Let me tell you about the most expensive mistake I see smart women make.

They work sixty-hour weeks solving problems. They're strategic. They're competent. They deliver.

And they're solving the wrong problems.

Last month, a director I consult with spent three months building an elaborate project management system for her team. Color-coded dashboards. Automated reminders. Weekly check-ins. The whole beautiful, organized thing.

Her team still missed every deadline.

Know why? She diagnosed a process problem when she actually had an information problem. Her people didn't know what success looked like on each project. Better tools can't fix unclear expectations. Better project management software can't tell your team what "done" means.

She solved the wrong problem brilliantly.

This isn't about her being bad at her job. She's exceptional at her job. That's the tragedy. All that talent. All that effort. Pointed at the wrong target.

Here's what nobody teaches you: Diagnosis comes before solution. Always. Every time. No exceptions.

And most people skip it.

The Four Types of Every Problem You Will Ever Face

After 35 years in newsrooms and now consulting on digital transformation, I've seen thousands of problems. Business problems. People problems. Technology problems. Career problems.

They all fall into four categories. Every single one.

Once you see this framework, you can't unsee it. And once you use it, you'll never waste three months on the wrong solution again.

Problem Type 1: Information Problems

What it looks like: Someone doesn't know something critical. They're missing data, context, expectations, or instructions they need to succeed.

Examples:

• Your team doesn't understand what "good" looks like on a deliverable
• A client is frustrated because they didn't know about a policy
• You're spinning because you don't have the full picture of a situation
• Deadlines are missed because people didn't know priorities changed

The solution: Communication. Share the information. Create documentation. Have the conversation you've been avoiding. This is often the fastest fix because it costs nothing but a few minutes of clarity.

The trap: You assume people have information they don't. You think you've communicated clearly when you haven't. You treat knowledge gaps like competence gaps.

Ask yourself: Does everyone involved have the information they need to succeed?

Problem Type 2: People Problems

What it looks like: Wrong person, wrong skills, wrong fit, or wrong incentives. The human element isn't aligned with what needs to happen.

Examples:

• Someone lacks the skills for their role
• A team member's incentives conflict with the goal
• Personality conflicts are derailing collaboration
• Someone's in a role that doesn't match their strengths

The solution: Hiring, training, restructuring, or realigning incentives. Sometimes it's coaching. Sometimes it's moving someone to a different role. Sometimes it's having a difficult conversation about fit.

The trap: You avoid addressing people issues because they're uncomfortable. You create elaborate systems and processes to work around someone instead of dealing with the actual problem.

Ask yourself: Are the right people in the right roles with the right incentives?

Problem Type 3: Process Problems

What it looks like: The workflow itself is broken. Even if you have the right people with the right information, the system they're working within creates friction, bottlenecks, or failures.

Examples:

• Approvals take weeks because they go through six people who don't all need to be involved
• Work gets duplicated because there's no clear handoff
• Quality is inconsistent because there's no standard method
• Errors keep happening at the same point in a workflow

The solution: Redesign the system. Map the current process, identify where it breaks down, and rebuild it. Sometimes this means eliminating steps. Sometimes it means adding them. Always it means actually examining how work flows.

The trap: You blame people for process failures. You tell individuals to "work harder" or "be more careful" when the system is set up to fail.

Ask yourself: Would a completely different person have the same problem in this system?

Problem Type 4: Capacity Problems

What it looks like: Not enough resources for the work required. Time, money, people, energy, or attention is insufficient for what you're trying to accomplish.

Examples:

• Team is stretched thin across too many projects
• Budget is insufficient for what the strategy requires
• You're personally burned out and can't sustain current output
• Timeline is unrealistic for the scope

The solution: Either add resources or reduce scope. Prioritize ruthlessly. Say no to things that aren't essential. Hire. Extend timelines. Cut projects. There's no way to create more capacity out of thin air.

The trap: You keep trying to optimize your way out of a capacity problem. You read another productivity book. You download another app. You tell people to "work smarter." None of it works because there simply isn't enough.

Ask yourself: If we had unlimited time and resources, would this still be a problem?

Why Getting the Diagnosis Right Changes Everything

The solutions for each problem type are completely different.

Throwing project management software at an information problem wastes three months. Telling someone to "communicate better" when you have a capacity problem just adds guilt to exhaustion. Restructuring a team when the real issue is process creates chaos without solving anything.

Misdiagnosis is expensive. Not just in money. In time. In morale. In your reputation for getting things done.

Here's what I've learned consulting on AI transformation: Most failures aren't execution failures. They're diagnosis failures. Teams aren't incompetent. They're solving the wrong thing.

And you know what? Your brain is actually exceptional at this kind of diagnosis.

