---
title: "Stop blaming and start solving"
date: 2024-01-12
description: "Blame and elaborate justifications are a straight line to failure, for your career and for your team."
tags: ["career","softskills","engineering"]
lang: en
source: https://www.lincoli.me/articles/stop-blaming-start-solving/
author: "Lincoli Xavier"
---

*Stop blaming and start solving.*

*Blaming yourself, blaming others, justifying every mistake at length: that is a straight line to failure, both for your career and for the team you are on.*

Problem solving is an essential skill if you want to stand out at work. A successful professional does not run from challenges, they look for ways past them. Developing that capacity is fundamental to adapting to how constantly the working world changes.

**The mental shift comes first**

To actually apply problem solving, you need a shift in mindset. You have to treat obstacles as temporary and take an optimistic view. The ability to solve problems is directly tied to developing soft skills, the behavioural abilities that underpin how you handle daily challenges.

**Problem solving and emotional intelligence**

Developing the ability to solve problems without developing emotional intelligence can backfire. The discipline and optimism you need to get through challenges at work come from that. Complaining and avoiding problems signals that you are not equipped to deal with adversity, and that holds back professional growth.

Often the biggest mistake is trying to find an immediate fix without analysing where the problem came from. Critical thinking is essential here. You have to question and investigate the root cause, ask the right questions and dig into its origins. Only after understanding the problem in full should you go looking for solutions.

**Tools that help**

There are plenty of tools for solving problems at work. Brainstorming, where participants put forward many ideas for one challenge. The Ishikawa diagram, useful for finding a root cause through questions that guide the analysis. The Design Sprint, created at Google, a method for testing and applying new ideas.

**Building the capacity**

Staying motivated in the face of challenges is essential. Keep in mind that problem solving takes resilience and time. A questioning mindset is what drives the search for solutions. You have to live with problems rather than run from them, because that is how you grow and learn.

**The biggest mistakes**

Anxiety is one of the worst. Trying to resolve a challenge quickly and superficially undercuts critical thinking and leads to poor solutions. Fear of proposing ideas and a lack of initiative are postures that block professional growth.

It is easy to say do not be anxious. Sometimes the pressure around a given problem is enormous, especially in software development. Even so, the effort to cultivate the right attitude is worth making.

Recognising that the problem exists and paying attention to the details are the first steps toward that mindset. Asking questions, looking at the problem from different angles, seeking support and implementing solutions all strengthen the capacity to solve them.

Stop blaming or justifying every slip and stumble. It will make all the difference day to day, and your team will notice. That much-repeated word, "proactivity", is not about working yourself to death and being seen by your superiors. Being more efficient at work will eventually have you working *less*.

***Stop blaming and start solving.***

Thanks for reading this far.

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