THE CRITICAL ROLE OF THE PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILL

Everyday we are faced with situations and issues in our daily life that need solutions. It could be as simple as trying to come up with a solution in routine day to day work or a complex project at the work place.

The world is evolving fast and in this fast-paced environment people are constantly looking for solutions to provide more efficiency.  

In the past, you had to write a letter to communicate with someone. The letter could take days before it was delivered. You also had to track the letter to see if it had been sent to and received by the appropriate person.

This is not the case today. Technology has made sure of this and provided a better solution. Communication has gotten easier and faster over the years from the aforementioned example. To communicate with someone in society today, you have so many options at your fingertips. You can send them a message on social media, text them, email, or put a call through.

This is just an example of the problems we are faced with and how we can offer solutions to our challenges.

This past month I have learnt more about problem solving as an important skill from a course by the Bridge Africa. This has been an eye opener for me and I will share some of the key lessons that I have learnt.

All employment opportunities are PROBLEMS. All successful employees are problem SOLVERS!

This was very interesting to me as part of the introduction. At their very core, organizations hire for only one reason – to solve a problem that exists in a particular unit, department, branch or office. In the workplace, there are a variety of different problems, ranging from interpersonal challenges with colleagues, to broken internal processes, to problems around product profitability and how the organization sells and markets its goods.

So, how do we solve these problems?

I will highlight two important ways to go about this:

1. Every major issue requiring a resolution especially complex ones like work-based challenges require a coherent approach (called a structure) and the appropriate tools for that process.

Two things are critical for any problem namely: Defining the problem and separating it from symptoms. To begin, you should:

Review the information at hand. What impact are you seeing? Where does it seem to be coming from? How did you learn about it?

Distill it to one core problem. Don’t solve two problems, follow the information. Where is it leading you? Is there a clear path to one problem? If not, how can you find one?

Finally, determine its origin. Where does your problem originate? Is it your teams/people problem? A process problem? An organizational problem?

2. 5 WHYS TECHNIQUE. This involves initiating your diagnosis by asking, “Why is this happening?” up to five times to ensure your focus isn’t on symptoms but on the root cause.

Finally, what are some lessons on key competencies to develop from the top consultancy firms e.g. McKinsey and BCG on problem solving?

1) Facts Reading - the ability to accurately comprehend facts/data and work with it effectively

2) Root Cause Analysis - its the ability to get to the underlying causes by cutting through the noise and irrelevant facts

3) Fact-Based Conclusion - it is about drawing logical conclusions from NOTHING ELSE but the relevant facts

4) Client Interpretation - the ability to narrow your focus on the actual project requirements so that you are solving the actual problem the client presents

5) Estimation/Guestimation Skills - this is a quantitative skill demonstrated through the ability to quickly perform mental math, identify trends, compare aspects logically and so forth.

In conclusion, problem-solving skills help you determine the source of a problem and find an effective solution. 

While problem-solving skills are valued by employers, they are also highly useful in other areas of life like relationship building and day-to-day decision making.

This is in my opinion, one of the most important skills to develop. For more details on the problem solving course you can visit https://www.ureadyafrica.com/ by The Bridge Africa.

Structured Communication

Credit: Bizfluent

Structured Communication is the ability to articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral formats.

Good communicators understand that communication is a mental exercise not a linguistic one. As an A-class communicator you will be required to invest in 3 questions: WHY, WHAT and HOW.

KNOW WHY? Everything we will ever say in life is to answer a question. In fact, without a question there would be no need for a response below it.

e.g. the reason you have to give a presentation is to answer a question or assignment and present the answer to your findings.

KNOW WHAT? When we understand WHY a question is posed to us, it becomes easier to fix WHAT to say in response. - If you do not know the question you are answering don’t answer – Because, if you do not know why it is being asked then your answer won’t help much.

3. KNOW HOW? Does knowing what to say and saying it mean that whoever is listening got exactly what you wanted them to? Most of us know the answer is NO. Mostly because we have been in situations where we were misunderstood or embarrassed when people got what we did not intend to convey.

To expound on structured communication, the Minto principle will be important to understand.

Just like the shape of a pyramid with a tipped point it helps you to: Start with the Main Point - the Conclusion. To then break down supporting reasons below it. Make sure that at any communication point you are only defending one point at a time.

