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Still Fighting Fires? Four Fresh Approaches to Problem Solving
You're a leader. Problem solving is in your DNA. These strategies will help you take a fresh approach to business challenges of all sizes -- and turn problems into opportunities.
If you're like most leaders, you pride yourself on your ability to solve problems. |
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You confront challenges head-on and enact swift solutions to keep your company on track and avoid disruption.
It's what makes you a leader, right?
But what if the problem isn't really...a problem? Or what if solving the problem only creates new ones? What if the problem at hand isn't really worth solving, because it's merely a symptom of a larger issue that needs to be addressed?
Is your swift solution really in order now?
Let's look at an example. A longtime client -- a big one -- has suddenly converted to the competition. It's a big hit for your company, and it's up to you to solve this problem to protect your bottom line and avoid having to reduce staff.
As a decisive leader, your first impulse may be to shoot from the hip. Rally your sales team and see if you can bring the client back by offering a sweeter deal. Lower your price. Throw in extra goodies or services.
But if you follow this course, you may end up underselling your product and setting your team up for too much pressure to meet future goals. Even if you regain the client and win the battle, you may be setting yourself up to lose the war.
Leaders understand that the best solution is not necessarily the quickest, easiest or more obvious solution. And the problem, for that matter, is not necessarily the one that presents itself. Consider following these steps to refresh your decision-making approach, and possibly open the door to greater success.
1. Reframe the problem as a choice
Rather than viewing the situation through a "problem-solving" lens, refocus and look at it as an opportunity. Don't spend too much time reviewing what happened; instead, focus on what you want to happen next. Identify several possible courses of action and select the one that will result in the best outcome for your company.
In the case of our hypothetical lost client, ask yourself: "What are my hoices?" Cut your losses and try to make up for the lost revenue by finding new clients or encouraging expanded orders from existing clients? Offer your old client something new and more enticing? Or redeploy the now-underemployed resources within the company to branch out in an entirely new direction?
Once you have laid out your choices, you can assess the pros and cons of each one and select the most favorable.
2. Look for the opportunity
Is there a chance for improvement embedded in this problem? Why did this client jump ship, and how can you become the company that would have held onto this client? What were they looking for that you did not offer?
Pursuing this path will require you to cultivate an atmosphere that encourages openness. The reasons you lost this client are surely known to individuals within your company, but they may be reluctant to speak. You must create a safe space for transparent communication. You'll need to reach out across vertical lines within the company to make sure the real story isn't being hidden in a silo somewhere.
On the other hand, the "problem" may have created other opportunities entirely. Your lost account has created some slack within the company: unused employee time and other resources have just been freed up. Forget about the lost client; what is it that you could be doing to deploy those resources in a direction that will make you more competitive in the future? This just may be the golden opportunity you've been waiting for to try something new.
3. Step back from the problem
Is it really worth solving? What if the reason you lost that client was that they were not a good fit for your company? Talk to your team and try to learn about your relationship with that client. If you start hearing responses like, "I could never make them happy," or "I was always bending over backward to provide them with something different from what we're set up to do," then perhaps it's time to take a good look at why you were doing business together in the first place. Is your sales team marketing your product correctly? Are you missing out on potential customers who do not fully understand how you can help them?
Maybe the problem is not the lost client -- it's all the other clients you are losing because your staff is not succeeding at appropriately representing your capabilities to the outside world. Again, it's not a problem...it's an opportunity. What do you need to do to better communicate what you offer?
4. Test drive your solution
Once you've tentatively selected a course of action, take it for a test drive. Does it align with your existing goals and strategy? If not, what needs adjusting? Run some numbers. Will it resolve the financial problem you set out to address, if not now, then within a reasonable time frame?
Next time you're presented with a "problem," take a deep breath and ask yourself: "What can I do to make this problem my next great opportunity for success?" It might just lead you in unexpected directions. |
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Areyouafasttalker?
Fast thinkers tend to be fast talkers. Use these tips to control your pace -- and become a better listener, facilitator and presenter.
When you are passionate about something, or nervous, doyousoundsomethinglikethis? While it can be a hilarious Seinfeld episode, it isn't so funny when it has a negative impact on your career. |
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Fast talkers are often fast thinkers. They go from A to Z at warp speed, leaving everyone else struggling to keep up. If the fast talker is a manager, or a project leader, that can spell trouble. The fast talker is so busy solving the problem, or connecting the dots, that the rest of the team can't process it fast enough.
Their teammates can't collaborate because they can't get a word in. They don't want to look stupid, so they don't admit their ignorance, and they won't interrupt to take a different position...often because it isn't worth it. The fast talker will jump on their ideas and take off running -- usually to justify their own position.
Fast talkers usually aren't good listeners. They tend to think out loud, so their brains are filled with all the data and scenarios they are piecing together -- while their mouth keeps moving to get it all out. Their brains are so full of what they want to say, there isn't much awareness that others want to make a contribution, too. In a social situation, you can butt in and wrestle control of the situation with a little light humor. If the fast talker is your boss, or boss's boss, most people will not interrupt.
Some fast talkers are insecure. They are so worried they won't be seen as credible, or in charge, they overcompensate for their fears by sucking all the air out of the room, to show how smart they are, or how well they have the situation in hand. Unfortunately, all they succeed in doing is annoying the people around them.
Some people talk fast when all the attention is on them -- when they are making a presentation for example. They don't like the limelight and just want to get the presentation over as fast as possible. Unfortunately, an audience needs time to assimilate the points, examine the slides and think about the ideas being presented.
Fast talkers aren't effective speakers. They wear out their audience -- listening to a fast speech is exhausting.
So, if you are a fast talker, what can you do?
Imagine the spotlight is on your audience, instead of on you.
- In a meeting, ask other people to own some agenda items, and run that part of the meeting. You become a participant, and step back to let the other person take control of that discussion item. Then bite your tongue and let them have the floor.
- Change your mindset from running a meeting, to facilitating it. Watch the dynamics to see who is speaking and how much. Pull out quieter members and ask, "What do you think about that Charlotte?" "What do the rest of you think?" "Let's hear from some of you who haven't said much on this topic. We need to know what everyone thinks about it."
- Ask questions, instead of making statements. Instead of, "I think we should go tell Marketing to improve the booth for the trade show," it would generate more two-way dialogue to ask, "How do you think we should approach Marketing...?"
- Master the art of paraphrasing. Good listeners are excellent paraphrasers. I don't mean the stereotypical, "I hear you saying..." which can come off as forced, and even comical. I'm referring to truly deep listening; where you are so tuned in to what the other person is saying, you haven't been forming a response or a rebuttal while they were talking. You are naming the emotion they are demonstrating, or putting their idea in your own words, along with your affirmation about why they may be thinking that way.
- If you are doing a formal presentation, inserting questions every few minutes can slow you down and reduce nervousness. It also allows your audience to interact with you -- which makes your presentation so much more interesting. Even saying something as simple as, "Does this make sense?" will quiet the butterflies when you get heads nodding.
One of the ground rules I use when I'm in front of a room is "Don't tell the audience what they can tell you." People love to talk about what they know. So for example, if you want to discuss the preferences your customers have for a certain product or feature, ask the audience what they have heard from their customers, instead of telling them what they already know. Instead of you doing all the talking, you will put their knowledge in the spotlight. The more you let them talk -- the more credible they think you are.
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