How To Quickly Find Solutions To Unsolvable Problems

One of these companies once brought in a special person. He looked at the situation, thought about it, and suggested: “Beginning next month, release brochures in a new format. They should be smaller but thicker than they are now.“ He said and left, having received a fee.

And the competing company went bankrupt after a couple of months.

Who is a trouble-shooter?

The profession of the person who came is called “trouble-shooter”. All his job is to come and solve the problem, no matter how difficult it is. Most often, these are tasks that internal managers and external consultants have already worked on to no avail. These are situations of increased complexity. Eliminating them takes the company to a new level.

The task of the troubleshooter is to provide a simple solution so that it is as efficient and error-free as possible. Create a “magic pill for all problems.” Agree that it sounds fantastically great, so much a “pill” cannot be cheap.

An hour of work of a troubleshooter is approximately $100,000. Not every large company, not to mention individuals, can afford to use the services of these specialists.

But this article is not about calling one of them to solve your problems. It’s about finding such a troubleshooter in yourself. To learn just as cleverly and beautifully to find solutions to seemingly insoluble difficulties.

Work principles.

Here are a few guidelines for troubleshooters.

1. Turn the problem into a task.

One of the troubleshooters was once asked: “Where do you start your work?”

He replied: “From the fact that I turn it into a task. I have not been taught to solve problems since childhood. But they were often allowed to solve problems. First of all, I make a problem out of a problem and think about a solution.“

The word “problem” in itself triggers internal anxiety, and the word “problem” reminds of a school algebra course and turns on the mechanism responsible for finding a solution. It is worth changing the wording to deceive the fear of the dreaded word “problem.”

2. Concentrate on the solution.

Speaking of fear, by the way. Focusing on the problem itself will only fuel negative emotions. It’s another matter if you try to abstract from the problem and start looking for a solution. The further the distance between you and the situation, the easier it is to find it.

Usually, when we give advice to someone else, we act more rationally because we don’t feel emotion. Imagine that the task you are currently analyzing is not yours. It was told to you by a person in line to see a doctor, and you really want to help him and find a solution.

3. Get out of the “zone of comfortable ideas.”

Comfortable ideas are familiar, “comfortable” and familiar ideas that have worked for someone. Similar to the phrase “all the most interesting is outside the comfort zone,” the coolest ideas are somewhere in unfamiliar, sometimes ridiculous thoughts. It often happens that the way out of the problem can be funny, unusual.

Write down all the ideas, no matter how silly they seem.

4. Simplify everything.

Life is very simple. There is nothing complicated around us, and all the difficulties are invented by the person himself. Albert Einstein’s quote formulates a principle for troubleshooters: “In the midst of disorder, find simplicity; find harmony in the midst of strife; find an opportunity in difficulty. “

The simplest ideas are often the most effective. Simplify tasks, generalize, break them down into several small ones to find the simplest possible solution.

Build a collection of competencies.

To solve any problem, you need a lot, a lot to know and be able to.

It’s much easier when you don’t have to solve all sorts of problems. It is enough to know only what you need in your work and related areas. In this case, the list of competencies will not be so huge. It is easier and faster to become an expert in 30 of the most key skills.