RESOLVING A PROBLEM
Problem Solving October 26th 2007 13:08
When a problem comes along, study it until you are completely knowledgeable. Then find that weak spot, break the problem apart and the rest will be easy.
Peale Norman
Introduction. A problem is a part of a life. During the 15-16 hours spent by us everyday from eyes-open to eyes-close, every act of ours can lead to a problem and may need varying degree of attention. While some problems can be resolved within a short time through simple discussions or actions, others might require a well-planned strategy and even considerable resources to resolve. But one thing is definite; each problem has a solution. Hence as a general rule of thumb, we can lay down certain basic guidelines to the process of resolving a specific problem. Once these are followed honestly and sincerely, the rest are details.
Identify and Accept. For most people this is the most insignificant part of problem resolution. However, I beg to differ and, if so required, violently. Well, being a professional pilot for over two decades now, not identifying or accepting a problem has been the root cause of many a disasters during entire history of aviation. The wiser ones have always said, identify the problem correctly, and half your job is done. Whether you are a parent, teacher, student, employer, employee, leader, manager or whatever, unless you identify and acknowledge the existence of a particular problem, it can never be resolved. Remember all those non-profit making employers who simply do not wish to change the existing status and continue with outdated styles of functioning? They also belong to this category and conveniently do not identify nor accept the very existence of a particular problem. Unfortunately, this is the single most differentiating factor between efficiencies of most Government run enterprises across the world and the private/corporate sectors.
Gather all information. Once a problem has been identified and accepted, the rest is relatively easy. As they say with any electrical problem, its now time to ‘isolate’. This, though, requires thorough knowledge of all related aspects, parties or items that helped in creating this problem. This knowledge prepares us well to tackle the problem much more effectively, or in an extreme case allow us to reach a fair conclusion whether the problem is worth resolving at this stage or more information is desirable? Since we know each and every problem is worth resolving at some stage, we simply have to decide the level at which it should be resolved.
Understand its complications. This is the trickier part of the process and requires a more critical analysis. Some problems are superficial in nature, and, in that; they represent an underlying message which needs to be understood. There is one famous old saying -‘if the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem will look like a nail.’ Avoid such situations and be flexible. A minor dissent showed by your minor over breakfast may simply be a small tantrum that can be tackled directly by accepting or denying the demand. However, an employee at work displaying similar mannerism over an issue might actually be hinting at a totally different reason. For example, his frequent late-coming may not be a simple open and shut case, but could be related to some major issue like disharmony at home, a child’s sickness, or could even be beginning of a revolt over paltry salary being paid to him for the work output he is expected to produce. So simply trying to resolve his late coming as a disciplinary problem with related corrective action may actually complicate the problem further, and in a worse case scenario it might spread to other factions of work and even people. While it might sound unbelievable, there has been a case in a civil airliner whereby the pilot handled an in-flight smoke situation exceedingly well in the air and executed a safe landing at an airport. However, after stopping the aircraft, he started looking for emergency checklist for smoke removal rather than ordering an immediate evacuation of passengers and crewmembers thereby resulting in loss of all lives on board due to asphyxiation (choked to death). So look for the more critical underlying problem or you will simply blow more fuel into fire and wonder where it all went wrong?
Make Out A Workable Plan. Once all the nuances have been looked after critically, the situation understood in full and underlying currents ironed out, it’s now to formulate a plan that works. This would involve all parties and the requirement to consider their contentions, when, where and how to involve them, how much autonomy is to be given to participating parties, and finally when, if at all, it might require an executive decision. It is a well known fact that in a war, the planning/preparation part is 95 %, and once all plans are safely in place, their execution is a mere 5%.
Implement effectively. This requires those General like qualities, where flexibility, effectiveness and efficiency decide the outcome of a plan. Unless implementation is firm and constructive, results will not show up. Or even if they do for the time being, eventually they would let the situation slide back to the same position necessitating much harsher or difficult corrective action.
Confirm Effectiveness. This is an interesting part. Most people in position seek views of their confidants who might never give politically incorrect viewpoint of the resulting situation, thereby keeping the actual results under wraps from the boss. Avoid this situation. You might have a peaceful night’s sleep for a few days, but this incorrect feedback would return with vengeance in no time with much lesser time to react, and even lesser resources at hand after you have already failed once. Effectiveness should be checked in field, preferably in person. Remember all those bed-time stories when in olden times, good kings used to change their dresses at night to assess the ground situation themselves? Be that good king yourself.
Re-Appreciate The Plan If Necessary. No plan guarantees success. So if it doesn’t work out, do re-appreciate the situation and make necessary amendments. Don’t shelve the whole plan or look for totally different alternatives as most others would do. If necessary effort has gone in with honesty, minor situational corrections here and there can alter the results radically, and much to the satisfaction of most. One thing that needs to be remembered here is that you cannot please everybody. So don’t even try it.
Conclusion. Resolving a problem is an art, science and management technique at the same time depending on situation to situation. One strategy may not work everywhere else.
An Afterthought. In all such problem situations, identify your own role in creating this problem. Much too every leader’s dislike, no problem arises out of nowhere. Everyone has had a role in it, and identifying it might solve the problem forever. It’s good to remember that:
The wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.
Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self.
You are the way and the wayfarers.