Your Brain Is Built for This

During perimenopause, your brain strengthens pattern recognition and systems thinking. You see connections between things others miss. You sense when something's off before you can articulate why.

That gut feeling that won't leave you alone? That's your brain running pattern recognition faster than your conscious mind can process.

Your upgraded brain is literally reorganizing itself to be better at exactly this kind of strategic diagnosis. You're not declining. You're developing an ability to see root causes that younger brains miss.

Trust it. Then verify it with the right questions.

The 5 Whys: How to Get to the Real Problem

The 4 Problem Types tell you what category you're dealing with. The 5 Whys tell you exactly what's wrong within that category.

It's deceptively simple. You take any problem and ask "why" five times. Each answer becomes the subject of the next question.

By the fifth why, you've usually hit something real.

Example 1: The Deadline Problem

Surface problem: I can't find time to work on my business.

1. Why? My calendar is always full.
2. Why is it full? Back-to-back meetings all day.
3. Why are there so many meetings? Everyone books time with me for decisions.
4. Why do they need you for every decision? I haven't given them decision-making authority.
5. Why haven't you delegated authority? Because I don't trust they'll do it right. Or I haven't trained them. Or honestly... I'm controlling.

Real problem: Delegation and training gap. This is a people problem combined with a capacity problem (yours).

Real solution: Empowering your team. Not buying a better calendar app.

Example 2: The Marketing Problem

Surface problem: My marketing isn't working.

1. Why? People aren't buying.
2. Why aren't they buying? They visit my website but leave.
3. Why do they leave? They don't seem to understand what I offer.
4. Why don't they understand? My messaging is probably confusing.
5. Why is it confusing? I try to appeal to everyone, so I'm not clear about who it's actually for.

Real problem: Positioning problem. This is an information problem in how you communicate who you serve.

Real solution: Clarifying your messaging. Not posting more on social media.

Example 3: The Team Performance Problem

Surface problem: Sarah keeps missing deadlines.

1. Why? She's not getting work done on time.
2. Why isn't she finishing on time? She's constantly getting pulled into other things.
3. Why is she getting pulled away? Senior leaders keep assigning her urgent work.
4. Why are they doing that? There's no clear prioritization system across teams.
5. Why isn't there a prioritization system? Leadership hasn't aligned on what matters most.

Real problem: Leadership alignment and prioritization. This is a process problem at the organizational level.

Real solution: Getting leadership to coordinate priorities. Not putting Sarah on a performance improvement plan.

See how different the real answers are from the obvious first answers?

Your first diagnosis is almost never right. Keep asking why.

How to Use This with AI

AI will happily solve the wrong problem if you let it. It has no ability to sense what's actually going on. That's your job.

AI is a people pleaser with zero street smarts. It will give you confident answers to the wrong questions all day long.

Use AI for diagnosis, not immediate solutions.

The Bad Prompt

"Give me marketing ideas for my business."

AI generates fifteen generic suggestions. You implement three. Nothing works. You blame the AI.

But the AI wasn't wrong. You asked the wrong question.

The Better Approach

"Help me diagnose: My marketing isn't working. Is this more likely an awareness problem (people don't know I exist), a positioning problem (they don't understand what I offer), a trust problem (they're not convinced), or a conversion problem (they're interested but not buying)? Ask me questions to narrow it down."

Now AI becomes your thinking partner. It asks diagnostic questions. You answer. Together you find the real problem. Then you ask for solutions.

Your strategic brain identifies what's off. AI helps you articulate and confirm it. Then AI generates options within the correct problem frame.

That's how you become indispensable with AI. Not by knowing all the tools. By knowing how to think.

Practice This Now

Pick something that's not working right now. Something you've been struggling with.

Step 1: Ask the 4 Problem Types questions:

• Information: Does everyone involved have what they need to succeed?
• People: Are the right people in the right roles with the right incentives?
• Process: Would a different person have the same problem in this system?
• Capacity: If we had unlimited resources, would this still be a problem?

Step 2: Run the 5 Whys on whatever problem type you identified. Write it out. Don't skip this part.

Step 3: Compare your first answer to your fifth answer. Notice how different they are.

Step 4: Design a solution for the real problem. Not the surface symptom.

The Bottom Line

Stop being brilliant at solving the wrong things.

Your brain is literally upgrading itself to see patterns and root causes that others miss. Use it. Trust your gut that something's off. Then verify with the right questions.

Diagnose first. Solve second. Always.

You might be shocked how often you've been aiming at the wrong target. That's not failure. That's data.

Now you know better. Now you aim right.

It's handled.

Experience + AI = Indispensable.

TheGenXAdvantage.com