In our professional lives, we’re frequently confronted with difficult decisions whose scope and complexity can be overwhelming. Big problems can place you in organizational paralysis. Here are six strategies for breaking out of that stasis to solve big problems effectively and efficiently.
Create a timeline
Big problems are particularly oppressive because of their wide-ranging ramifications. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out where to start. Find some (short term) milestones and create a rough timeline for completion. This might include the week before you head out on summer vacation, the organization’s next AGM or a key event or date that is a crucial for your project. If nothing comes to mind, consider some artificial targets to limit the scope of your problem. Once you’ve got your key milestones in place, the next question is to consider what specific strategies need to be put in place to demonstrate progress in the short term.
Make a list – for and against
Making a list isn’t just great for Santa Claus! It’s also great for you because it helps you organize your thinking and clearly articulate the benefits vs. risks to a course of action. It also allows you to (visually) understand the implications of your decisions and supports logical and decisive action to start addressing your problem (have you thought this through? I sure have, look at my list of considerations…!.) Finally, it allows you to easily synthesize your thinking so it can be shared with others thereby avoiding potential gaps.
Stop what’s not working
One of the first things to consider doing when trying to address a significant issue is to identify things you are currently doing (that aren’t working) and pivot to doing something new. While sometimes it may feel difficult to disentangle yourself from bad processes, it’s a sure-fire first step to consider.You may find that this simple approach will get you out of your rut of frustration and open up all sorts of new possibilities for new courses of action that weren’t visible beforehand.
Challenge your assumptions
After a discussion starts to yield consensus or enthusiasm, it’s important to force yourself to have a sober second thought. When faced with a significant challenge it can be easy – especially in a group situation – to spend most of your time cheering on one idea, while ignoring other possibilities (or worse, risks). That’s when tunnel vision starts to form. A good way to avoid this is ask your group, “Ok, we seem to have consensus that Plan A will help us move forward. For arguments sake, why might Plan A be a bad idea?” Get the risks and thoughts of others out into the light so that your group can fully understand the solution and you’re able to shine a light on all the variables.
Summarize, consider and restate what you are hearing to find consensus
It’s always good to summarize and restate what you are hearing – especially when you think you might have found a consensus on the issue. Often people have very different interpretations of the same statement, so it is important to clearly articulate what you think is being said. That’ll help further down the line when you are attempting to go forward with a problem with unity.
Be decisive
Once you’ve made a decision, work hard to stick with it. It’s very easy to start the game of second guessing soon after your decision and nothing worsens a crisis than a rudderless ship. While thoughtful introspection is good, when it comes to leadership, that can often translate to indecisiveness and confusion. Once a decision has been made, it’s important to move quickly and (barring unforeseen and serious consequences) stay the course.