The 4 I’s to Become a Better Problem Solver in Your Career
Photo: Andrea Picquiado
It is safe to say most people’s careers involve some sort of problem-solving element on a daily basis. Doctors solve health problems, lawyers solve legal problems, consultants solve business problems, counselors solve emotional problems, chefs solve hunger problems and the list goes on. Every career path involves some aspect of problem-solving.
Despite problems being inevitable in our personal and professional life, it's in our human nature to want to avoid them. It's understandable because problems cause emotional or mental discomfort and often cause us to make important decisions that perhaps we don't want to make.
However, just because we all have to face problems, that doesn’t mean we have to let them control our lives. Viewing problems with dread gives power to the problem, and that is not where it belongs if it is going to be resolved effectively.
The truth is, the best problem solvers know how to take control of the situation, and the best way to do so by utilizing what is referred to as the “4 I’s of Better Problem Solving.”
Imagination
The first “I” to become a better problem solver is your imagination. By imagining your problem as a welcome challenge, it will change your mindset and your perspective, which is the first step to effectively tackling any problem. To illustrate this point, say, for example, you’re going about your daily routine and suddenly a project you’ve been working on faces a significant obstacle, delaying an important deadline. What is your first reaction? Likely it will be negative, filled with fear, anxiety, or even anger. These emotions will take over your mind and prevent you from thinking clearly about potential solutions.
Now, what if someone interrupted your workday and put a colorful, fun-looking rainbow puzzle in front of you and asked, “if you can put this together in under 10 minutes, I’ll give you $10,000?” You would likely feel a hit of adrenaline and excitement at the chance of winning some money.
If you were asked what situation you’d rather face, the chances are most would prefer to work on the puzzle. Despite both situations appearing to be problems on the surface, in reality, the delayed project is a problem, and the puzzle is a challenge. A problem is often stressful, a challenge can be fun. So while you may not be able to change the situation, you CAN change your mindset by viewing your problem as a challenge. Doing so will remove the negative emotions and get you in the proper mental state to become a more effective problem solver.
Imitate.
We as humans are naturally predisposed to the path of least resistance and that comes in the form of finding a quick fix. The easiest way to do that when problem-solving is by examining or considering how others solved this problem. It’s not necessarily cheating (though it can be depending on the circumstances), but if someone else has faced the same problem, looking at and mimicking their solution is likely going to be the quickest option. In some cases, that is acceptable, but a quick fix isn’t always the right or best fix and it may even be unethical or illegal. Nevertheless, while quick solutions aren’t always ideal and they typically are only temporary, they can also be a good starting point.
Innovate.
So now that you’ve imagined the problem as a challenge, you’re in the right mindset, and you’ve researched and analyzed what others have done for solutions the next step would be to take those ideas and innovate! In other words, take your past solutions or those of others and make them better. Consider how you can make your solution faster, better, or cheaper? What tools, methodologies, or technologies can you leverage to assist in this process? Bear in mind that the process of innovation isn’t a one-time ordeal. In the spirit of continuous improvement, always be stopping to think, how can this be done better? Periodic checkpoints to make sure you’re being as efficient and effective as possible is critical to being a better problem solver.
Ideate.
Speaking of new ideas, if you realized that imitating or innovating on someone else's solution is not ideal, it is time to have some fun. That is accomplished by ideating hypothetical solutions and testing their feasibility before settling on the best solution. But don’t hold back here, let even the craziest, funniest, and ambitious ideas float around. Don't restrain any ideas, foster them! For amongst that craziness, there is bound to be a good, out-of-the-box idea that may just be the ideal solution. Then once you’ve got a list of all the potential solutions, conduct an analysis to see what idea or combination of ideas helps to solve the challenge in the most timely and effective manner. Focusing on feasibility is key here because a great idea that isn’t practical to implement is worthless. The idea may be crazy, but it must be realistic. The most important thing though is to let the ideas fly. Similar to utilizing our imagination to change our mindset, the controlled chaos of an ideation session is bound to cause some laughs, boost creativity, and lift morale in the process.
Hopefully, by now you’ve already begun to look at the current problems in your life in a new way. Because whether you’re facing a problem right now or not, there is a 100% chance that you’re going to face them again. Regardless of what problems you face, keeping the 4 I’s in mind when you face them will not only make you a better problem solver, but you may find the process to actually be enjoyable henceforth.