Grow your business: Leadership and problem solving
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“The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them,” the late Colin Powell is known to have said. Leaders are problem solvers. They are taught to address problems, not avoid them. If leadership is, in part, solving problems, then what is an effective framework for solving problems?
According to Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership and scholarship fraternity, “The real test of leadership comes when things go wrong. It’s easy to lead when everything runs smoothly, but real impact is made by those who stay calm under pressure, who step up when the path forward is unclear, and who bring others together to find solutions. That’s how change happens. Effective leaders see the big picture, make decisions with clarity, and know how to implement solutions. Their presence gives others direction and inspires growth in the people around them.”
One possible framework is called the IDEO process of solving problems. It was developed during the 1960s and was formed as a company in 1991 by David Kelley, one of the original developers of the process. Fast forward to the twenty first century, the methodology had already been adapted by industry leaders such as Apple, Proctor & Gamble, and the Ford Motor Company. It is thought based and iterative in design, incorporating five different phases for the problem solving process (See www.designkit.org for more information).
Here is a brief synopsis of those five phases:
Empathize: Do everything you can to understand the problem and/or the person with it. The empathetic approach can be accomplished via the interviewing process, or by merely observing as much as you can about the problem being faced. At times, optimal results can be obtained by actually being with the person experiencing the difficulties. IDEO claims the objective of this phase is to gain “Deep insight into the user’s experience and emotions.”
Define: This phase is particularly important in the problem solving process. The objective here is to “Clearly articulate the problem you are trying to solve.”, according to IDEO. Many times asking questions that focus on the possible problem definition can be framed using statements such as “How might we…..”. As mentioned earlier, a clear cut statement of the problem is the intended outcome of this phase. If you are unable to clearly identify the problem, you will not have any success in resolving it. But, if you are determined to devise a concise definition of the problem, it will most certainly help you in the next phase of the process.
Ideate: The purpose of this phase is to IDENTIFY a sufficient number of ALTERNATIVES that will help solve the problem. The ideate phase requires creative, as well as, critical thinking skills in order to develop a number of possibilities for resolving your difficulty. This can be done via the use of brainstorming with someone else or even in a group setting. Some leaders develop of list of suggestions for resolution before they reach out to anyone else. Regardless of your style, it is important to remember there are many ways to solving a problem. Your job is to FIND THE BEST ALTERNATIVE of the many ways you and/or your group has created, to fix the problem. Once the possibilities for resolution are identified, it is time to see if there is one solution that stands out among the others or if there are multiple solutions to consider.
Prototype: This phase is intended to bring more clarity to the ideate stage. The prototype, according to IDEO, could use storyboards, role playing, or merely outlining what you feel is the optimal solution to the problem. If, during the prototype process, the desired outcome does not seem possible, then it might be advisable to return to the IDEATE phase instead of proceeding to the testing or implementation phase.
Test: Once a prototype is developed, the next and final step is to validate the proposed solution by testing or implementing it. If the solution is proven to be viable, i.e. you have solved the problem. Sometimes, the leader has to re-visit the above phases until a viable solution is found. In other words, multiple iterations of the process may be needed in order to achieve an optimal solution. As IDEO has pointed out, “The process is not strictly linear.” Many times the leader or team has to go back to the beginning of the process and start all over again.
Leaders will encounter problems. Resolving them is a key characteristic of leadership and business growth.