6 Tips to Max Your Business Problem Solving Skills
If you can’t solve
problems and enjoy it, you won’t make it as an entrepreneur. By definition, an
entrepreneur is the first to undertake a given business, and firsts never
happen without problems and people frustrations. The toughest problems are
people problems, like personnel issues, but there are tough operational
problems as well, such as vendor delays.
The real entrepreneurs I know are good
at overcoming both people problems and business obstacles, and get satisfaction
from the challenge. Some people think this is a talent that you must be born
with, but experts disagree. You can definitely train yourself to be a problem
solver, if you haven’t already. It’s a key skill for success in every business
role, from accountant to customer support. Here are some
basics rules:
1.
Practice active listening. Whether it’s a frustrated employee, or a
dissatisfied customer, what you first hear is usually someone yelling with
emotion or talking so fast the you don’t know what they are talking about. The
first thing to do is resist the urge to vocally jump into the fray, and listen
attentively without interruption. Often the person will solve their own problem
as they are unloading.
2.
Promise action but manage expectations. Calmly commit to resolve the problem,
but don’t immediately promise any given solution. Let the person know that the
situation is not simple, and you need some time to investigate the
circumstances and alternatives. Then give an expected time frame for an answer,
and move to the next stage.
3.
Investigate thoroughly. There are at least two sides to every
problem. Don’t assume anything, and gather facts from all relevant parties. If
it’s a judgment or fair treatment question, practice your active listening with
each party. If a problem requires special expertise, like a tax question, do
your homework or call an expert.
4.
Provide regular progress updates to all. Status communication is critical, if the
resolution time is going to be longer than one day, even if you have given an
expected time from longer than one day. This is probably the most important
step and probably the most neglected. If they hear nothing, unhappy people get
progressively harder to satisfy.
5. Make a timely decision. Meet your committed time frame for
a resolution. Schedule enough face-to-face time (not email or text message) to
lay out your understanding of the problem, facts you have assembled, options
that you considered, and your decision reached, with reasoning behind it. If
possible, let the person with the problem chose from alternatives, so you get
more “buy-in.” Put the decision in writing to
prevent ambiguity.
6.
Follow-up. No matter how smooth the resolution, you need to re-confirm the decision
with affected parties within hours or days. This reaffirms you commitment to
the process, their satisfaction, and avoids any secondary problems. If the
problem was a business process, get the process update documented and
communicated to all.
It’s critical to train everyone on your
team on these principles, if you want an effective business. Your goal in all
of this is to be a role model and get respect for you own position, as well as
to empower team members to effectively solve problems for you and for your
customers directly.
Problems happen, that’s part of life and
people usually understand that. They are an everyday part of every business and
personal environment. In fact, every business is about solutions to customer
problems – no problems, no business.
Entrepreneurs who are great problem
solvers within the business are the best prepared to solve their customers’
needs effectively as well. But in both cases, forcing a smile is not an
alternative to the techniques described above. Your team and your customers
will see right through it.
Fuente: Marty Zwilling, Startup Professionals
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