So what if you have many ideas? Then you should be able to summarize them which mean they cogently fit together and if not they are incomplete

Threats to communication

Distraction. It makes it difficult for you to connect with your audience and so you struggle from the word go. You must remember that they will have a lot that can distract them from your message and that you will have a very small window of opportunity to capture and retain their attention.  

If we communicate in an unstructured way, our audience struggles to understand us. Luckily, if we bring structure and uniqueness to our communication we can combat distraction.

Competition. The one thing you are assured of in life is competition. Many people fight competition in two ways. Becoming better or becoming different. While it is paramount for you to improve (become better) it is even more important to focus on being different. Sally Hogshead argues that “Better is a mirage. Better is temporary. Better is a flimsy edge that can be toppled in a millisecond by someone with a bigger following, a lower price, a more convenient location, a fancier degree, a shinier award, a newer technology, a more skilful skill. Better is not always better. Sometimes, it’s worse. But different allows you to highlight the singular traits you already have within you. You aren’t necessarily better than your competition. But you are already different. Doing different is not always easy, it might seem risky to stand out, but risk is the safer of your options.

The greater danger lies on the other side of the coin: being ignored.” So why is your language important? Because communicating successfully to your audience what you are offering requires “knowing what others want and expect from you, and how you deliver it like nobody else, BUT it also requires you to look at yourself from the perspective of how the world sees you. And this means combating the competition by focusing not only on how your offering/product/service is different, but also on how you, the person, are essential to that solution.”

Commoditization. If you become a commodity in the eyes of your customers, it means you’re vulnerable. You can be easily replaced. So your personality and language is very important in the success of your career. A research by Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist, discovered that “people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don’t, even if the likable person is offering a lower quality product or service at a higher price.”

When you communicate in a usual way that does not set you apart you are seen as replaceable. That is, people have no doubt that what you offer can be found elsewhere because there is nothing unique to you. So how do you use your language to avoid being replaceable and to fight being commoditized?

e.g. A financial adviser who can demonstrate his Innovation Advantage by consistently presenting unique and well-researched options that coincide with his client’s individual interests will never be perceived as replaceable.

When you group and summarize your supporting arguments, it’s easy to go from the single thought to the next level of ideas without getting too detailed right away.

Finally, you want to ensure that the ideas you bring together under each group actually belong together, are at the same level of importance, and follow some logical structure.

This is the beauty of structured communication.

Credit: Excerpts from Uready by Bridge Africa (Structured and Branded Communication)

Getting the most out of our Networks.

Photo credit: thenextweb.com

Networking is a key component of our daily lives whether at work or at social events, it is always an opportunity to network and create relationships.

In our day to day lives, business networks are key to enable us sell our ideas to other people, grow our businesses and learn from other people.

What is business networking?

Business networking is defined as the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers.

To grow our businesses, improve in our corporate work places and learn faster, networking is very important.

Networking doesn’t have to be slimy or icky. You don’t have to bring 100 business cards and hand out every single one nor do you have to shake every hand in the room. If you network for the sale you may get one sale but if you network for the connection, then you have gained so much more.

Some tips on networking that will help you build a solid foundation and grow a strong circle of connections include:

Figure out who matters most. These are the contacts whose presence in your life is clearly valuable to your career. Once you've identified your critical few, make sure to keep regular contact. You should know what their interests are and follow up with them around those.

Be yourself from the start. Anyone will see right through you if you’re putting on “airs” in order to impress them. People want to do business with people they like so be authentically you.

If you want to connect with someone, find a way to help that person. It's easy to assume that a wealthy and successful contact already has everything he or she desires and wants nothing from the likes of you. If you're thinking that way, get over it. It's always worth the trouble to find out a contact's desires and concerns. The chances are high that you'll be able to find something worthwhile you can offer.

Think people, not positions. It's a lot easier to get to know someone and form a connection early in that person's career. It's not that easy to break into the inner circle of 50- or 60-year-old executives. It's a lot easier to build up that equity early. So think about who in your network seems to be going places and is really interesting and make a strong connection. Even if they don't become an influencer, it'll be an interesting relationship.

