Okay, I know what you're thinking. How can an article tell me how to do my job better without even knowing me, where I work or even the nature of my business? Who knows my business better than I do? And to that I say ... I agree wholeheartedly. But from a previous article "What Worry Is and What It May Do To You", the consequences of worry are clear. So even if this article manages to improve things in your business or at your place of work by 20%, it is still adding a great amount of value, especially as it is free to implement. Fair enough? Great, let's get to it!
A lot of the time in business, the exact problem is not written down concretely and we go around in futile circles. This not only puts stress and worries on the employees but also the management as time and energy are being wasted with no progress in sight. This is especially frustrating for startups when "putting out fires" under scarce resources.
Typically, the approach to problem-solving in a business setting takes the following course:
See if the problem relates to you, or can be shifted to someone else.
State all the things that have gone wrong, or are not going as well as they should be.
Ask for the solution, escalate to higher management or work around the room.
Although this procedure may be the norm, it adds stress to people which results in a domino effect. This potentially adds workload to employees or management where the minority of individuals who have initiative always work out the problems and the majority take a back seat, do not learn much and repeat the procedure time and again.
Going forward, a solution that will benefit both employees and management is to begin training them for self-reliance and creativity. How you may ask? Like all magic tricks, it may seem impossible, but once you know how the trick works, it is rather simple and straightforward. It may be of great use to hand out this process to each employee and have a policy of the below process being followed before any employee approaches management for assistance. This process will breed independence, creativity, and knowledge as the participant will study the problem with a set guideline. This knowledge will be useful in attacking similar problems that may occur but most importantly, it will plant the seed for taking greater responsibility and initiative.
"A business can only improve if greater development of each employee is undertaken, and most of the development is making the employee realise their inner genius. People want to feel considered and supported, and nothing gives them this message more clearly than constant nurturing, guidance and challenges." – Self-Mastery
Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have. – Pat Summitt
Exercise – For Managers: How would the dynamic change at your current workplace if your employees started analysing and solving more problems on their own? What advantages would there be if employees began logging all the lessons learn't for more independent working, and had a "never give up, there's always a way" mindset? How would the company benefit if people were more confident in undertaking independent analysis and sharpening their decision-making abilities?
Exercise – For Employees: How would taking more ownership at your current workplace change their perception of you? For instance, if you were known to analyse more company problems, provide information and solutions to higher management and assist them with their jobs. How would your career prospects change if your current company saw you as a reliable problem solver?
The Five-Step Process
Step 1: Write down what the exact problem is, not your worries or concerns. Concretely writing down the exact problem that you are facing will provide you with clarity and avoid confusion. As the saying goes, "a problem well-stated is a problem half solved".
Step 2: Analyse the root cause of the problem.
Using the 5 W's and the H (Who, What, Where, Why, When and How), objectively find the conditions that lay at the root cause of the problem.
Collect and analyse all the facts that can be obtained in regards to the problem at hand. Every piece of information should be written down before it is to be discussed or debated.
Step 3: Write down all the possible solutions to the problem at hand.
Step 4: Scrutinise every proposed solution, writing down the pros and cons of each.
Step 5: Recommend a solution. At this stage, you can either implement the solution or talk through the process with management for guidance.
This process can be downloaded below.
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