It seems obvious, but how many times have we gone to a problem-solving meeting and the discussion started with either whose fault was it or an assertion about the proper solution?
Instead, start by explaining what the problem is – what went wrong, what the symptoms are, what the impact on your business and your customer’s business is. These are the things that someone knows at this point in the problem solving process. If the someone is not you, and you’re leading the problem-solving effort, you need to do some research to find out. No guesses or assumptions allowed: the problem description must give the facts clearly and accurately.
Write it down. Writing the problem down forces you to describe it carefully, completely and unambiguously. The statement is a valuable tool to help focus your team on the real problem and avoid wasting time on extraneous issues. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. No jumping ahead, either: you don’t know yet what caused the problem much less what you will do to fix it.
The written statement can also be used as a “sales tool” to explain what problem you’re solving and why it’s important. Use it to make sure you have the support you’ll need from management, your customer and any other key players. This is especially important if the significance of the problem is not universally understood or accepted.
The problem is defined when everybody who reads your problem statement, including you, understands what will be different when the problem is solved and your team agrees that it describes the correct problem.
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-07-07 13:37:062016-05-02 18:15:59Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First
July 1, 2009 marked the second anniversary of the StrategyDriven website and we have experienced considerable growth and innovation! Since July 1, 2008, we have tripled our number of registered members and have grown to a peak of:
1,035 registered members
9,107 unique monthly visitors
22,090 monthly site visits
69,519 monthly page views
Our website has also grown, now offering insights on strategic business planning and tactical execution through:
229 principle, best practice, and warning flag postings – covering 24 management and leadership categories
27 episodes of the StrategyDriven Podcast – ranked in the top three of all business podcasts during the last 12 months and twice voted as the number one business podcast!
20 Interviews
5 whitepapers
8 models and
the monthly edition of the StrategyDriven Newsletter – click here to sign up
As a community, we are fortunate to have had several of our members share their insights with us through posted comments including:
Podcast Alley (www.PodcastAlley.com) – ranked number 1, 2, or 3 of over 2500 business podcasts each month and
over 100 other websites linking to StrategyDriven
Thank You!
The StrategyDriven family would like to thank you, our readers and listeners, for helping to make our second year even more successful than the first! We truly appreciate your time and your insights and we look forward to an exciting year to come.
All the Best,
Karen Juliano
Editor-in-Chief and
Director, Communications and Marketing StrategyDriven
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00Nathan Iveshttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngNathan Ives2009-07-05 11:06:452013-06-30 15:11:56Celebrating Our Second Year… Continuing a Trend of Innovation
StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.
attributes needed to assume the role of growth leader
why the Chief Marketing Officer is uniquely position to serve as an organization’s growth leader
Additional Information
In addition to the incredible insights Scott shares in The Shift and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from his book’s website and his organization’s website, www.Prophet.com. Scott’s book, The Shift, can be purchased by clicking here.
Complimenting The Shift, are Scott’s books on the brand asset management including:
The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us on iTunes by clicking here. Rating the StrategyDriven Podcast and providing your comments online improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!
About the Author
Scott Davis, author of The Shift, is a senior partner at Prophet, a global marketing consultancy. Scott was an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and has guest lectured at many top MBA programs including Harvard, New York University, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. He has worked with top executives at GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Best Buy, Sara Lee, and Boeing. Scott is frequently quoted by leading business publications including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, USA Today, and Business Week. To read Scott’s full biography, click here.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-07-02 17:09:242015-10-07 23:08:30StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 16a – An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 1 of 2
Some of life’s greatest lessons come through failure… and greatness is often born in the rising from the ashes.
Everyone experiences personal and professional disappointments and setbacks. Those taking the time to critically and objectively examine and learn from their mistakes, applying those learnings to future endeavors, will inevitably be more successful. This truth is embodied by those from all walks of life who in their respective fields have achieved great success.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Albert Einstein
Awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, named Time’s Man of the Century in 1999, and best known for his conception of the theories of special and general relativity
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Wayne Gretzky
National Hockey League Hall of Famer and winner of:
four Stanley Cup Championships
nine Hart Trophies as the most valuable player
ten Art Ross Trophies for most points in a season
five Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship and performance
five Lester B. Pearson Awards and
and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP
Michael Jordan
National Basketball Association Hall of Famer, winner of:
6 NBA Championships
Rookie of the Year
5 NBA MVP Awards
6 NBA Finals MVP Awards
10 All-NBA First Team
9 NBA All-Defensive First Team
Defensive Player of the Year
14 NBA All-Star Awards
3 NBA All-Star MVP Awards
50th Anniversary All-Time Team
10 scoring titles — an NBA record and seven consecutive matching Wilt Chamberlain
Retired with the NBA’s highest scoring average of 30.1ppg
and
whose NBA website biography reads: “By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time.“
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-06-30 14:21:332016-08-08 15:52:35Leadership Inspirations – One Must Be Willing to Fail in Order to Succeed
The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today’s competitive world.
From the time we’re little kids, we’re taught to solve problems by trial and error. That’s fine if the problem is as simple as a burned out light bulb. When the problem is a muddle of business, technical and political problems, we need something that helps us untangle the mess. Unless you’re Harry Potter, treating a mess like a burned out light bulb is as effective as wishing for magic.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to magic. Many key concepts in problem solving seem obvious but are often overlooked, causing delays and frustration in getting important problems solved. Here are some tips and reminders that will help you solve messy problems quickly and easily.
** Define the problem first.
Explain what the problem is – what went wrong, what are the symptoms, what is the impact on your business. Write it down. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. Caution: describe the problem, not what you will do to fix it.
** Use your time for problems that are truly important.
Just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. If you ask, “what will happen if I don’t solve this problem?” and the answer is, “not much,” then turn your attention to something more important.
