Challenges
and changes are a part of everyday life — both personally and professionally.
Instead of watching them mount or negatively affect the bottom line, the best
way to overcome them is to acknowledge the challenge at hand, develop a
strategy to solve it and ensure it is not repeated. Although this may seem to
be easier said than done, with a thoughtful approach to planning, a problem can
be solved with minimal impact. The most effective leaders and problem solvers
have developed strategies that they put into practice when overcoming every day
challenges and organizational obstacles. The following are some of the basic steps for sound problem solving:
Assess how
the challenge or obstacle affects the big picture and key stakeholders. It is much easier to see a problem from the
perspective of how it affects you individually, but quite another to view how
it effects the entire group or organization. This will be critical when
determining the solution.
Take stock
of all viewpoints and eliminate biases. When soliciting suggestions on how to solve a
problem, be sure that everyone’s voice is heard and respected. Preconceived
notions or perceptions can cloud or dismiss what could actually be a very good
idea.
Reach out to
others for ideas. Many times when faced with a tough problem, people tend to
solicit feedback and ideas from their inner circle alone. This could be
unproductive in the workplace as many problems are organizational and would
benefit from the ideas of the collective group — especially when decision
making affects everyone.
Be willing
to make adjustments as needed. Solving a problem is a process and should
always include evaluating whether the solution is working or not. Oftentimes there are a number of issues or
nuances that were not first considered. Effective problem solving saves room
for further adjustments.
ASK A MENTOR
Asking your mentor to guide you through the problem solving process can be a tremendous opportunity for personal and professional development growth. Your mentor can create a safe environment for you to talk through a challenge. The following are a few guidelines to assist you in formulating solutions to some of the challenges you have at hand:
