How to Find Solutions When There Are No Good Options

Summary

Podcast Summary: Help Wanted – "How to Find Solutions When There Are No Good Options"

Episode Information:

• Title: How to Find Solutions When There Are No Good Options
• Release Date: June 19, 2025
• Host: Jason Pfeiffer, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur
• Co-Host: Nicole Lapin, Money Expert
• Description: On this episode of Help Wanted, Jason Pfeiffer and Nicole Lapin delve into effective strategies for tackling difficult problems at work and in personal life, especially when it feels like there are no viable solutions.

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Introduction to the Episode

The episode kicks off with Jason Pfeiffer introducing the premise of Help Wanted:

"You're facing a problem with no obvious solution. Maybe it's a work challenge, a family issue, or a personal dilemma. You've thought about it from every angle, but every option seems flawed. You're stuck, frustrated, and running out of ideas." (02:25)

Nicole Lapin adds context about the show's format, emphasizing their role in providing actionable solutions to listeners' work-related problems.

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The Challenge of No Good Options

Jason identifies a common struggle many face: situations where solutions seem unattainable or non-ideal. He sets the stage for introducing a strategic approach to overcome this impasse.

"When we're stuck, it's because we need to make hard decisions. This isn't about settling for mediocrity. It's about creating a preference for action and forcing yourself to say yes to something instead of remaining in the false comfort of no." (07:00)

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Introducing the "List Before You Leap" Strategy

At the heart of the episode is Jason's "List Before You Leap" technique—a systematic method to generate and evaluate potential solutions, even those that initially seem unfeasible.

"List before you leap. The idea is this. Before deciding what to do, list every solution you can think of, even and especially the really bad ideas." (02:47)

He emphasizes that this approach encourages creativity and reduces the paralysis that often accompanies decision-making in complex scenarios.

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Personal Story: Jason and His Wife's Experience

To illustrate the effectiveness of this strategy, Jason shares a personal anecdote involving a challenging situation with his son's friends:

"My wife, Jen, and I were recently trying to fix something related to our son's friends. It's just one of those complicated, emotional, naughty issues that every parent faces." (03:15)

During their initial discussion, Jen was quick to dismiss proposed solutions. Jason explains how insisting on listing all possible options before judgment helped them navigate the problem more constructively.

"When we consider solutions one by one, we are making it easy for us to say no. Why? Because when we reject one idea, we implicitly assume there's a better one coming." (04:00)

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Steps to Implement the Strategy

Jason outlines a three-step process to effectively utilize the "List Before You Leap" method:

1. List Every Possible Solution:

   • "Number one, list every possible solution that you can think of, even if they're bad or impractical ideas." (05:00)
   • Encourages brainstorming without self-censorship to uncover unconventional solutions.

2. Commit to Selecting an Option:

   • "Number two, look at that list and tell yourself, I must pick one of these options." (05:30)
   • Shifts the mindset from seeking perfection to embracing available choices.

3. Narrow Down and Decide:

   • "Number three, start narrowing down. Once you see all of your options in front of you, your mindset will shift." (06:00)
   • Allows for a more objective evaluation of options by first seeing them collectively.

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Examples of Applying the Strategy

Jason provides real-life applications of his technique to demonstrate its versatility:

1. Event Planning:

   • Faced with tough programming decisions, Jason encouraged his team to list all imperfect solutions.
   • "We need to pick one of these. And eventually we did." (06:30)

2. Friend Unhappiness at Work:

   • Assisted a friend by listing five possible actions she could take to address her dissatisfaction.
   • "We discussed each one. We settled on one, and now she is taking action on it." (07:00)

3. Parenting Challenge:

   • Revisiting his initial story, Jason explains how listing seven options led to productive discussions and actionable steps.
   • "We went through the exercise and we came up with seven options and then we quickly eliminated five of them." (07:30)

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Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Jason wraps up the discussion by reiterating the importance of action over inaction:

"Don't do nothing. Do something. Whatever you do, pick an option." (08:00)

He underscores that while the solutions generated may not be perfect, taking decisive action can create new opportunities and pathways that mere contemplation cannot achieve.

Final Insights:

• Bias Towards Action: Encouraging a "yes" mindset facilitates progress and reduces indecision.
• Creating New Solutions: Acting on available options can lead to unforeseen possibilities and adaptations.
• Practical Application: The strategy is versatile, applicable to both personal and professional challenges.

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Conclusion

In this episode of Help Wanted, Jason Pfeiffer and Nicole Lapin provide listeners with a practical framework to navigate situations lacking clear solutions. By adopting the "List Before You Leap" strategy, individuals can break free from decision-making paralysis, foster creativity, and initiate meaningful action towards resolving complex issues.

For further assistance or to have your work-related questions addressed on the show, listeners are encouraged to email [e-mail].

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Notable Quotes:

• "List before you leap. The idea is this. Before deciding what to do, list every solution you can think of, even and especially the really bad ideas." – Jason Pfeiffer (02:47)
• "When we consider solutions one by one, we are making it easy for us to say no." – Jason Pfeiffer (04:00)
• "Don't do nothing. Do something. Whatever you do, pick an option." – Jason Pfeiffer (08:00)

Transcript

[Nicole Lapin]

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[Jason Pfeiffer]

This is HELP Wanted, the show that makes your work work for you. I'm Jason Pfeiffer, editor in chief of.

