“What is the new response? When my team lands the problem on my desk, what is my new response?” Rafael asked.
“First, your response cannot be to give them the solution. That’s what has created this dependency in the first place,” I replied. “But you cannot leave them twisting in the wind. Your response has to be helpful.”
“What, do I give them hints, start a little guessing game?”
“Hardly, we need to create something solid, that you can consistently use, as a coaching tool. Tell me, Rafael, how do you solve problems?”
Rafael stopped. His eyes glanced at the ceiling. “I don’t know, I guess it depends on the problem. Sometimes, I just know the answer.”
“How do you know the answer?” I pushed.
“I don’t know, experience I guess, it just comes to me.”
“You think it just comes to you, but even if it seems instantaneous, your mind goes through a process to solve the problem. All we have to do is slow your mind down and watch what it thinks.”
I think problem solving is a logical phenomena. Of course it improves with experience, but the inbuilt natural tap of sense and logic are the real labourers behind problem solving.
The problem with logic is everyone’s intuition is a bit different. As this story unfolds, we will explore a simple “logical” problem solving methodology that can easily be taught by managers to their team.