Stop Trying to Remove the Problem. Do This Instead

Thirteen years ago, I started a leadership blog, called The Leader’s Digest.

Fast forward to 2026, The Leader’s Digest has thousands of subscribers, and I’ve written over 320 blogs.

There have been stories about my family, practical tips and models you can use as a leader and interviews with cool people like Michael Bungay Stanier. I even wrote about my experience with depression. All these topics have been linked, in some way, to leadership.

But this week, I’m returning to the first blog post I ever wrote.

My editor Christina says it needs “a bit of a rewrite” because as you’d hope, my writing has improved and I’ve found my groove with my voice in new and better ways since then. (Btw, one of the best compliments I ever got was when someone met me after being a regular reader of The Leader’s Digest and said, “Wow! You sound just like how you write”.)

And it turns out, it’s not just my writing that has evolved in more than a decade – but my thinking, ideas and experiences have too, leading me to more insights. So, here’s an update (with the same message, but more of what I’ve learnt since) of the first blog post I ever wrote for the Leaders Digest – all those years ago.

Use the Difficulty: A lesson on leadership from Michael Caine

A few years ago, I came across an interview with Sir Michael Caine where he tells a story from early in his career as an actor:

“I opened the door and said to the producer, “I can’t get in. There’s a chair in my way!”’ He replied, “Use the difficulty.’ If it’s a drama, smash the chair. If it’s a comedy, fall over it.”

That line became Caine’s philosophy for life.

He explains more in this one-minute clip that is so worth the watch.

As an idea, ‘use the difficulty’ is deceptively simple, but it’s also one of the most powerful leadership tools you can adopt, especially in a time when there are a lot of chairs in the way. The “chair in the way” in today’s context could be a global crisis, a budget cut, or a team exhausted by constant change. (You might have multiple chairs all in the way at once) Let’s face it, challenges aren’t occasional visitors these days, they’re permanent residents!

So, how do you ‘use the difficulty’ in leadership?

You might assume your job as a leader is to remove difficulty – to put away and stack up the chairs. But the real gem is learning to use it. How can you reframe the difficulty as raw material for creative thinking or disruption into momentum? Here are two ways…

1. Turn constraints into catalysts

   When budgets tighten, markets wobble, or geopolitical tensions disrupt your plans, ask:

   • What does this constraint force us to get sharper about?
   • What innovation becomes possible only because the old path is blocked?

   Don’t wait for conditions to improve. Use the pressure to accelerate focus, simplify priorities and spark new thinking.

2. Slow down to get further

   In turbulent environments, speed can be seductive and we often react rather than respond. But as I mention in this blog, reflection leads to better decision making.

   When a challenge hits you head‑on, try taking a deliberate pause and consider the issue from a different, higher-up perspective:

   • “What is the opportunity hidden inside this difficulty that I can’t see yet? What unexpected upside could emerge here?”
   • “If this situation were happening for us, not to us, what might that mean?”
   • “What becomes possible now that wasn’t possible before this challenge appeared?”

Write down every possibility, even the faint ones. You’ll be surprised how quickly the emotional weight lifts when you start seeing opportunity in the rubble.

So, the next time you find your own version of Caine’s chair in your path, don’t just try to climb over it. Smash the chair. Trip over it. Turn it into the scene‑stealer. In other words, use the difficulty. Because the greatest breakthroughs often come from the obstacles you didn’t choose.

And finally, for those of you who have been with me since the beginning, my gratitude is both deep and heartfelt. You guys are the OGs! (Let me know if that’s you 😊) And for those of you who have joined in along the way, big ups and thank you too. Knowing you read my leadership tips is a privilege I never take lightly. And to those of you who are seeing this post for the first time, welcome to The Leader’s Digest. Hit that subscribe button!