** Test your assumptions about everything.
Check the facts first. Be sure that you and your team understand the problem the same way, and that you have data to confirm that the problem is important. Test the assumptions about proposed solutions to improve the chances your solution will actually solve the problem.
** Measure.
The key question to answer is, “How will you know when the problem is solved?” If you don’t measure, you won’t know for sure. Use measurements to learn and portray the truth-the real truth, not what you wish were true.
** Measure the right things.
A common measurement trap is to measure something because it’s “interesting.” If knowing a measurement won’t change anything (e.g., help you make a decision, verify an assumption or prove the problem is solved), then don’t waste your time measuring it.
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
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Business Programs
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First
/in Decision-Making/by Jeanne SawyerIt seems obvious, but how many times have we gone to a problem-solving meeting and the discussion started with either whose fault was it or an assertion about the proper solution?
Instead, start by explaining what the problem is – what went wrong, what the symptoms are, what the impact on your business and your customer’s business is. These are the things that someone knows at this point in the problem solving process. If the someone is not you, and you’re leading the problem-solving effort, you need to do some research to find out. No guesses or assumptions allowed: the problem description must give the facts clearly and accurately.
Write it down. Writing the problem down forces you to describe it carefully, completely and unambiguously. The statement is a valuable tool to help focus your team on the real problem and avoid wasting time on extraneous issues. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. No jumping ahead, either: you don’t know yet what caused the problem much less what you will do to fix it.
The written statement can also be used as a “sales tool” to explain what problem you’re solving and why it’s important. Use it to make sure you have the support you’ll need from management, your customer and any other key players. This is especially important if the significance of the problem is not universally understood or accepted.
The problem is defined when everybody who reads your problem statement, including you, understands what will be different when the problem is solved and your team agrees that it describes the correct problem.
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://crisis-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author:
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
Celebrating Our Second Year… Continuing a Trend of Innovation
/in Announcements/by Nathan IvesOur website has also grown, now offering insights on strategic business planning and tactical execution through:
As a community, we are fortunate to have had several of our members share their insights with us through posted comments including:
Finally, we have been complimented by many reviewers and websites linking to us including:
Thank You!
The StrategyDriven family would like to thank you, our readers and listeners, for helping to make our second year even more successful than the first! We truly appreciate your time and your insights and we look forward to an exciting year to come.
All the Best,
Karen Juliano
Editor-in-Chief and
Director, Communications and Marketing
StrategyDriven
StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 16a – An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 1 of 2
/in Marketing & Sales, StrategyDriven Podcast/by StrategyDrivenSpecial Edition 16a – An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 1 of 2 examines the bottom line benefits of the Chief Marketing Officer serving as an organization’s corporate growth leader. During part one of our discussion, Scott Davis, author of The Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders
shares his insights with us regarding:
Additional Information
In addition to the incredible insights Scott shares in The Shift
and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from his book’s website and his organization’s website, www.Prophet.com. Scott’s book, The Shift
, can be purchased by clicking here
.
Complimenting The Shift
, are Scott’s books on the brand asset management including:
Final Request…
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!
About the Author
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:53 — 28.7MB)
Subscribe: RSS
Leadership Inspirations – One Must Be Willing to Fail in Order to Succeed
/in Leadership Inspirations/by StrategyDrivenSome of life’s greatest lessons come through failure… and greatness is often born in the rising from the ashes.
Everyone experiences personal and professional disappointments and setbacks. Those taking the time to critically and objectively examine and learn from their mistakes, applying those learnings to future endeavors, will inevitably be more successful. This truth is embodied by those from all walks of life who in their respective fields have achieved great success.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Albert Einstein
Awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, named Time’s Man of the Century in 1999, and best known for his conception of the theories of special and general relativity
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Wayne Gretzky
National Hockey League Hall of Famer and winner of:
Michael Jordan
National Basketball Association Hall of Famer, winner of:
and
StrategyDriven would like to extend a special thank you to Kelly Sonora, who introduced us to Online College’s (www.OnlineCollege.org) article 100 Incredibly Inspiring Videos for Leaders from which we found the above Michael Jordan video by Nike.
Five Problem-Solving Success Tips
/in Decision-Making/by Jeanne SawyerThe ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important than ever in today’s competitive world.
From the time we’re little kids, we’re taught to solve problems by trial and error. That’s fine if the problem is as simple as a burned out light bulb. When the problem is a muddle of business, technical and political problems, we need something that helps us untangle the mess. Unless you’re Harry Potter, treating a mess like a burned out light bulb is as effective as wishing for magic.
Fortunately, there are alternatives to magic. Many key concepts in problem solving seem obvious but are often overlooked, causing delays and frustration in getting important problems solved. Here are some tips and reminders that will help you solve messy problems quickly and easily.
** Define the problem first.
Explain what the problem is – what went wrong, what are the symptoms, what is the impact on your business. Write it down. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. Caution: describe the problem, not what you will do to fix it.
** Use your time for problems that are truly important.
Just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. If you ask, “what will happen if I don’t solve this problem?” and the answer is, “not much,” then turn your attention to something more important.
** Test your assumptions about everything.
Check the facts first. Be sure that you and your team understand the problem the same way, and that you have data to confirm that the problem is important. Test the assumptions about proposed solutions to improve the chances your solution will actually solve the problem.
** Measure.
The key question to answer is, “How will you know when the problem is solved?” If you don’t measure, you won’t know for sure. Use measurements to learn and portray the truth-the real truth, not what you wish were true.
** Measure the right things.
A common measurement trap is to measure something because it’s “interesting.” If knowing a measurement won’t change anything (e.g., help you make a decision, verify an assumption or prove the problem is solved), then don’t waste your time measuring it.
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://crisis-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author:
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.