The standard format for raising anything that isn't working. Three lines, written before the conversation rather than during it. > **Issue:** A detailed description of the problem — enough that it does not need verbal explanation. > **What I did to help create this situation:** > **Proposed Solution:** with actions, a named owner for each, and a date. ### **What I'm thinking about** 1. **The middle line is the one that gets skipped** – And it is the one that does the work. See [[100% Responsibility]]. A problem framed as externally caused has only externally-dependent solutions. 2. **The third line has an instruction that fights every professional instinct** – "You may think, 'I don't know the answer. I'd rather list the options.' Please don't. Please write out what you would do if you had to decide, and you couldn't ask anyone for guidance." 3. **Ten percent confidence is enough** – "Even if they only have 10% confidence in their answer, they should guess that their answer is the right one. And they should phrase the Proposed Solution in very bold, directive terms." 4. **The rationale is speed, not bravado** – "This step may seem aggressive but creates a flag in the sand, which generates a highly productive discussion and quicker decision-time, which ultimately is more important than appearing to be humble." 5. **A confident wrong answer beats a careful non-answer** – A wrong proposal produces a fast argument and a decision. A list of options produces a meandering discussion in which everyone waits to see what the senior person thinks. ### **So what?** The cultural precondition is that proposing something wrong carries no penalty. If it does, people revert to option lists immediately and the format becomes theatre — correctly formatted, and empty. Two prompts surface issues that would otherwise stay buried: *"If you were running this, what are the three most important issues you would solve in the next 90 days, and how?"* and *"When you source the emotions of anger or fear and think about the company, what are your thoughts?"* Related: [[100% Responsibility]] [[Write Before You Talk]] [[Type 1 and Type 2 Decisions]] [[RAPID]] [[Clean Escalation]] [[Executive Operating System MOC]]