When it comes to problem-solving, the theory of steps is straightforward: we must first identify the problem, then seek out and evaluate many options before selecting the best one and putting it into action. We should also never forget to establish a way to measure our success.

Unfortunately, while the processes may appear to be simple and straightforward, there can be numerous obstacles to overcome while attempting to solve a problem.

Common barriers to problem-solving

Knowing what problems you and your team may face ahead of time might be really beneficial. It will assist you in anticipating them and putting in place procedures to deal with them. It also helps to increase self-awareness. The more aware we are, the easier it will be to recognise and overcome these obstacles when they arise.

When it comes to problem-solving, the following are the most prevalent barriers:

1. Confirmation bias: is the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values.
2. Mental set: It is a form of rigidity in which a person acts or believes in a certain way as a result of prior experience.
3. Functional fixedness: It’s a cognitive bias that limits individuals to use an object in a different way from how it is traditionally used. 
4. Unnecessary constraints: A phenomenon that occurs when an individual create boundaries on the task at hand. They become fixated on only one way to solve the problem, making it really difficult to see any other possible solution. 
5. Groupthink: When everyone in a group or team has the same thinking, it is called groupthink. This is something we should be aware of because it can not only make issue-solving more difficult but it can also hinder a group from seeing the problem.
6. Irrelevant information: When unrelated or unimportant information is offered as part of a problem-solving task, it is referred to as irrelevant information.

While these are the most common barriers, there are a few others that can impede successful problem-solving:

• Fear of failure.
• Lack of autonomy, motivation, or accountability. 
• Failing to identify the root problem. 
• Having a problem finder mindset instead of a solution seeker. 

7 Tips to tackle problem-solving the Optimist Way

The leader role is to help every team member become the best version of themselves, and problem-solving is definitely a skill everyone in your team must have. As a leader, you need to encourage, empower and coach your team to master this ability.

So we’ve compiled some recommendations that can help your team excel at problem-solving based on the issues we stated before.

Here are some of our recommendations:

1. Encourage people to take ownership

As a leader, you cannot be everywhere, all the time. So you need to encourage people to own their space and allow them the autonomy to do so. When it comes to problem-solving, everyone will have a different idea of how to deal with it, but your job as a leader, it’s not to solve it for them but to trust them and assist them if needed while they do it themselves. 

• Assure them that you trust them and that they are capable of solving the problem. 
• Be there as support, in case they need it. If you trust your team’s ability, there is no need to micromanage; however, you still need to be there and be approachable and reachable as a leader. Sometimes, all people need is reassurance. 

2. Ask questions to elicit deeper thought and new perspectives

We can sometimes get fixated on one solution, obstructing our ability to view other options. As an observer, you will have a different perspective, so you will likely be able to notice things that others who are more invested are unable to, and you should support your team if this occurs. Again, it’s not about providing answers; it’s about posing questions that empower people to go deeper. (Check out our post about how to ask questions to empower your team)

3. Ensure that everyone involved, including yourself, maintains an open mind during the process

If we want to be innovative and creative, we need to keep an open mind. However, it’s easier than we think to slip into our own biases. Here are some suggestions for keeping an open mind:

• Pose questions and participate in discussions.
• Practise active listening, so you are genuinely listening to others instead of just waiting to respond. (Read more about active listening here)
• Pay attention to your thoughts so you can see when you’re shutting out other people’s perspectives.

4. Ensure that you approach it with the right mindset

Some people are excellent at detecting problems but not so good at finding solutions. If problems continue to arise without being resolved, this can have a detrimental impact on team morale.

• Make it a rule that whenever someone discovers an issue, they must bring at least one solution, even if it isn’t the best. It was done by  Kean Graham, CEO of MonetizeMore, a midsize Canadian ad tech company, and it worked well for them.

5. Make sure there is accountability

As a follow-up to the previous point, it’s critical that people not just bring in ideas to solve problems but that everyone understands who is responsible for solving them. On the other hand, accountability can be a problem in and of itself; occasionally, people accept the task despite their reservations. It’s part of your job as a leader to make sure that accountability is in place and that employees are comfortable with it.

• Know your people. Sometimes people can accept a challenge, but in reality, not feel ready for it. Knowing your people will give you the ability to identify this. 
• Ensure people have what they need. Make sure whoever is in charge of the job understands what they need to do, feels comfortable doing it, and is up for the task. Even if it’s your responsibility to assign projects, allowing people to express their concerns will make them feel more respected and comfortable, which will aid them in their work.

6. Make failure not only possible but even part of the process

If we want to innovate, be creative and try new things, there must be room for failure. Otherwise, people won’t even try. Failure is an inevitable part of life, and it should not be viewed as a negative experience. We all learn more from our mistakes than from our triumphs.

