Problem Solving Skills [Final Part]

It is without doubt that people normally encounter one form of challenge or problem on a daily basis and as such, they must employ their problem solving skills as the problems come. Some of these problems can arise as a result of the choices and decisions that people make and may range from negligible to extremely large. So we should be ready at all times to proffer solutions, in our own capacity, to the problems that face people. We have considered some problem solving skills in our last episode and we will complete it here.

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1. Asking questions and listening actively

There are sometimes that problems may present in a manner that even you do not understand because no one has an infinite knowledge. However, someone else may have the answer that you seek. All you need to do is to ask and you will be surprised by the answers. I remember what happened a few weeks back. I was stuck in-between an assignment that I was given in one of our social groups where I am among the excos. For hours, I could not think of any feasible solution to it and I did not know how to get started. Finally, I decided to throw it open in the group platform and to my amazement, within minutes, I got the answer that I had initially spent hours on. I then quickly completed the assignment.

The truth is, no matter the level of knowledge you have about something, you still do not possess an infinite knowledge. So learn to ask questions. Asking questions does not mean that you lack the responsibility to undertake actions but it helps you to take more responsibilities and focus more on the right action. You may be surprised that the problem that is challenging you is just a few questions away. This reminds me of what my friend normally says: "you do not have to die in silence when you can ask questions." The knowledge that someone has spent time to accumulate can simply be passed on to you by asking questions.

2. Follow after others with proven results

When you watch and observe how people solve their problems and apply the same method to the same problem, then you have the propensity of achieving the same result. In your place of work for example, you may have a colleague that has solved a particular problem and if you observe their own methods, it may give you the insight to solving your own. The truth is that if you do what someone had done in the same way that gave him a particular result, you are most likely to get the same result.

Sometimes you just need to observe as people solve their own problems for you to improve on your own problem solving skills. There is a reason why student pilots are instructed by an experienced pilot in order for them to learn how to fly. Obviously, when they apply the wealth of experience of the senior pilot, they will know how to solve challenges relating to aviation. If you observe the way kids learn, you will see that the major part of what they learn is by observing others and then imitating them. Similarly, when you follow after people with proven results, you will also have the same result.

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3. Ability to form alliances

There are some problems that can effectively be solved better by a team than by individual efforts. So your ability to form alliances will come in handy when faced with that kind of problem that requires teamwork. It is true that human ability in limited but it can be amplified by forming alliances with people. If you are left to solve every bit of the problem that face you alone, you will be weighed down by it and you will end up not solving all.

It takes an extensive amount of maturity to be able to work together with people without recourse to their background, status, belief, ethnicity, etc. Even if you do not like their face or you do not share the same belief with them but they possess the solution to the problem that is facing you, then maturity demands that you should work with them. After all, what counts is that solution is proffered to the problem.

Thanks for reading