Stop Firefighting and Start Problem-solving

Remarkable success comes from the remarkable skills of a manager – which keep them going in the face of changes and challenges. Most prominently, a manager’s conceptual skills stick by their side and let them sail. In today’s iteration of The Top newsletter, we will discuss the problem-solving abilities of managers. 

When we talk about problem-solving skills, we generally refer to the ability to identify and solve problems faced by their teams quickly. Managers with sharp problem-solving skills can develop innovative solutions to complex problems. 

Problem-solving skills encompass a wide range of activities. However, the process of effective problem-solving begins with identifying and anticipating problems. In addition to picking the symptoms, savvy managers also plan for contingencies where their team can get stuck. Afterward, they move to the solution part – figuring out the team’s alternatives. 

Once the best one has been devised, they prepare an action plan, ensuring that the most urgent and necessary items are ticked off first. Then, while acting on the solution, the manager delegates work effectively, making the best use of available skills and resources, creating efficient solutions for their teams.

More often than not, the problem-solving skills of managers come to save the day when teams find themselves stuck amidst scenarios they never thought of. However, developing problem-solving skills takes a lot of work. Not only is it hard to identify the needs, but it is also further challenging to accurately identify the need for skill development until it’s entirely too late! 

Hence, every competent manager needs to focus on growing their problem-solving skills at work. To do so, the first step would be to understand their existing repertoire of skills. Risely helps you do that with a quick problem-solving self-assessment for managers, which you can start now. 

The free problem-solving self-assessment for managers is an effective tool for understanding their strengths and weaknesses and working on the issues that hinder their professional growth. In addition, it helps you lay out a roadmap for developing your problem-solving skills. 

In addition to evaluating their skills, managers must ensure that their efforts are well-spent. And how do you do just that? By providing that, you are getting the most value from problem-solving interventions. Take, for instance, brainstorming sessions with your teams. They are easy to transform into chaotic messes and end without pointing towards any conclusion at all. With everyone blabbering their points without thought, a brainstorming session fails to provide solutions to burning issues. The job of an intelligent manager is to add a method to this madness. 

A manager can develop a sequential process to use brainstorming effectively. Otherwise, you can list a few questions to tackle during the meeting. The idea is to take charge of the process and get the most out of it for effective problem-solving. You can read more about getting great results from brainstorming sessions here. 

That was just one way to do things better. If you are looking for more helpful tips, templates, and frameworks to give you a breather from hectic days, look no further! Risely offers a free problem-solving toolkit for managers – equipped with expert-curated learnings and tidbits from the experience of numerous managers. It holds your hand through the problem-solving process with a step-wise plan and sets you on the right path. Grab your free copy here. 

Problem-solving skills are one of the most vital skills a manager can have, but not the only one. Conceptual skills in management aid critical thinking that helps managers get the big picture right. The other important conceptual skills managers need to focus on our decision-making, logical thinking, and persuasion. In totality, they are the elements that help overcome abstract problems. You can read more about the necessary conceptual skills of managers here. 

The new year 2023 reinforces the focus on the personal development of managers with fresh vigor. Along with a shift away from conventional modes of thinking, it brings in novel methods that let the managers take charge of their learning process. The AI-based leadership coaching platform Risely brings these contemporary interventions to the doorstep of managers and leaders with its one-of-a-kind features. So sign up today to start learning!