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Today’s top business leaders are looking for people with “problem-solving abilities.”

In fact, it’s currently the most desirable employee trait, except for, perhaps, creativity.

But while leaders can rely on workers to some degree, there’s no substitute for having an innate problem-solving ability right at the top of the firm. After all, the CEO’s main job is to solve problems.

Becoming a better problem-solver is inherently challenging. Most people don’t know where to start.

However, unlike many other tacit skills, it is something that you can improve by following a process. You just need to know what to do.

Figure Out The Real Underlying Problem

Before charging off and solving a problem, try to figure out what the underlying issue actually is. Spend some time researching the outcome that you really want, not just the one you think you want. Often, when you engage in this process, you discover that the real solution is something out of the box rather than predictable.

For instance, suppose that your computer software breaks down. A narrowly-focused mind might try to fix the bug, whereas a more sophisticated solution could involve simply moving over to a SaaS provider.

Figure Out The Cause of The Problem

If you take a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt course, you’ll soon learn that figuring out what caused the problem is perhaps the most important step toward finding a solution. For instance, if you know what keeps causing your software to crash, you can prevent the bug from recurring in the future.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Did the problem occur in the past?
• What happened immediately before the problem occurred?

Choose A Solution That Works

When solving problems in business, you’ll often find that there are several solutions that work. However, as a leader, you need to discriminate between them, working out which is best. The answer isn’t always clear.

When determining the right course of action, explore the challenges of implementing a particular solution. You might see a clear path forwards, but if it is too expensive or takes too long, it won’t serve the needs of your enterprise.

You’ll also want to consider the potential negative outcomes of the proposed solution. Could solving one problem cause another?

Lastly, ask yourself who benefits. Ideally, you want situations where customers, employees, and other stakeholders, including yourself, all win. However, some solutions may generate losers, and that may become something that you need to manage.

Implement Your Solution And Assess Whether It Succeeds

Once you find a solution you like, implement it and then measure it to see if it succeeds. This last step is critical. A solution that doesn’t perform isn’t actually a solution at all.

In some cases, you can amend the solution to improve performance. In others, you’ll need to change it completely, based on your assessment of what went wrong.

In summary, problem-solving is about following a process. By all means, ask colleagues to brainstorm ideas, but make sure that you reserve the final say for yourself unless you trust your coworkers to deliver better outcomes.

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