Takes Initiative to Solve Problems and Makes Decisions
Activities/Tips
- Run a social event for your organization.
- Deal with a business crisis.
- Complete a project with a tight deadline.
- Supervise the purchase of a product, program, equipment, or system.
- Take on an “undoable” project (the last person who tried it failed).
- Conduct an after action review (lessons learned) on a failed project and/or a successful project. What worked? What didn’t work? What are the differences?
- Do a problem prevention analysis.
- Start doing brainteasers. This will stimulate different types of thinking that can be helpful in problem-solving.
- Solicit input from those closest to the problem.
- In the problem identification phase and the solution generating phase, generate as many solutions to the problem as possible. Think “outside of the box.”
- Evaluate your strategic-thinking skills (Successful Manager’s Handbook by Personnel Decisions International).
- Before making an important decision, develop criteria for making the decision.
- Include others in brainstorming solutions. They can be people involved in the entire project/task, those involved at different points, or those not involved at all.
- Put a timeframe on the problem-solving. Develop a plan with specific dates that a solution has to be found.
- Get those involved in the problem together in a room, brainstorm possible solutions, identify areas of agreement, and discuss areas of disagreement. Determine a solution.
- Find a coach and mentor who can help you develop your problem-solving skills.
- Evaluate your recent decisions. How much time did you take? Did you gather enough information? Was the decision consistent with your values?
- Diagnose the problem using a problem analysis matrix. Once you identify the cause of the problem, take the following steps:
- Write down the cause.
- Gather as much information as you can about the cause. If useful, develop a timeline or flowchart to help you "see" the information.
- List possible solutions and outcomes.
- Assess the risk associated with each solution.
- Select a solution and implement.
- Monitor and measure progress. Make adjustments to the orignial solution.
Courses
The Johns Hopkins' Lead Cohort
The Johns Hopkins' Manager Cohort
The Johns Hopkins' Supervisor Cohort
Creativity and Innovation: Unleash Your Potential for Greater Success The American Management Association.
Managing Chaos: Tools to Set Priorities and Make Decisions under Pressure The American Management Association.
Critical Thinking The American Management Association.
References
Successful Manager’s Handbook by Personnel Decisions International (PDI).
Quick Skills: Decision Making & Problem Solving by Career Solutions Training Group.
The Practical Decision Maker: A Handbook for Decision Making and Problem Solving in Organizations by Harvey Thomas.
Life Lessons from the Jungle: Naming the Elephant (The Art of Solving Problems and Making Decisions) by Barbara J. McAdoo.
Making Great Decisions in Business and Life by David R. Henderson and Charles L. Hooper.
Harvard Business Review on Decision Making by Peter Ferdinand Drucker, John Hammond, Ralph Keeney, Howard Raiffa, and Alden M. Hayashi.
The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving by Morgan D. Jones.
101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business by James M. Higgins.
Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities by Adam Kahane.
Analyzing Performance Problems by Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe.