Make the effort. Events are high energy and people get wrapped up in the moment. As soon as they return back to work, that quickly weans and its business as usual. Make the effort to stay in touch. A short email, text, or even snail mail communication is often met with pleasant surprise.

Be a good addition. You meet people every single day and not every person is going to be a good fit for your network. The reverse is true. Many people will meet you and not jive with you in that way. When there is a mutual connection, be sure to be a good addition to their network. Be someone they can count on and it is very likely that they will do the same.

Be generous. You have to have a generous spirit. The greatest networkers genuinely like to help others. They're always doing it. And if they ever do need anything, people will fall over themselves to help them.

Networking doesn’t have to be filled with horror stories. Sure, not everyone is open and welcoming. You will be met with resistance from time to time and that is just the nature of the beast.

A professional network can help your career in many ways including getting a job, promotion and even leveraging a raise. However, to achieve all of that you need to step outside your comfort zone and start connecting with other people in your field. 

Remember that you can’t just build the relationships, you need to maintain them by following and keeping up with all of your connections.

Your net worth is only as good as your network.

Effective Communication

Credit: sdecb.com

From my series with the Bridge Africa on Structured Communication, I have learnt a lot in relation to how to deliver your message so that it is well understood.

My key take away from the series was on the Minto Pyramid by a former McKinsey consultant, Barbara Minto.

Barbara spent years talking to the busiest people in the world from CEOs to investors. She realized that to communicate quickly, clearly and without being misunderstood, you should structure what you want to say like a Pyramid.

How does this work?

Barbara argues that whenever we communicate we should always start with THE MAIN IDEA (sort of like a conclusion) and everything we say after that should be to support what we said at the top.

Sometimes we have very great ideas but we are not able to present them in the right way and are not clearly understood.

Just like the shape of a pyramid with a tipped point it helps you to: Start with the Main Point - the Conclusion. To then break down supporting reasons below it. Make sure that at any communication point you is only defending one point at a time.

So what if you have many ideas? Then you should be able to summarize them which mean they cogently fit together and if not they are incomplete.

I have been able to view presentations differently now. By answering the audience question first, you sound more assertive and confident. You’re not searching for reasons or words, and you don’t sound like you’re wavering. You are plainly and directly answering the question that was posed to you.

Your audience will naturally begin to group and summarize your arguments and ideas in order to remember them. So you may as well help them do it and make your overall recommendation more effective and memorable.

Overcoming Natural Fears

Recently, I was discussing with a friend who was worried about his bad habit of submitting his work late and how he is always late for deadlines and meetings. I couldn’t help but sympathise with him. He knew his problem and was willing to admit that this had led him to lose opportunities and he felt he needed to do more and improve on himself.

This a problem that I have encountered with many people but are not willing to admit. Sometimes we feel that the deadline is too far, we still have time. This can wait, we will do it later. It is not important for now.

Before we know it, the deadline is a few days, hours, minutes and seconds away. You regret why you did not start early when you still had the time. You promise yourself you will improve with the next task, but surprisingly sooner or later, you are still in the same position. Why?

I have been doing a great series on UReady by the Bridge Africa on grit. From the series, I have learnt about the ground breaking works of Angela Duckworth on grit. What is grit?

According to Daniel Coyle “GRIT is that mix of passion, perseverance, and self-discipline that keeps us moving forward in spite of obstacles.”

The central thesis in her book and work is that people who persevere through obstacles are the ones who get further in life than even talent. She refers to these people as 'gritty' and in her various tests with students, military cadets, business hotshots among others, she finds conclusive evidence that GRIT is a better predictor of success than popular aspects such as IQ or talent. 

Let’s go back to the problem facing my friend. How many times have we thought that we are not talented enough or we cannot do this because it’s not my thing? My friend has always thought that ‘I am a late person, I will most likely miss deadlines or it’s my thing to be late for meetings’.

However, has he tried to take small steps to change this?

Duckworth notes that when it comes to the psychology of success and achievement, effort is huge. If my friend would put in the effort on a daily basis, prioritise tasks, remain focussed on a task until completion and keep on making the small strides out of the habit of procrastination, with time he will realise that with passion, discipline and perseverance, it is very much possible to overcome this challenge.

In conclusion, embracing a positive attitude and having the grit will enable us to achieve our goals easily and attain success in what we do.