Tell Us How You Solve Problems to Become Successful

Welcome to another article in the Success Story series. The Success Stories series provides answers to some of the questions about what it takes to become successful. While each of us is unique in our goals and aspirations, we have things in common with others. By consulting my LinkedIn network of over 9,000,000 people, I believe I can find ideas and solutions that may help you achieve some of your goals. While I may not agree with all of the comments below, I include each and everyone that is presented coherently and may help one of my readers.

My short answer

1.      Understand whose problem it is

2.      Get The Scope Of The Problem

3.      Find the Perceptions

4.      Analyze the problem

5.      Need to know what you want

6.      What does success look like

7.      Find the emotional problem

8.      Set Reasonable Expectations

9.      Prepare and plan correctly

10.  Don’t try to get Something For Nothing

Click here to find the original question and answer on LinkedIn Answers.

Success Stories are part of my Success Through Balance approach to life. I believe that Success comes from living a balanced life. You can read more about being successful and the skills required here.

Gordon Dymowski

One key strategy that I use (along with the ones you suggested) is getting input from various sources about the scope of the problem…as well as potential strategies for handling it.

So often, I have found that I tend to box myself in, thinking that there’s a single causative/curative factor to a solution. By asking for multiple input (especially on issues that are not in front of me), I am getting a much broader perspective, and keep myself open for potential solutions.

I also frame them differently – instead of “problems”, I view them as “challenges.” A problem requires a single, ultimate solution; challenges usually involve work, and also promote growth (both within individuals and organizations).

It’s a simple formula: Help others become successful… and without expectations. All things will fall in its places, and YOU will become successful yourself.

[ZT - I like this approach - its like my theory of the world being a giant pot - I put in and I take out - I just never expect to take out from whom I put in for.]

I try to use my own skills to support the people around me. I try not to allow them to do things that I know are not in their best interest because as a co-worker I don’t find it in my best interest to let others fail.

If everyone around you succeeds, you will either get promoted or someone you helped will. That being said, often times helping people not to do the wrong thing can be seen as interfering with them. I am often perceived in that way. When that happens I try to not lose my temper and I try to remember to pray that we work it out

I happen to be an excellent problem solver and I have found that really listening to hear what isn’t being said about a problem AND listening to what is being said is critical.

I then ask questions and pull from the other person the answer and share from my experiences where appropriate.

Then, and this is the most important one, speak from the heart – not first filtering it through my head.

I look in the grey areas, especially when the solutions appear to be black or white, yes or no.

For example, the issue may be to discount or not discount to a customer. Maybe you could discount some purchases, but not all. Instead of discounting up front, maybe you could rebate on the back end on a quarterly basis if the volume met a certain level. Or perhaps you look at providing some additional, valuable services rather than give a flat price concession. Bring good value to the customer.

I often find that both the customer and the seller are open to different possibilities as long as a good business case can be made. Finding a mutually beneficial outcome for both buyer and seller is always worth the extra effort

As always, thoroughly understand the positions of both buyer and seller. When someone says “our policy is X,” ask why. This will help generate more alternative resolutions.

My approach is, fittingly, a little more simple-minded:

1. Listen.

·        This can be more work than it can appear to the casual observer.

·        If the speaker does not receive sufficient feedback indicating comprehension and empathy, this can lead to frustration and potentially undermine the entire process. Sympathetic listening requires active participation and some judgment; one can’t listen whilst one is talking, but one does not always appear to listening unless one provides some external sign of so doing.

·        I find it tough to truly listen with complete fidelity and real impartiality, as my own prejudices inevitably creep into my perceptions and color my view.

·        Management tends to take a dim view of any feedback other than a nod, a “yes” or some like sign of acquiescence and fealty.

·        As a result, some circumstances in a lot of cultures seem to involve certain parties making sounds which may sound a lot like vigorous assent to the uninitiated, when in fact the participant is just acknowledging that a statement was made by another party. Likewise, some terms generally taken to be offensive or vulgar by many people are frequently casually introduced to modify communications in the field during construction as what linguists might term “meaningless intensifiers” bearing little if any emotional content.

2. Match available resources to the actual problem, not neglecting the perceived issue.

·        One might be technically correct and win a battle, but insufficient attention to Emotional Quotient can lose the war one didn’t even realize one was fighting, until it is too late.

·        The Project Manager might receive a question which is horribly misaligned against reality; it is terribly bad manners not to at least address the actual question one has actually been posed.

