The problems as we first experience them are rarely the problems we really need to solve. As a consequence, we mostly work on symptoms, or manifestations of problems, not on the "root cause problems". That is why so many problems appear to be unsolvable.
Being clear what the "root cause problem" is that we need to solve is a critical and gigantic step towards a solution. Getting to the real problem is one of the things that coaching impacts. Yet, for many executives, stepping back to get at root cause in the pressure of day-to-day events does not occur as easy, or obvious, or time-efficient, resulting in inadequate or no solutions.