By Virginia Mburu
David….
This famous King in the old Testament found or attracted
problems/challenges like a fly to light. Every so often, he was in the thick of
one challenge or other.
We are introduced to David as the youngest son of Jesse whose
job title is “tending sheep” (Samuel 16: 11). We get a glimpse into his
appearance when he unceremoniously walks into his own Kingship anointing
ceremony straight from tending the sheep.
Prophet Samuel had been sent to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as
the next King because God had rejected Saul- Israel’s first King. We get a
glimpse into his appearance in verse 12 where we are told he was ruddy, with a
fine appearance and handsome features.
We also get to learn he is a good
musician when he is recruited to entertain King Saul’s by playing the harp when
he fell into a foul mood.
We next see him
walking into trouble having been sent by his father to take some supplies to
his brothers who are in the battlefield. The Israelites led by with King Saul
were pitted against the mighty Philistines.
The outcome of this battle was to
be decided by the result of a fight between a representative from each side. If
the representative is killed, the side he belongs to becomes subject to the
other.
The Philistines had this giant who was about 3 meters tall called Goliath and who could comfortably wear and
carry over 80 kilos of armory. The Israelites were being taunted to offer a
challenger who had not been forthcoming for the last forty days.
In 1 Samuel
17:11, we are told that on hearing the challenge from Goliath “…..Saul and all the Israelites were
dismayed and terrified”. David comes
into the picture at this juncture. Goliath;
as he has been doing for forty days challenges Israel to produce a
fighter, David hears the challenge and
observes that when Israelites saw the
man, they all run away from him in great
fear (verse 24).
A gigantic problem…. A big Challenge……
Enter David…… with a
different perspective and a question… Yes a question. Which brings us to our
topic of discussion- What kind of questions do you ask when you face
problems/challenges? What questions
should we be asking anyway?
Step 1.....Problem
identification
1. Is there a problem?
Are you facing a gigantic problem? The Israelites had a
problem that was gigantic but we also have burning issues. However, we love
glossing over or procrastinating issues as they are likely to be stressful, frustrating, causing anxiety. Describe situation as is- factual no opinions.
2.What is the specific issue at hand? I am terrified of this
Philistine since I have lost the support of my GOD)
3.What would I like the situation to be? (To defeat the Philistines)
4. What is the obstacle that is keeping me from my desired
situation? (Goliath is TOO BIG, strong and skilled)
Now
state the problem as a question.. In what ways ...., how
to....etc. In what ways can regain the confidence of our God so that he
can help us kill this Philistine who is so much stronger than any of
us? Remember to include the obstacle in the problem statement.
Step 2.....Own the problem
5. What is my contribution to this problem? King Saul had disobeyed God who had led him through other
victorious battles and thus lost his confidence.
6. How am I aggravating the problem? King Saul was not
willing to repent.
7. Might I be benefiting from the situation as it is or have
I become accustomed to having the problem?
8. Who else do I expect to deal with the problem?
9. Who am I blaming and thus limiting the actions I take?
Step 3.....Problem
impact
10.
How does the
problem impact the various
aspects of your life- business, career, spiritual, health, education,
financial,
family, social etc.? For King Saul and the Israelites, a loss would
have a career
impact(would he be king), financial impact (paying taxes to them),
spiritual( following their cultures, gods), social(they will serve the
philistines) etc.
11. To what extent on
a 1-10 scale? A disaster- scale on 10
12. How long will the impact last...No way of telling how
long they would be under the Philistine rule
13. How is the problem impacting your emotions? It was
terrifying
14. What is the worst that could possibly happen and how
would you withstand it?
Step 4.....Problem
opportunities
15. What is in it for me? How will I benefit? Earlier on in verse 26 we noted that David’s reaction to the
problem was a question- “.....What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine...?”
And the personal benefits were truly alluring as enumerated
in verse 25 – “...The king will give
great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in
marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”
16. What other opportunities exist? Who else will benefit?
For David there were
more opportunities-- restore the
dignity of the Israelites and uphold the supremacy of God “...... and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this
uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
When sorting out day to day problems, think of all the many new skills we can acquire in the resolution process such
as becoming better communicators, leaders, marketers, sellers, more patience, persistence etc.