·        Terminal optimism can occasionally be construed by strict observers, which frequently are “clients” or “eyewitnesses to disaster,” as inaccuracy or a lack of verisimilitude. To represent an insufficiently conditioned expectation as the truth might take on the clinical symptoms of lying, even to the casual bystander.

3. Find a way to do the best one can

·        Folks seem to always expect something for nothing. We deal in matching the finite schedules, budgets and resources against otherwise reasonable peoples’ expectations that “the customer is always right,” “failure is not an option,” “I deserve better,” and various societal paradigms of entitlement.

·        The art of living amongst people seems to be knowing how to communicate in a sustainable manner, all the while balancing what people need against what they want versus what can actually be done.

·        If one is successful at resolving such problems, one gets to do it again. When people get tired of doing this sort of thing over and over again, it creates the opportunity for one to try it someplace new.

First I need to have a clear definition of what it means to be successful. Then I perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis to determine how best to approach the problem. I then create an action plan of attack and delegate responsibility where needed. Finally, I create a method of assessment to identify when I have become successful.

I research, document and integrate. I learn as much about the problem as I can from as many angles as possible. I document what I have learned so that I can refer to my initial and subsequent inferences as well as gain input from other people, and then I integrate the information I have obtained into the framework I have devised.

Fully understanding the problem.
Finding the root cause of the problem, not just “what’s broken”
Evaluating the options and resources
Defining the measures of a successful solution.
Establish an action plan with accountabilities, timeline and resource allocations.
Measure and track correct as needed.

I’ve used the same system I learned during my military career and it has always served me well.

1.      Analysis

·        current situation

·        state the problem

·        look at all the factors impacting the problem

·        make a list of possible solutions

·        look at the + and – of each solution

·        make a decision

2. Make a plan based on the analysis

·        current situation

·        state the problem

·        detail the actions

·        detail required resources

·        detail the reporting structure

3. Execute the plan

·        Act

·        Supervise

·        Coach

·        Recognize when the objective has been achieved

Since it is the team effort that wins, I, like the others above me, just know how to put the team together for a mutual win to get there, it is this:

Know the product
Know the client
Know how to marry them

[ZT – Sometimes it helps to step back and remind yourself of the big picture. This is what I’m trying to do, this is who I am trying to do it for, now how do I go about doing that?]

Use the PDCA cycle:

1. Plan: analyze the problem, devise a plan
2. Do: execute the plan
3. Check: monitor the execution for the results
4. Act: take corrective actions if necessary

I never forget what I learned from the author Ayn Rand: “EXAMINE YOUR PREMISES”. Because faulty assumptions yield faulty results.

I tend to go back to the very beginning and ask:

1. What’s the real problem? It’s often not the one that was stated, but something more fundamental. Companies often spend a lot of time fixing symptoms, not problems
2. Is this a problem that needs to be fixed? Not all problems are, quite frankly, worth fixing. Where does this problem stand in the overall hierarchy of challenges facing your business? If there’s not widespread agreement that the problem is worth fixing, then any approach to solving it will meet with resistance.
3. Understand clearly what is within your abilities to fix, and what isn’t. That will avoid a lot of frustration and disappointment later on.

If “success” is the goal, I’m not sure (at least not in my case) if “solving problems” is the way to achieve success.

In my case, success means the “ongoing process of becoming my best Self.” (I borrowed this definition from Sally Hogshead, author of Radical Careering).

Why would I say that success has little to do with problem-solving?

Well, if we look at the universe, nature, life and our very own bodies, we notice something strange: everything works PERFECTLY without human intervention! In fact, when we cease consciousness as when we sleep, every cell recovers and the entire body is refreshed, re-energized.

Another interesting fact: during the Tsunami, wasn’t it strange that no animal died? They are constantly in touch with their Source and well-being, and naturally avoid all “problem” areas. They don’t solve problems, they naturally and gracefully flow toward well-being

Every cell in our bodies functions in the same way: it is naturally healthy and responds harmoniously to surrounding cells. Everything works magnificently well (unless we “block” the flow of well-being by taking drugs or smoking cigarettes or doing anything “unnatural”).

So it seems success has more to do with staying in touch with our Source and just let the life energy flow through us. This probably sounds very “passive” and possibly weird, but that’s only because our so-called “advanced” Western society has adopted a reductionist and collectivistic focus on “problem solving”: most professions indeed focus on solving problems, not on helping people “allow” well-being to flow through them

It is even possible that by focusing on problems and trying to solve them might distract us from the important work of focusing on well-being and trusting that everything will flow smoothly, in the same way that nobody has to think about digestion: it happens naturally.

