I don’t know about you, but I run into problems that need solving every day, both professionally and personally. And I don’t mean that to be taken as a negative. No, I want problems to solve. I think if I didn’t have any, I’d probably be dead and that’s just no bueno.
The retail automotive industry provides all sorts of problems for us to solve, some we see coming but others that seemingly appear out of nowhere. If you were to make a list as they came at you, you might want to throw up your hands and run for the hills like Phil Hartman’s “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” character on Saturday Night Live from years ago.
And it’s no good to ignore them and hope they go away. You have to get a strategy and face them. How should we take them on? There’s no one tried-and-true method, but here’s one that seems to work for me:
Identify problem/opportunity – First let’s reframe the problem by taking a negative connotation (that’s what you think of when I say problem, right?) and flipping it to the positive word opportunity. I don’t know about you but I get a little jacked up when someone mentions that word. Who doesn’t want those? No one, that’s who.
So, we now are going to mentally change our frame of mind and look at this as a chance to improve something. Write out the opportunity as you see it on a piece of paper. I like actually using pen and paper as opposed to typing. Something about a mind/hand connection that appeals to me. Now that it’s out of your head and in ink, you can stare at it and think.
Identify resources to call upon – First think about who you can get on your side to help take advantage of this opportunity. Write their names down on the paper. Heck, go through your phone if you have to, just to remind yourself of all your options. I’d be willing to wager that there’s someone on that list you forgot about who could assist. And write them all down. You can cross ones off the list later.
Sometimes, though, it will be on you. You may have an opportunity that is yours and yours alone to take on. And that’s OK because at the end of the day you are first and foremost responsible to yourself. However, this shouldn’t happen a lot. If it does, we need to talk and get you some more allies!
Next, really look at the list of people you selected and decide who will be of most help. Depending on the size and scope of the problem, you many need one or two, possibly more. Anything bigger than about five, however, is too many and you’ll most likely get bogged down because the group is too big. Reach out to the candidates and see who is willing to assist. Note that if it’s a professional opportunity and you’re in a leadership role, you could just demand that your direct reports help but you might not like the results. Someone is going to feel cajoled and obligated and probably won’t be the best teammate. However, you can do a little “recruiting” in this instance, setting it up as a chance for them to show what they can do. It’s never a bad idea to impress “the boss” and who knows, you might just find future potential stars in the process.
Identify processes/strategies to employ and measure – This is where it really gets fun (you are having fun, aren’t you?). Get your key players together (in person and/or virtually) and lay out the opportunity before having a brainstorming session. Write out everyone’s ideas on what can be done to take advantage of it, no matter how fanciful.
When all the ideas are out, map out a plan that everyone thinks might work. Remember that it does not have to be perfect and that perfect is the enemy of good! Identify all steps and who will be responsible for what. Also identify any and all ways that you can track results (a.k.a. “lag measurements”) to tell you if what you’re doing is working or not.
Execute – Do it. Don’t overthink it or put off till tomorrow what can be done right now. You’re going to have to adjust on the fly anyway, so you may as well get to it and see if the solution works or not. Your fear instinct will tell you to take your time and ease into it, but fight through that “terror barrier” and get on with it. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. And when you fail or find something that’s not working, take the feedback and make adjustments with your team. You can make a few big changes or a bunch of little ones, but keep making them until the opportunity is taken advantage of.
One last note is that none of this is easy. It’s not supposed to be. The bigger the opportunity, the greater the reward. Not just financially, but mentally, spiritually and professionally as well.
Besides, what else are you going to do all day? Sit around with no problems to solve? That’s no way to go through life. Get out there and get after it!
What do you do to solve problems? As always, I’d love the feedback.
Make it a great day.
Dan
