Problems don’t have to be problems unless you allow them to be. Why do I say that? Because they do hold potential benefits, which is why problem solving is the quickest way to gain leadership.
- Problems introduce us to ourselves
- Problems introduce to others
- Problems introduce to opportunities
- Problems introduce us to ourselves
- Our decisions are often Impacted by our proximity of problems
- Our plates as leaders will always be filled with problems
- Pragmatism serves us well as leaders
- Believing there is always an answer is an asset
- Our actions can make our problems increase in number and size
- Problems handled well often make us better
- Problems Introduce to Others
- People who make problems worse
- People who become problem magnets
- People who give up in the face of problems
- People who use problem as stepping-stones for success
- Problems Introduce to Others
- Recognize a potential problem before it becomes a real problem
- Get a clear picture of the problem
- Ask questions to help you solve problems
- The Information Question: “Who knows the most about this problems?”
- The Experience Question: “Who knows what I need to know?”
- The Challenge Question: “Who wants to tackle this problem?”
- The Magnitude Question: “Who needs to buy in and how long will that take?”
- The Trust Question: “Have we earned enough trust to make needed changes?”
- The Personal Question: “What qualifies do I need to ask myself?”
- Create a framework to examine problems and solutions: There are 6 critical keys to this framework
- Leadership : How does this problem affect our people
- Personal: Do we have the right people to help us with this problem
- Timings: Is this the right time for a solution and do we have enough time for it?
- Vision: How does this problem affect where we are trying to go?
- Priorities: Are my problems taking me or the team away from our priorities
- Values: Are my values or my teams’s being compromised by this problem?
- Value shared problem solving
- Don’t work alone to solve a problem
- Ask questions to gain from other people’s thinking: Method below will help device the thinking
- 10/80/10 pattern
- First 10% : Focused on defining the problem for all of us
- Next 80%: Spend time on listening team’s ideas and facilitating their thinking
- Last 10%: Attempt to add value from your leadership experience
- Remove Silos:
- Organization silos are the root cause of most of workplace problems and are why many of them never get resolved
- People who want to increase their territory and protect their turf are rarely willing to freely offer ideas that will benefit any other than themselves and their team or department
- Create a Speak-Up Environment:
- In this environment comments are welcomed, participation is encouraged, and good ideas are rewarded
- How to create that environment?
- Promote an atmosphere where the best ideas wins
- Socialize Ideas:
- Its a strategy in which leaders share their ideas informally throughout the normal course of the day to gain acceptance for them before formally implementing them
- Always come up with more than One Solution:
- As you seek to solve problems, list as many solutions to a problem as possible. The more the better
- The more the options are better, because problems continually shift and change
- Leaders who don’t have backup solutions soon find themselves in trouble
- Cultivate a Bias for Action
- One of the greatest dangers for a thoughtful person is to spend too much time on problem solving and too little time on solution implementation .
- Ready, aim, aim, aim …. But never fires
- Develop a bias for action : Don’t think , Can I? Instead think, How can I?
- The moment you confront and act on a problem, you begin to solve it
- Actively look for Opportunities and Lessons in every problem
- No matter how difficult your circumstances may seem, there is likely a solution that not only resolves the problem, but has the potential to improve your life and your leadership
As a leader, you need to see opportunities differently than most people. They are a chance for you to learn about yourself, your teams, and your opportunities. They provide you a way to improve your own life, improves the life of others, and gain influence. That’s why I say that problem solving is the fastest way to gain leadership.