• Include a review and reflection process with your team. During problem-solving, we must give ourselves time and space to review and reflect on how it’s going. So make this part of your everyday practices. 
• Instead of focusing on what didn’t work, consider what we can learn from it and how we might apply what we’ve learned in the future.

7. Find an outside perspective

Some of the challenges mentioned above happen because we are too close, too invested, or too fixated in one way or another. Bringing a fresh perspective into the mix can be a great way to find new and more creative solutions to our problems.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be an expert; even bringing someone from a different team who hasn’t worked on the project previously can be beneficial. It cal also help to uncover groupthink if this is happening. 

The Optimist view…

At Optimist Performance, we believe that problem-solving skills are extremely valuable. It is not only necessary for every team and organisation, but it is also essential in our daily life. However, as mentioned above, various barriers can prevent us from succeeding at problem-solving, and sometimes, recognising these is the most challenging part.

Our leadership programmes are designed to assist teams and organisations in identifying and addressing these issues. We create bespoke programmes that are tailored to the needs of your team, and we will also accompany you on your journey.

If you would like to know more about what we do and how we can help you, please get in touch with us today. 

The post 7 Tips to help your team with problem-solving – By Optimist Performance appeared first on Optimist Performance.

In a world where the only constant we can count on is Change, adaptability is one of the most desirable skills and curiosity is one of our best tricks to get it. 

Curiosity is the feeling of being interested in knowing more about the people and things around them. Curiosity arises when there is a gap between what we know and what we need or want to know. Curiosity is a fundamental human motivation that influences learning, the acquisition of knowledge, and life fulfilment. (Kashdan, 2018)

Furthermore, we live in a time where satisfying our curiosity is easier than ever, thanks to the plethora of information available to us for free and without even leaving our sofa.

In addition, when it comes to curiosity, there are no limits. You can be inquisitive about anything, and there will always be something new to learn about, even if you spend the majority of your time asking questions.

Benefits

But if the feeling of excitement that you get from learning something new is not enough (maybe this is just us), being curious has a lot more benefits. These are some of the main ones:

• It can help you build deeper relationships, and build trust with others 

Would you like to spend your time with someone who just talks about themselves? Or would you rather spend that time with someone who is curious and wants to learn more about you?

According to HBR, “when we demonstrate curiosity about others by asking questions, people like us more and view us as more competent, and the heightened trust makes our relationships more interesting and intimate.”

This is not a surprising statement; we all know that the best way to build a relationship with someone is to spend time with them and have meaningful conversations. This, in turn, will increase trust. (Check out our blog post about the power of questions and how to use them to empower others)

• It helps your confidence, and therefore your success

Imagine you’re attending a meeting with a potential new important client. Would you spend some time before the meeting researching the company, the person you’ll be meeting with, and even the industry so that you can at least have a fluent conversation?

Curiosity is the initial step toward taking intentional action to learn more about our environment, topics we are interested in, or the people we interact with.

Unless we are curious, all we would do is the bare minimum, which would never lead to any kind of success.

• Curiosity helps increase collaboration and teamwork

Curiosity encourages us to have an interest in other people’s ideas, provides us with different perspectives and allows us to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. All of which has a big impact on how effectively people work together. 

Curiosity, according to research, aids teams in achieving greater results.

• It can help us be more empathetic, and increase our emotional intelligence

Curiosity can aid in the development of empathy and emotional intelligence in the same way that it aids in the development of collaboration and teamwork.

Curiosity requires an open mind to thrive, and when we are willing to listen to others, comprehend their viewpoints, and learn more about them, we immediately increase our empathy and emotional intelligence.

• It’s good for our brains and enhances our memory

Because our brains function like muscles, we must keep them in shape if we want them to be healthy. Curiosity is to the brain what physical activity is to the body.

Being curious and taking time to exercise our minds has a positive influence on our brains in the same way as investing time to exercise, eat healthier, and develop positive habits has a favourable impact on our bodies.

Consider this: how much do you recall from your least favourite topic in high school, college, or university? Now consider one of your favourite topics. Curiosity draws our attention, and the more we pay attention to something, the easier it is to learn and remember.

 According to research about the state of curiosity by the University of California, “students who took part in the study were better at remembering answers to trivia questions when they were curious, but their memories also improved for unrelated information they were shown at the same time.”

• It will make you happier

Curiosity has been connected to the release of dopamine, our brain’s reward molecule, according to research.

When something piques our interest, our brains enter the “curiosity state,” which makes us feel uncomfortable because we lack particular knowledge. As a result, the parts of our brains responsible for learning and memory kick in and begin to operate, and we begin to acquire new information. Our brains release dopamine at this point, making us feel better and reinforcing our exploratory behaviour.

• It helps creativity and innovation 

Having a broad understanding of several subject areas allows us to broaden our perspective on problems, which in turn helps us come up with more innovative solutions.