Step 5.....Problem Solution
goals
17. How will the
solved problem look like?
For David the end result was pretty clear as indicated in
verse 46- 47 “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and
I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the
carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the
whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All
those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into
our hands.”
In business, you could be looking at increasing your
conversion rate by 20% which will yield 30% more sales and 5% increase in
market share.
18. What is the short term goal?
David had a short term goal –offer himself as the challenger
who has been missing for 40 days as indicated in verse 32- “David said to Saul,
“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and
fight him.” You could be looking
at a 5% improvement in conversion rate by end of month
6. Troubleshoot solution ideas
You need to have several possible solutions. David knew he
had to kill the philistine just as he had killed a lion and bear in the past by
striking them.
He was also confident that the God who had delivered him and the Israelites from various enemies in
the past was with him. What about coming up with answers to the following
questions?
19. How can I solve this problem?
20. How have I solved
similar problems in the past?
21. What advice would I offer to a person who has a similar
problem?
22. How have other people overcome similar problem?
23. How would other significant people (mentors, industry
leaders, accountants, marketers, doctors, cleaners etc.) solve a similar
problem?
24. Who can be of help and who will certainly not
assist? David knew the person to give
the go ahead to fight Goliath was King Saul. He thus kept asking the “what is
in it for me question” until he was reported to Saul. He also knew better than
to listen to his brother’s criticism.
Eliab must have been smarting from being
passed over and David anointed as next King! In verse 28 we read that “When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with
the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here?
And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how
conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the
battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He
then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men
answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and
reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.”
7. Deciding on solution
David tried the Kings weapons but he was not comfortable.
He
choose what he was most comfortable with as seen in verse 39-40- “ David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking
around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to
Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his
staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the
pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the
Philistine.”
Take the various considered solutions through the following
questions.
25. Does the solution assist me reach my goals?
26. How long will it take?
27. How much effort will it take?
28. How does the solution make me feel?
29. What is the cost/ benefit to me and significant others now
and in the future?
30. Can I visualize myself taking this solution?
31. What behaviours/ habits do I need to change?
32. What resources do I need and are they available? David
had his 'weapons' at hand. He had his sling, shepherd’s bag, staff and smooth
stones could easily be found in the stream.
8. Solution Execution
David approached Goliath and Goliath moved closer to size his
opponent. Whether it was part of David’s strategy or not, his age and chosen weapons
truly infuriated Goliath who comments in verse 43-44- “Am I a dog, that you
come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come
here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
David ran quickly, took out one of the stones (remember he had
five) and aimed at the body part that was uncovered- the forehead. And the
giant fell...thud ... facedown- giving David the chance to now cut off Goliath’s head with
Goliath’s sword!
Now “terror” moved to the Philistine camp and the previously
terrified Israelite army pursued, killed and plundered the camp. Moreover David
kept the Philistine’s weapons in his tent- A reminder of another victory!
Consider the following questions as you develop the action
plan;
33. What is my action
plan?
34. What is the first thing I will do?
35. What I am waiting for to start executing the action plan?
36. Am I executing the specific things to do and achieving expected
results?
9. Solution review.
As mentioned earlier, David’s
end result was to cut Goliath’s head,
slay the Philistine army, uphold the
name of God, and let those present know that it was not by sword that God saves-for the battle is the Lord’s.
He achieved all.
Some questions that would assist in the review include;
37. Did I achieve my goals?
38. Did I achieve the set standards?
39. What can I learn from the process?
40. How can I integrate the lessons learned into other
processes/systems?
Did David get the “what is in it for me” benefits? Just read
through the following chapter and determine what was realized faster “ His good”
or “Others good” goals!
Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;
- Which other questions do you ask to assist you in problem solving?
- Which "others good" goals do you incorporate in your problem solving goals?
Share your experiences, suggestions or questions in the
comments section below. Who knows- You could probably be the customer who will
benefit from the “solved problem result”!
Whatever you do, make sure it results in less work, more
money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia Mburu
Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach
No comments:
Post a Comment