Life, relationships, businesses and careers are filled with problems. Problems are not positive or negative - they are neutral. I once heard a speaker say, "I don't have any problems - I have opportunities." Problems, challenges, opportunities, struggles. I don't care what you choose to call them and they don't really care whether you handle them well or poorly.
Problems don't stand on the sidelines and cheer when you overcome them and they don't rant and rave when you fail to deal with them effectively. Problems are neutral entities that come and go in a person's life and they are immune to the human reaction to them.
What are problems? Can they give us an opportunity to grow?
Can they be warning signs that it is time for change?
Can they be benchmarks telling you that you need clearer direction, better focus or better skills?
We tend to bring into our lives or attract those problems (issues) that force us to learn, grow, overcome and sometimes accept. Norman Vincent Peale once said, "The only people without problems are dead." Don't have any problems? Maybe you are on your way out and just don't know it yet!
There are sixteen attitudes or approaches you can take when you are challenged with whatever you choose to call these things that you wish you didn't have or would go away.
Quit.
Ignore the issue or circumstances.
Accept it.
Learn from it.
Attack it.
Overcome it.
Flow with it.
Hibernate.
Blame others for it.
Do nothing.
Throw money at it.
Throw people at it.
See it as an opportunity for personal growth.
Get discouraged.
Embrace it as an important part of your job.
Solve it.
Management problems, whatever form they take -financial, personnel, marketing, sales, production, shipping, etc. - are no different than any other problem. Yes, your solution or approach may impact customers, employees, or stockholders, but you still have the above 16 choices. What is your typical or usual attitude about problems? How do you react? One of the things I have noticed in my career as a speaker and trainer is that many businesses always have enough time and money to fix problems, but they never have enough time or money to do it right the first time. The simple keys to effective problem solving are:
Anticipation of the problem.
Recognition that it is a problem. If it is a recurring problem ask why is this happening again?
Acceptance that it won't solve itself.
Careful evaluation of the causes, circumstances or attitudes that led up to it.
Determining your real intent.
Determining appropriate actions to take.
Determining who will be touched by the solution or actions.
Deciding how you will get buy-in to your solution/actions from others.
Anticipating potential resistance from - people, circumstances or resources.
Evaluating the consequences or ripple effect of your decision/action.
Start, decide, do something.
Take full responsibility for the outcomes of your actions/decisions.
Re-evaluate the outcomes at pre-determined benchmarks.
Be willing to abandon your solution if it is obviously not working
Keep your ego out of the decision process.
Problems are in your life for a reason. One simple approach I have used for years is to ask: What am I supposed to be learning because of this challenge, problem issue etc. And then be willing to listen to the answer whether you agree with it or like it.