3M, for example, thanks to the assistance of a theatrical-makeup professional, developed a revolutionary concept for reducing infections linked with surgery.

How can we stay curious?

Hopefully, by this point, you’re excited about curiosity and all of the wonderful benefits it will bring you. But you’re probably also thinking that you’re already overworked and won’t be able to find the time to learn anything new or spend hours reading and researching all of your interests.

Curiosity, fortunately, is not difficult to cultivate. We’ve compiled a list of pointers that should help you and the people around you take your curiosity to the next level:

• Keep asking questions

Go back to being the kid who couldn’t stop asking why. Don’t just accept what people say as true or false; instead, ask some questions and make your own decisions. As someone on our team said: 

“Knowledge for me is not about finding answers, but rather about asking better questions.”

Within your team. Before giving an answer, ask a question. This way we allow people to come up with their own ideas. 

• Keep an open mind

This is quite obvious because if you won’t keep an open mind, it really doesn’t matter how many questions you ask. To keep an open mind, focus on listening mindfully rather than thinking about your response as soon as you heard something you don’t agree with. (Check out our article about active listening)

Within your team. Allow people to speak up, find people with different opinions, and ways of thinking, so you can have a diversity of thought. 

• Read, read, and read some more

Reading doesn’t have to mean finishing one book per week; it might mean reading anything that interests you. Read articles (we publish one a month), books (fiction or non-fiction), the newspaper, the news, whatever you want to read as long as you read.

Did you know that reading fiction beneficially impact our decision-making abilities? Or that reading can make us more creative, imaginative, and compassionate people?

Within your team. Promote book exchanges, or gift people with a discount on books, journals, etc…

Subscribe to our Newsletter below to receive monthly content updates. 

You can also follow the hashtag #OptimistsChat on social media to discover new recommendations for books, podcasts, and more. 

• Seek new experiences and new people

Being curious is looking for the new…new experiences, new people, new answers, new knowledge. Find activities, short courses, masterclasses where you can learn something new.

Make a commitment to try something new once a month at the very least. It doesn’t have to be jumping out of a plane to be new; it can be as simple as talking to someone you’ve never spoken to before.

Within your team. Promote new activities within your team, celebrate some special days, or allow some time for people to do something different. (Creating memorable experiences is one of our strengths, so if you don’t want to spend time thinking about it, get in touch with us and find out how we can help you)

Find more info about our Optimistic Experiences here.

• Run away from your comfort zone

If you feel completely comfortable with all you do, it’s time to move one. To spark curiosity, there must be a gap in our knowledge that triggers that uncomfortable feeling in our brains. So if you are completely at ease, there won’t be curiosity.

Keep learning, evolving, taking new responsibilities, talking to new people, anything that makes you feel uncomfortable enough to keep your curiosity alive. 

Within your team. Create programmes for learning and development (we can help you here, get in touch with us). Mix people together so they can use their respective knowledge and perspectives to find out more creative or innovative solutions. 

• Don’t condemn yourself to a static role

When we talk about static roles, we’re talking about jobs where there’s nothing new beyond the introductory period. Similar to the previous example, there are many positions where you already know everything there is to know about the work by the time the trial period ends, and there is no place for new knowledge to be obtained.

Keep running if you find yourself in this situation! We work far too many hours to waste them on a job that provides no positive stimulation.

Within your team. You should not offer a static position to anyone else if you don’t want it. As a result, ensure that everyone on your team continues to grow and evolve within their jobs, that there are opportunities for growth, and that you never accept laziness when it comes to curiosity.

• Hire curious people

Incorporate some questions or activities into your hiring process to find employees who are inherently curious. For example, Google uses questions such as “Have you ever found yourself unable to stop learning something you’ve never encountered before? Why? What kept you persistent?” in their interviews. 

The Optimist View…

With all the new experiences, knowledge and people you will gain thanks to being curious, your adaptability will increase to the roof, no doubt.

As always, we strive to lead by example, encouraging and harnessing our curiosity on a daily basis within our team. 

Because our team is small, some things are obviously easier. However, big or small there is no excuse for leaders not to encourage and nurture curiosity. 

The following are some of the things we do as a team:

• We organise weekly “creative” meetings to share ideas.
• We have a “be more curious” channel, and have created the #OptimistsChat to recommend books, podcast, etc.
• We are continually signing up for new courses, masterclasses, studies, or webinars.  
• We never stop reading. This is actually quite funny because for a person in our team books are almost an obsession. Every time she goes to the office, she ends up buying at least 1 or 2 books.
• We all participate in every area of development, so we can leverage our diverse skills and knowledge to foster innovation and creativity.

If you need help developing learning and development programmes or would like to expose your team to new experiences, get in touch with us today and find out how we can help you.

The post How being curious can boost your adaptability? – By Optimist Performance appeared first on Optimist Performance.