What kind of Problem Solvers do you really need?

Discover + Formulate + Solve

Discover + Formulate usually feels like a burden and a lot of work for minimal short-term reward. The person trying to make an impact fast and maximize the use of their expertise will be irritated. Field Experts sometimes prefer focusing on the Solve, maybe with a touch of Formulate, but not the Discover. I personally believe you need to/must be involved in all of Discover, Formulate, and Solve stages regardless of your preferences. The person who knows how to Solve is best positioned to see the gaps in the Discover phase and scope the Formulate in such a way that Solve can be tackled the right way. This is especially true to avoid the XY Problem. At early stages in a startup or even team, you can’t afford having someone who focuses only on one or the other part of this equation.