As a consultant, I interact with a wide variety of problem solving situations, from Nuclear, Project Office to Information Technology. However diverse the industry the pitfalls are still the same. The following are four interesting but important lessons, when followed would make a world of difference in leading problem solving sessions in 2015.
Resolution One: Make sure you address the correct problem. How many times did I get involved with a client, helping them to solve a problem just to realize that they are not addressing the correct problem. This is particularly true for describing a fault, agreeing on solution requirements and developing causes.
Resolution Two: Align the expectations of your stakeholders. It was highly surprising how little stakeholder alignment was achieved in client problem and project situations. Assume every person walking through the meeting door is on a different page and take special care to get all of your stakeholders onto the same page before proceeding.
Resolution Three: “Ask the right question from the right person!” When you solve problems you need to know which questions to ask an information source. In most cases information is historical and when asking a good question you are entitled to a good quality answer. Someone has the information, so make a special effort to ask the right person the right question to get the right answer.
Resolution Four: Ask, “Who is the Mandate Giver (sponsor) in this situation?” When addressing a problem situation I've seen so many times a team trying to resolve an issue just to discover that nobody is prepared to take accountability for it.
If you can make the above four resolutions your four things you would do differently next year, you will make a major difference in the way you and your team are solving problems. These were the four top lessons that came back to me time and again in 2014.
May I wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
P.S. We will resume our weekly blogs in January. Have a terrific holiday!
