How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills
To reach our full potential, we need to learn to work with others and develop our problem-solving skills.
No matter what problems we face at work, the strategy for solving them remains the same. Here are some steps you can take when trying to solve a problem at work.
1. Encourage open communication.
Make sure your workplace is a safe environment where every employee feels free to speak openly. Provide your employees with an orderly process that allows them to express their thoughts or concerns, and show them that you value what they have to say.
2. Gather input from everyone.
Every problem is about people, and every problem needs people to solve it. Bring employees together to get their input and insights. Make sure you get input from everyone.
3. Define the problem.
It’s not enough to just identify a problem. You want to find out why there is a problem, and what caused it. For example, perhaps a customer is unhappy with a product. It’s your job to find out what the customer’s expectations were, how the product was delivered, what promises the salesperson made, and how the product was manufactured.
4. Consider solutions.
Work together with others to come up with possible solutions. Consider every aspect of the problem, and write down all of your ideas. Take clues from the problem itself. For example, if part of the problem is delivering products on time, look at the delivery route for possible solutions.
5. Determine the best solution.
Solutions can come from anyone, no matter their job title. Don’t let pride push aside good solutions. At the same time, don’t choose a solution just to make someone feel good. Focus on solving the problem so it doesn’t happen again.
This is where most people stop, but there’s one more step you can take that will make a big difference.
6. Track the solution to see how it works.
No matter how good your plan, it’s not going to be perfect. You might need to make some adjustments to really be efficient.
Problem solving is a big part of life. From the time Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they had to work hard—and work together—to solve problems. God placed us on this earth to learn; every challenge presents an opportunity for us to grow.