[ZT – I find the the animal analogy with Tsunami offensive - many many people perished and to say they would have survived because they solve problems is just foolish. People have self knowledge - the animal kingdom does not.]

I follow Dale Carnegie’s rules in “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.”

-         First write it down on  paper. The problem, that is. This process is very important.

-         Write out all the possible solutions for the problem.

-         From the solution list I find out what is the best option, after analyzing the pro and cons of each.

-         I execute that option to the best that I can do, immediately without wasting time.

-         I sit back and wait for the results to unfold and don’t worry about it. I know I did the best I could, and after that I stop worrying because no matter how much I will worry, it will not solve the problem.  

It sometimes doesn’t work for me, of course! There are times when I get super hyper worried about things and end up making decisions only to regret it later. But when it works, it works perfectly.

One of the best books on life and success can be taken out from the pages of the Hindu mythology tales – Ramayana, mahabharatha and bhagavath gita. I don’t see any other fiction books out there which match the perfection of the afore-mentioned books.

The dictum is simple- do your duty without expecting the results of your actions. Be detached.

[ZT – I love Dale Carnegie - you will find many many references on this site about his greatness]

Sorry to be a simpleton, but here you go:

1. Hear the problem.
2. Repeat back the problem to be sure you understood it.
3. Ponder the problem and/or discuss.
4. Brainstorm solutions.
5. Select the best solution and move forward.

Problem solving need not be complicated.

[ZT The process is not complicated, isn't there some expression about the "Devil is in the details"?]

The most difficult part of problem solving to me(in addition to everything else that is taught in problem solving courses/seminars)is the ability to perceive what is not explicitly stated – to read between the lines; to predict where the invisible boundaries lie between shades of black and white. Then,  respond from your heart.

The first thing is to listen.

Realize the problem in your head.

Make sure not to react emotional.

Understand the real reason for the problem.

Solve the problem.

Believe in your dream. Passion for what you are doing. And never, never give-up.

I am in the financial services industry, solving problems is basically what I do for people. We start out with their financial goals and expectations and find out that it encompasses more than that. Once we have the whole picture in front of us we get to a plan and stick to it. In helping people with their problems I become successful as they continue to recommend new clients to me. The biggest thing is actually caring about the person and situation. When you are sincere and believe in what you do, everything comes natural.

I start with good ol’ thinking of the problem. If no thought comes up – which happens rather often, as I don’t consider myself super-smart neither give myself enough time for thinking – I call intuition for help. I’ve made many decisions this way. So far so good, our business is growing

Quite a few elements of problem solving have been mentioned. I would like to add one more. It is this fundamental question: suppose we have solved the problem, what would the world look like. Lots of remarks to your question are about “how” a problem and its solution should be handled. The most basic question though is “why” we would want to find a solution. It is about motivation, aligning objectives of individuals, defining the general framework of an ideal solution.

It also means looking beyond the problem on hand, taking some distance, and looking for the real, “breakthrough” solution.
Clearly defining the requirements for a solution largely facilitates the evaluation of the different alternatives.

Listen, collaborate, engage. Solutions will come.

Yes, Coveys habit helps. Seek first to understand than to be understood.

[ZT – I am actually in the process of re-reading Stephen Covey's 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People. After 25 years, its still a great read.]

I cannot solve enough problems to be successful. I need the help of my team to solve problems to make them successful; if they are successful then I am successful.

I just coach them and provide feedback. Ultimately, they know more about the problem than I do – I just provide some guidance.

Surround yourself with people smarter than you who are willing to help you solve the problems.

[ZT – I see you are a reader of Napoleon Hill’s Mastermind concept. Look at the Success Through Balance over page – you can find a link to an article on “Creating Your Success Team” which uses the Napoleon Hill Mastermind concept. Also look around www.ZaleTabakman.ca because I also have other Napoleon Hill references.]

Here is your first point expanded:

Understand whose problem it is

1.      Can you, and should you fix it? Own the problem. Demonstrate that ownership to your customer

2.      If you shouldn’t fix it, help to find the correct owner. Communicate with your customer while finding the correct owner. Only once another person has taken ownership consider to remove yourself from the resolution process

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Tagged as: Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill, Planning, Positive Mental Attitiude, Success Through Balance