Muddling Through As a Success Strategy

Have you ever noticed how some people just seem to work their way through some of the most difficult situations, and come out the other side successfully? When asked, these people usually give some “ Aw Shucks” kind of answer, and move on to the next thing. Those people know how to muddle – in the best of ways.

I'm not talking about muddling as a way of preparing a cocktail, or as a negative description of someone confused and without a clue, but as a way of moving through unfamiliar, confusing and ambiguous situations and having the action of muddling lead to successful conclusions.

I watched a tree trimmer work on a very overgrown and damaged tree. His work consisted of pruning a little and stepping back a lot. When asked how he approached this task, he stated that he always started with the end in mind - in this case he wanted to make the tree look good, but more importantly, he wanted to improve its ability to survive and prosper. How did he do that? He said he just stepped into the tree and started taking out branches and growth that he knew wouldn't contribute to his goals. Then he would step back and look carefully at what he had done as a guide to what he had to do next. As he stayed focused on what he was doing, the decisions as to which limbs to prune became clearer and clearer, until he had completed his work and he could feel satisfied that he had met his goals. I call it effective muddling – letting your actions develop the solution.

I like to tie flies for fly fishing. For a long time I was intimidated by the perfection of the work of others. It kept me from tying flies – at least until I felt satisfied that I had acquired all the possible knowledge needed to tie a pattern. I've found that over the years I've developed a pretty good body of knowledge about how to tie most patterns. But more importantly, I've found just diving in and having Eureka! moments as I developed new understandings, skills, and knowledge is so much more fun than trying to do everything right the first time. I've learned to relax and let my muddling do the teaching for me.

Let's face it – telling your boss that you're muddling through as a means of finding a solution or meeting a goal is probably not the brightest thing one can do. But that's the way countless problems and issues and conditions are wrestled to the ground every day. Successful muddlers know you gotta get into the problem to see what it's all about. And the best way to do that is to stick your nose in and go for it. It may be that things become more confusing before they become clearer. But every act results in increased knowledge.

Brainstorming and “Ready, Fire, Aim” are two successful muddling techniques - and ones that sound impressive to a boss. Planning and goals are very important parts of success, but that first step into the unknown, having the courage to take that step, is just as important. And to do it without a clear plan – whatever that means, or without clear goals, is the mark of a successful muddler. A “just do it” person. That's what Thomas Edison meant when he remarked that each failure to invent the light bulb brought him closer to success. Without muddling through, Edison would not have given himself the opportunity to fail as a means of learning

Many people refer to muddling as a process – it is – but attaching that description to it kinda takes away from the fun of it. Muddling is as much art and attitude as it is process. So the next time you're faced with a situation and you don't know where to begin, give yourself permission to muddle – and watch the solution form from the actions that you take. That's what successful people do more often than not.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph& Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

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