FEATURE – The author shares his thoughts about the thinking that informs Uri Levine’s book and explains why this is perfectly align with a lean mindset.

Words: Juan David Ruiz

I recently read Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution by Uri Levine, and it’s fascinating to see how his mindset aligns with the core principles of Lean Thinking. In this article, I’ll explore those connections and how this perspective can transform organizations across industries.

Throughout the book, Levine consistently applies what James Womack and Dan Jones define as the first principle of Lean in their seminal work Lean Thinking: Identify what creates value for the customer.

Even the title of Levine’s book echoes this foundational lean concept – putting the customer’s problem at the center. This same mentality underpins the A3 Thinking approach, a key tool in Lean used to break down and solve strategic problems within organizations.

Several of Levine’s quotes illustrate his thinking clearly:

• “All my startups exist to solve problems.”
• “I almost always start with the problem.”
• “Starting with the problem increases the likelihood of creating value.”

These statements highlight a refreshing approach – one that treats problems not as threats but as starting points for innovation. This contrasts with how many industries shy away from the word “problem,” often dressing them up as “opportunities,” which can obscure their urgency and importance. A problem is something that must be addressed; an opportunity is optional. That distinction matters.

A whole chapter of the book is devoted to falling in love with the problem, not the solution – demonstrating how Levine’s success, including that of Waze, was rooted in connecting customer value to the real problem from the user’s point of view.

This isn’t easy. Those of us who’ve used structured, scientific problem-solving methods – like the A3 process – know just how difficult it is to even define a problem well. Writing a problem statement can feel frustrating at first. It takes practice, repetition, and a lot of real-world experience to truly develop the skill.

The book might make it look simple, but behind Levine’s three decades of entrepreneurial success lies a trail of failed attempts, false starts, and hard-won learning.

“If we don’t do this, we might end up building something no one cares about – which is incredibly frustrating.”

This quote acknowledges the inevitable frustration of the process. In today’s fast-paced world, our tolerance for frustration is low, and it’s worth asking what that means for the next generation. Our brains are wired for survival, and default to fast, solution-oriented thinking. In many corporate cultures, offering solutions is seen as a shortcut to career success – while problem exploration is often undervalued.

But thinking deeply about a problem requires time. It demands validation, fieldwork, and real observation – in Lean, this is the concept of gemba: the place where value is created and where problems must be seen firsthand.

Levine continues:

• “The problem – not the solution – is almost always the reason startups exist.”
• “Finding the pain point is the key to knowing whether you have a real problem.”
• “Frustration is usually critical.”

This connects directly with Lean Thinking not only in the discovery phase but also in how we approach the solution. The moment a problem is clearly defined – just as in an A3 process –marks the beginning of a journey characterized by repeated failure and experimentation, according to Levine. He emphasizes the need for continuous trials until we get it right, sounding remarkably like a lean conversation on when to use A3 Thinking versus Kata. In both cases, there’s no final answer – just a commitment to keep learning through cycles of experimentation.

Many leadership books today talk about “failing fast,” but Lean Thinking – and Levine’s method – go further. They argue for failing with structure and purpose, just like in science. Failure becomes valuable when it tests a hypothesis and informs the next step. That’s when the process turns into a virtuous cycle, increasing the chances of success.

Once an organization – or even a few individuals within it – truly see problems as treasures, the next challenge is deciding which problem to tackle first. This requires not just prioritization techniques, but more fundamentally, a return to gemba – to listening, observing, and understanding how each process impacts the final customer.

This emphasis on problem definition aligns with another critical pillar of Lean: structured problem-solving. Here’s where Art Smalley’s four types of problems become especially useful:

• Type 1 – Troubleshooting: Immediate issues like fires that must be extinguished.
• Type 2 – Gap from standard: Deviations from expected results.
• Type 3 – Target condition: Creating a new, better future state.
• Type 4 – Innovation: Breakthroughs and new ideas.

Leaders often find themselves stuck responding to Type 1 and 2 problems all day – leaving little time for the deeper, more strategic work involved in Types 3 and 4, which is vital for long-term improvement and innovation.

In Levine’s framework, experimentation is essential for developing new products, technologies, or services. But experimentation requires dedicated time – something most teams lack. And even when time is available, if it’s not connected to a real problem, it often leads to poor decisions and frustration.

One of the most striking quotes in the book is when Levine recalls being raised in a home where every time he presented a new idea, the response was: “Have you tested it?”

And if it didn’t work: “What did you learn?”

It’s worth asking: is this mindset still rare, or is it becoming part of how we raise children and develop professionals?

Falling in love with the problem, not the solution is at the heart of Lean Thinking. It helps us focus on delivering value to the customer, fosters a culture of continuous learning, and ultimately paves the way to lasting, sustainable success.

_THE AUTHOR