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The Truth About Getting Your Point Across...
And Nothing But The
Truth
Part
VII: The Truth About Problem Solving
Leaders are paid in part to solve problems. The greater the responsibility or the higher the pay, the bigger the problems the leader is expected to solve. Great leaders employ outstanding problem solving skills and know how to implement great solutions effectively. They are able to look at a problem from multiple vantage points, investigate sound (and sometimes creative) alternatives, implement the solution, and pull the reins back in on a solution that doesn't appear to be going well.
This part contains five truths, as follows:
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Truth 31: Every solution needs a problem - So have you ever been approached by a salesperson claiming to have the solution to some perceived problem? His or her job is to search for problems and to show how their solution solves the problem. Many times, the problem/solution match is legitimate. Sometimes, though, proposed solutions don't have a real, tangible problem. Every solution needs a legitimate, tangible problem otherwise the solution isn't really a solution.
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Truth 32: Choices and consequences make the solution - In solving problems, concise, articulate alternatives along with the consequences of each alternative help ensure a more effective and holistic solution. Poorly articulated or non-existent alternatives with associated consequences drastically limit the solution set and reduce the overall quality of the implemented solution.
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Truth 33: Dig hard for that third alternative - Anyone can come up with a run-of-the-mill list of alternatives. Great leaders are able to look "in between the lines" and come up with creative alternatives which more effectively address a problem than the average Joe who just restates the obvious.
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Truth 34: A solution is only as good as its implementation - So maybe you come up with a great solution to a problem. Now what? A solution which can't be implemented is only as good as the paper it was written on. Crisp implementation execution rounds out the problem solving process.
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Truth 35: Bad decisions that don’t get fixed grow into disasters - OK, so sometimes a bad decision gets made. It happens to the best of us. Attentive leaders watch decisions closely and fix problems before they erupt into major disasters. Leaders who fall asleep at the wheel end up riding their poor decision right off a cliff.
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