Khalil Gibran in "The Prophet"
Solving a problem his way: my son
When a problem comes along, study it until you are completely knowledgeable. Then find that weak spot, break the problem apart and the rest will be easy.
Peale Norman
Introduction. A problem is a part of a life. During the 15-16 hours spent by us everyday from eyes-open to eyes-close, every act of ours can lead to a problem and may need varying degree of attention. While some problems can be resolved within a short time through simple discussions or actions, others might require a well-planned strategy and even considerable resources to resolve. But one thing is definite; each problem has a solution. Hence as a general rule of thumb, we can lay down certain basic guidelines to the process of resolving a specific problem. Once these are followed honestly and sincerely, the rest are details.
Identify and Accept. For most people this is the most insignificant part of problem resolution. However, I beg to differ and, if so required, violently. Well, being a professional pilot for over two decades now, not identifying or accepting a problem has been the root cause of many a disasters during entire history of aviation. The wiser ones have always said, identify the problem correctly, and half your job is done. Whether you are a parent, teacher, student, employer, employee, leader, manager or whatever, unless you identify and acknowledge the existence of a particular problem, it can never be resolved. Remember all those non-profit making employers who simply do not wish to change the existing status and continue with outdated styles of functioning? They also belong to this category and conveniently do not identify nor accept the very existence of a particular problem. Unfortunately, this is the single most differentiating factor between efficiencies of most Government run enterprises across the world and the private/corporate sectors.
Gather all information. Once a problem has been identified and accepted, the rest is relatively easy. As they say with any electrical problem, its now time to ‘isolate’. This, though, requires thorough knowledge of all related aspects, parties or items that helped in creating this problem. This knowledge prepares us well to tackle the problem much more effectively, or in an extreme case allow us to reach a fair conclusion whether the problem is worth resolving at this stage or more information is desirable? Since we know each and every problem is worth resolving at some stage, we simply have to decide the level at which it should be resolved.
Understand its complications. This is the trickier part of the process and requires a more critical analysis. Some problems are superficial in nature, and, in that; they represent an underlying message which needs to be understood. There is one famous old saying -‘if the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem will look like a nail.’ Avoid such situations and be flexible. A minor dissent showed by your minor over breakfast may simply be a small tantrum that can be tackled directly by accepting or denying the demand. However, an employee at work displaying similar mannerism over an issue might actually be hinting at a totally different reason. For example, his frequent late-coming may not be a simple open and shut case, but could be related to some major issue like disharmony at home, a child’s sickness, or could even be beginning of a revolt over paltry salary being paid to him for the work output he is expected to produce. So simply trying to resolve his late coming as a disciplinary problem with related corrective action may actually complicate the problem further, and in a worse case scenario it might spread to other factions of work and even people. While it might sound unbelievable, there has been a case in a civil airliner whereby the pilot handled an in-flight smoke situation exceedingly well in the air and executed a safe landing at an airport. However, after stopping the aircraft, he started looking for emergency checklist for smoke removal rather than ordering an immediate evacuation of passengers and crewmembers thereby resulting in loss of all lives on board due to asphyxiation (choked to death). So look for the more critical underlying problem or you will simply blow more fuel into fire and wonder where it all went wrong?
Make Out A Workable Plan. Once all the nuances have been looked after critically, the situation understood in full and underlying currents ironed out, it’s now to formulate a plan that works. This would involve all parties and the requirement to consider their contentions, when, where and how to involve them, how much autonomy is to be given to participating parties, and finally when, if at all, it might require an executive decision. It is a well known fact that in a war, the planning/preparation part is 95 %, and once all plans are safely in place, their execution is a mere 5%.
Implement effectively. This requires those General like qualities, where flexibility, effectiveness and efficiency decide the outcome of a plan. Unless implementation is firm and constructive, results will not show up. Or even if they do for the time being, eventually they would let the situation slide back to the same position necessitating much harsher or difficult corrective action.
Confirm Effectiveness. This is an interesting part. Most people in position seek views of their confidants who might never give politically incorrect viewpoint of the resulting situation, thereby keeping the actual results under wraps from the boss. Avoid this situation. You might have a peaceful night’s sleep for a few days, but this incorrect feedback would return with vengeance in no time with much lesser time to react, and even lesser resources at hand after you have already failed once. Effectiveness should be checked in field, preferably in person. Remember all those bed-time stories when in olden times, good kings used to change their dresses at night to assess the ground situation themselves? Be that good king yourself.
Re-Appreciate The Plan If Necessary. No plan guarantees success. So if it doesn’t work out, do re-appreciate the situation and make necessary amendments. Don’t shelve the whole plan or look for totally different alternatives as most others would do. If necessary effort has gone in with honesty, minor situational corrections here and there can alter the results radically, and much to the satisfaction of most. One thing that needs to be remembered here is that you cannot please everybody. So don’t even try it.
Conclusion. Resolving a problem is an art, science and management technique at the same time depending on situation to situation. One strategy may not work everywhere else.
An Afterthought. In all such problem situations, identify your own role in creating this problem. Much too every leader’s dislike, no problem arises out of nowhere. Everyone has had a role in it, and identifying it might solve the problem forever. It’s good to remember that:
The wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.
Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self.
You are the way and the wayfarers.
Khalil Gibran in "The Prophet"
Solving a problem his way: my son