[Nicole Lapin]

Entrepreneur magazine, and I'm money expert Nicole Lapin. On Tuesdays, Jason and I answer the helpline and help callers solve their work problems.

[Jason Pfeiffer]

And on Thursdays, I give you one way to improve your work and build a career or company you love.

[Nicole Lapin]

And it starts now.

[Jason Pfeiffer]

You're facing a problem with no obvious solution. Maybe it's a work challenge, a family issue, or a personal dilemma. You've thought about it from every angle, but every option seems flawed. You're stuck, frustrated, and running out of ideas. Today, I will show you a simple but powerful technique that can break you out of this trap. I call it List before you leap. The idea is this. Before deciding what to do, list every solution you can think of, even and especially the really bad ideas. This may sound simple, but doing it will feel profound. It will help you find solutions that you never would have considered otherwise. I will explain how it works and why it works, but first I want to tell you about a conversation with my wife where this strategy came in handy. My wife, Jen and I were recently trying to fix something related to our son's friends. It's just one of those complicated, emotional, naughty issues that every parent faces. So as we started talking about it, I said to her this. I said, let's start listing potential solutions. Here's the first one. And then I shared an idea. But Jen immediately cut me off. That's not going to work, she said. And she started explaining why. And I said, hold up. Let's not start rejecting ideas yet. For now, let's just list every solution we can think of. She said, okay. So I moved on to a second solution. Well, we could try this. And again she interrupted me immediately. That won't work either, she said. And she explained why. To which I said, you're missing the point. And then I explained what I was actually trying to do. Because it's part of a problem solving strategy that I use all the time in business, but it works everywhere. So here's the problem. When we consider solutions one by one, we are making it easy for us to say no. Why? Because when we reject one idea, we implicitly assume there's a better one coming. It's kind of like dating. Sometimes it is hard to Commit to one person because it feels too easy to find someone else. So you think, ah, this person's fine, but I'm sure there's someone better, and off you go. But in complicated situations, there are not endless options. Instead, there are a fixed number of options. And even if they're all imperfect, you must pick one. That's why we can't evaluate solutions one by one. When you do that, you become biased towards saying no, because no allows you to move on to the next, hopefully better solution. So instead, you must become biased towards saying yes, which means you must list before you leap. When you're trying to find the answer to a difficult question, here's what you should do. Three things. Number one, list every possible solution that you can think of, even if they're bad or impractical ideas. Number two, look at that list and tell yourself, I must pick one of these options. And then number three, start narrowing down. Once you see all of your options in front of you, your mindset will shift. You'll start eliminating the truly terrible solutions, and then you'll take the remainders more seriously. Maybe. Let's say there are only five potential solutions, and four of them really suck. One of them only sort of sucks. So that's your best choice. Pick it. Does that sound terrible? It shouldn't really, because here's the good news. Once you act, you will create more options. Thinking does not create more solutions. Only acting creates more solutions. When you act, you prompt someone else's reaction, you gain more information, the problem starts to shift in front of you, creating more pathways for solutions, and then you get to go back and do this entire process over again. Here is how I use this all the time. I'll just tell you a couple recent ways that I applied it. First one, I'm planning an event right now, and we had to make some hard choices about the programming. My team kept looking for solutions that were perfect. So I laid out every imperfect solution, and I said, we need to pick one of these. And eventually we did. Here's another one. A friend is unhappy at work but isn't sure what to do. So after we talked about it for 15 minutes, I said, all right, here are all of your possible options. Then I listed five. We discussed each one. We settled on one, and now she is taking action on it. And here's another one. Well, it's the thing that I started by talking to you about at the beginning of this episode. My wife and I addressing this sticky friend situation for our son. Here's how it went. We went through the exercise and we came up with seven options and then we quickly eliminated five of them. And then we debated the final two, made a decision, and started to act. Now we are having useful conversations with other parents. We're learning, we're adapting, and we're moving towards a solution to the problem. Is our solution perfect? No. But that's okay. Remember, if a perfect answer exists, we would have already easily found it. If we're stuck, it's because we need to make hard decisions. This isn't about settling for mediocrity. It's about creating a preference for action and forcing yourself to say yes to something instead of remaining in the false comfort of no. The big takeaway is this. Don't do nothing. Do something. Whatever you do, pick an option. Help Wanted is a production of Money News Network. Help Wanted is hosted by me, Jason.

[Nicole Lapin]

Pfeiffer, and me, Nicole Lapin. Our executive producer is Morgan Lavoy. Do you want some help? Email our [e-mail] for the chance to have some of your questions answered on the show. And follow us on Instagram, MoneyNews and TikTok MoneyNewsNetwork for exclusive content and to.

[Unknown]

See our beautiful faces.

[Nicole Lapin]

Maybe a little dance?

[Jason Pfeiffer]

Oh, I didn't sign up for that.

[Nicole Lapin]

All right, well, talk to you soon.

[Jason Pfeiffer]

It.