Tricky Situations

Recently I came across an interesting perspective of two different ways to look at problems. Is the problem a leaky roof or a murky puddle of water? A leaky roof needs to be addressed as soon as possible or it becomes worse and everyone gets wet. A murky puddle of water left alone will become clear with all the murkiness sinking to the bottom. I have a co-worker that has been difficult for me to flow with at times. Communication doesn’t always happen as I expect or hope for. I’ve tried to hint at it, talked with my supervisor about it. And then there was an incident where I realized it was a leaky roof. I can’t say I handled it in the very best way, but having this perspective as a tool helped me to better understand what was happening. 

What perspectives might be helpful to use as tools to help you through tricky situations?