A year ago, my parents and I went with my brother and his family to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral to see a Space X rocket take off and explore the visitor complex.

The rocket launch was a dazzling display, and seeing the space shuttle Atlantis was really cool. However, it’s the Saturn V rocket that has stuck with me the most. I simply couldn’t believe how big it was. I could visualize it in my mind, but seeing it was something else. I was truly in awe. We humans designed and built these enormous rockets, more than fifty years ago, to send people to the moon? How audacious. How improbable.

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Last fall, back when things were normal, I joined a singles tennis league.

I had started playing tennis only a couple of months before, but one of the reasons I started playing tennis in the first place was to develop my competitive side. My penchant for seeking win-win solutions had been causing me to back down in situations where it was arguably inappropriate to do so.

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When I’m helping someone navigate a challenging situation, there’s a moment when the person finds the courage and clarity to state their case plainly.

“I just wish I could tell him that it upsets me when he says that. Even though I know it’s my problem, it still bothers me, and maybe if he knew that, he could find a different thing to say.”

“I see lots of people making this particular mistake, and I want to tell them that I could help them resolve it.”

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“I am trying to learn problem-solving skills. Do you have any recommendations?”

I received this question on one of my very favorite topics from a reader of this blog. (Thank you!)

My answer is very simple: I learned problem-solving skills through solving problems.

Each problem required certain resources and tools to solve it. And then, once I solved it, I had those resources and tools to use on the next problem.

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Let me tell you the worst message there is to receive, whether in business or personal life. It’s this:

“Please call me.”

I’m not saying that in the post-millennial, “Oh I’m such an introvert that I can’t bear to interact with a human and I prefer receiving text messages,” sense. No, I absolutely love the phone, and prefer it as a mode of communication in these not-in-person times.

The problem is the uncertainty. “Please call me” could signal anything from “I am about to fire you” to “I can’t decide between these two names for my folk-punk band and I need to hash it out with someone I trust.”

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