7 REASONS WHY PROBLEM SOLVING IS IMPORTANT FOR NEW MANAGERS

“People who have deliberately decided to become Problem Solvers lead better.”

Israel More Ayivor

As the quote above suggests, those who have decided to solve problems lead the teams better than the other managers.

In the workplace, many issues arise -ranging from dysfunctional systems, processes, failing deadlines, conflicts, and crises.

Problem Solving ability helps you to observe the things happening in your environment, identify things that need to change, create solutions for the best outcomes and bring a positive change to the environment.

To solve them one must have the ability to think through facts, analyze the situation and find accurate solutions that will help the organization and its employees succeed and become prosperous.

The ultimate aim of the problem-solving process is to overcome obstacles and find the best solution to resolve the issue.

It helps everyone thrive and achieve their goals successfully by eliminating unnecessary frustrations, confusion, and conflicts even before they get out of hand.

Problem-solving is an essential skill for Leadership.

Problem-solving is vital at all levels of your work and career as well as in life.

The main objective of this post is to enlighten you about the importance of Problem-solving at the workplace and in your career.

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So get started and read all the 7 Reasons why problem-solving is essential for every New Manager to be successful in Work and Career.

As the diagram below illustrates, Problem-solving is a mental process that involves:

Identifying and defining the problems -Identify things that can be changed or improved.

Identifying the root cause – Diagnosing the present situation and the factors that influence it.

Identifying the Best Possible Solution -Developing different alternatives and approaches to influence the change.

Selecting and Planning the solution -Selecting the right alternatives and

formulating an action plan.

Implementing the solution -Implementing the action plan.

Evaluating the Solution to solve any problem -Observing and evaluating the impact of those actions on the environment.

7 REASONS WHY PROBLEM SOLVING IS IMPORTANT FOR NEW MANAGERS

All workplaces have problems like client servicing, managing stakeholders, worker conflicts, tight deadlines, inefficient systems, changing variables, broken or inefficient systems and processes, goals, and project deadlines.

Many problems are highly complex.

Therefore to solve any problem, a wide range of competencies like logic, reasoning, imagination, creativity, lateral thinking, resilience, and communication is required.

Problem-solving is therefore a higher responsibility.

The problem-solving ability helps you to observe, judge, and act quickly when problems arise and they inevitably do.

Problem solvers are independent and cognitively equipped to handle any problem that arises in the job.

They can solve all the major and minor problems arising in the workplace.

They can anticipate problems before they arise and take quick action to prevent them or minimize their impact.

Problem-solving requires the use of logic to define what needs to change and creative thinking to derive innovative solutions. It uses both parts of the brain.

Managers who are experts in problem-solving are highly valued and treated as invaluable assets by their employers because they are not afraid of the unknown and are confident in solving problems as they come.

They have a progressive mindset, and are good at thinking of new ideas, and devising better ways of doing things and are able to make a better impact.

They make it easy for others to understand things and help in saving time, money, and effort.

Here are the 7 Reasons why Problem Solving is Important For New Managers

1 REACH GOALS FASTER –

It makes it easier to reach the goals faster.

Managers can not only reach their own goals faster but also help the employees in reaching their goals faster by getting rid of problems that obstruct the path of the employees. The organization benefits on the whole, because everyone can progress faster.

2 HELPS IN PRIORITISING, PLANNING –

The ability to solve problems helps you to take a careful assessment of employees and client needs and prioritize, plan, and execute strategies to solve them.

This helps to meet multiple demands at the same time and manage all the moving parts in the business.

With problem-solving skills, clients can be satisfied very quickly. Infrastructure issues or conflicts can be resolved quickly.

3.EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT –

Managers who are good at problem-solving are also good at managing their time effectively.

They have a laser-sharp focus and can make better decisions on what is important and what is urgent in the business and manage their time wisely.

4.ABILITY TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND SEIZE OPPORTUNITY

Problem-solving helps you to see opportunities in problems.

People who have this ability to solve problems are creative thinkers who think out of the box and come up with innovative and creative solutions which often leads to better outcomes than had been expected.

They make the environment more desirable by creating new things and having some level of control over the future.

5 MINIMISE STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE

In the workplace, things wear out over time and some are flawed from the first day itself.

Problem-solving gives you the mechanism to identify broken or worn out systems or processes and fix them and exert more control over the environment and make things seamless for everyone.

Sometimes stress in the workplace can be caused by the tiniest of problems. A small problem like a laptop’s charging pin getting out of order making it difficult to work on the laptop can cause tremendous stress in the office.

Problem-solving helps in minimizing the stress by handling the problem and calming everyone in the workplace by devising some ad hoc solutions as well as long-term solutions.

6 -ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING RISK

Planning is an integral part of problem-solving.

Managers who are problem solvers not just deal with the problem at hand, but also have an awareness of the cause and effect relationships in the environment.

They can anticipate the problems that can arise in the future, by studying the trends, patterns, current events, and their own experience.

This helps them to take action in the present to alter the impact of the event /or influence its happening in the future.

7 WELL MANAGED, WELL-PERFORMING, AND COHESIVE TEAM

In the workplace, all the departments and individuals are interdependent.

The environment and relationships are dynamic and ever-changing. Each one’s actions impact the others directly or indirectly.

This makes it all the more necessary for everyone in the organization to work together, solve complex problems and improve performance continuously so that they can adapt to the changes and improvements in the workplace.

Problem-solving helps you to manage a team more efficiently. It helps to understand the relationships, and implement the changes and improvements to adapt and survive in the ever-changing environment in the workplace.

In times of pressure, like meeting deadlines or changing project parameters, problem-solving skills help in eliminating problems and ensuring clear paths for employees so that they can deliver work on time.

It helps each member know what is expected of him.

Team members can help in delivering quick solutions or help in identifying the next best steps.

This helps in managing the team effectively and efficiently.

Problem solving also helps you earn the trust of your team members, build a cohesive and collaborative, and high-performing team that continually strives for improvement.

This fosters cooperation, collaboration, cohesiveness, and an efficient and pleasant environment in the workplace.

This helps in building a well-managed, well-performing, and cohesive team.

Problem solving can be made more effective without these 10 barriers .

Read the post to know the 10 Barriers to Problem solving.

Conclusion

The importance of problem-solving in the workplace cannot be ruled out.

It is helpful to find the best solutions to problems by contributing unique ideas that help everyone succeed in the organization and by achieving individual and organizational goals.

It creates more growth opportunities, brings new changes, and impacts the workplace environment positively.

This Boosts the efficiency and performance of the employees and brings about an overall growth of the organization.

People who are good at problem-solving are valuable to the organization, because they get things done fast and motivate their team members to do the same.

They keep progressing with their daily work, which helps to build trust in their employer about their problem-solving skill and they are entrusted with more responsibilities and higher designation because the employers trust that they can solve more complex problems.

As you grow in your career and move to the higher ranks in the organization, problems become more complex, decisions become riskier, and solutions are very often vague. The potential impact can be higher on the organization.

So Problem Solving is a vital leadership competency that will secure your chance for better opportunities in your career.

It is a must-have skill for moving to higher management positions.

You can Improve Problems solving ability by taking up training or reading books .