — expand it.

  For example: “what’s the problem AND where are we seeing it work well?”

  This simple addition changes the direction of the conversation.

• Stay with what’s working in the problem long enough to learn from it

  When something goes well in the problem, don’t move on too quickly.

  Ask: “What was different?” and “Why did that work?”

  This turns a good moment into something repeatable and it builds team confidence.

• Name what’s working clearly and specifically

  Don’t assume people notice it — they usually don’t.

  For example: “That worked because we paused for a quick huddle — let’s try that again tomorrow.”

  What gets named gets repeated.

• Watch the energy in the room

  Pay attention to what happens during the conversation.

  If it feels heavy or stuck, you’re likely focused only on the problem.

  When you bring in what’s working, you’ll often feel a shift — more openness, more engagement, more ideas.

Problems aren’t going away.

But how your team engages with them can change everything.

Listen to the podcast episode

🎧 The Simple Move That Turns Frustrating Problems Into Instant Momentum (Ep. 66)