When you feel like you've hit a wall in your leadership or entrepreneurial journey, you'll want to be able to navigate it. To help you better navigate these hurdles, we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members to share their top tips for honing your problem-solving skills. Here's what they said:
Problem solving is something we all deal with on a daily basis. However, we all deal with issues differently. In order to solve your own problems and teach others how to do the same, you need to reflect on their worst times and remember the processes they took to get out of them. When doing this, be sure to take notes and reverse-engineer your action process, then apply it to other situations.
–Zac Johnson, Blogger
Contents1. Reflect on your worst moments.2. Always be a student.3. Exercise creativity like a muscle.4. Don't take things personally.5. Define the problem before trying to solve it.6. Change your point of view.7. Bounce ideas off to other people.8. Keep your higher purpose in mind.9. Look for unusual connections.10. Don't neglect your body.11. Simplify the problem.12. See the problem as an opportunity.13. Volunteer for other organizations.14. Read the case studies.15. Change your routine.16. Face your problems authentically.As we achieve certain accomplishments and gain credibility, our ego might get the best of us. A piece of advice for all thought leaders is to continually learn from others. We have to be open-minded. Just because we've been successful doesn't mean we don't have room for improvement. We do not know and will never know everything. So, in order to hone our skills, we must forever be a student.
–Fritz Colcol, ABN Circle
You can exercise your creativity regularly to improve problem solving. It's like a muscle – the more you work, the stronger it gets. Some useful and free skills are writing, doodling, and brainstorming. It is important to allow yourself to express any idea, no matter how absurd it may seem. Once you've provided more answers than you need, you can narrow them down to the most useful answer.
–Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
When we can't solve a problem as quickly or efficiently as we hope, we usually blame ourselves. Ironically, blaming yourself makes it harder to solve new problems as they arise. I suggest you always take a step back from a situation that needs a solution and look at it from an objective perspective.
–John Turner, SeedProd LLC
You need to know exactly what problem you are facing before you can solve it. Lay it all out — the circumstances and your options — and decide what's best for you based on what you know. The more you train, the better you will get.
–Jared Atchison, WPForms
If you change the way you see an issue, from the perspective of the shoes or from another person's perspective, you're more likely to have the tools you need to understand their point of view. Which helps you make a more balanced and informed decision.
–Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
There is a lot of power in speaking your problems and thoughts out loud to others; you get feedback and new ideas. Other people can often point out obvious things that you missed because you were too close to the problem. You don't have to be alone when it comes to solving problems for your business. It helps to find a community or colleagues to support you.
–Blair Williams, MemberPress
The best advice I have for leaders to hone their problem-solving skills is to keep your higher purpose in mind. What motivates you? Why are you putting effort and time into your business? Knowing the answer to these questions allows you to problem solve with more creativity, confidence, and power. Those around you will also see your passion, which will also inspire them to develop leadership skills.
—Shu Saito, Godai
The most extraordinary solutions to problems are not necessarily complex, but they are always creative. Creativity is not just about creating something new. It is also the ability to find unusual connections between familiar things. My advice is to exercise your creativity by soaking up as many ideas as possible. The more ideas you learn, the more creative solutions you prepare.
–Salomon Timothy, OneIMS
Body and mind are connected as part of a single organism. This means that if you want to improve your mental health and problem-solving skills, you can't neglect your physical health. Remember to exercise regularly, sleep well and take breaks if you spend a long time behind a desk staring at the computer.
–Bryce Welker, The Big 4 Accounting Firms
Simplify the problem down to its most basic core. Then simplify the solution. Identify two or three concrete steps that, when taken, will solve the problem. For the most part, it's as simple as that.
–Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
Problem-solving skills are vital to the workforce and often determine success. I would say that one of the best tips for leaders to hone their problem-solving skills is to be aware of your mindset. If you allow yourself to be overwhelmed or frustrated by the problem, you are less likely to find the best solution. View problems as an opportunity to learn, be creative, and be resourceful instead.
–Diego Orjuela, Cables and Sensors
The best way to practice problem solving is to expose yourself to new challenges and new industries. A great way to do this is to volunteer for a non-profit organization or even a political campaign. You will interact with new people and learn new tools and approaches that can help you develop your creativity to solve problems in your own business.
–Nanxi Liu, Plugging
If possible, read case studies of current and past leaders you admire. Their memoirs, internal reports, and analyst reports all help paint a vivid picture of how more established leaders handled tough decisions wisely. Better yet, turn this activity into a group exercise by having your fellow managers review the same cases and discuss their findings with you.
–Yaniv Masjedi, Nextiva
Habitual thinking is one of the biggest challenges in problem solving. To solve problems, you have to think creatively. And to think creatively, you have to get out of the routine. One of the best ways to get your brain into creative space is to schedule a time to get away from the desk, take a walk, and let your mind wander. You will find that new ideas emerge.
–Keith Shields, Designli
With every problem you try to solve, remember who you are and why you do what you do. Face all your problems with courage and solve them according to your inner voice, your intuition and your authenticity. There is no other way to solve your problems than to face them with pride knowing that you are true to yourself and that your mission and vision are still intact.
–Daisy Jing, Ban
These answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization made up of passed young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more about yec.co .
