Solve It Now!

What do you think?

If your problem is bigger today than it was yesterday, now is the time to solve it.

Unless you want to wait until it gets even bigger...

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Identify The People Effected

Sometimes grouping problems into who they effect points the way to a faster solution.

Same customers, same problems. Same people, same situation. Isn't it likely that far enough upstream the causes are the same?

Before we start creating solutions, let's be sure to analyze a problem correctly.

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Consider this...

The essence of any problem contains its solution.

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Focus On Your Goal

Where do you start your problem solving process?

Many people jump right in defining what they think is the problem, but what they are really describing is the symptoms. If you've ever solved a bunch of symptoms only to find the problem still hanging around, you're ready for another approach.

How about starting with your goal? What is it that you really want?

It's much more effective to focus on your goal because then there are things that you can DO to get you there faster.

Before solving a problem, focus on what you really want from a solution.

You'll be much happier with the solutions you find when they help you achieve your goals.

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Go Earlier Than the Money

How do you feel when you run out of money?

It rocks my world if my account misses the mark. I don't like to run through my cash before all of my issues are settled, do you?

Sometimes, money is more of a symptom than the money. Many people will tell you that all of their problems could be solved if they just had enough money. As the expression goes, "if money can fix it, it's not a problem" (sometimes attributed to Rita Davenport). There is often something deeper. There is a cause behind the cause of the limited money.

If the problem is money there's another problem hiding earlier in the chain.

Dig a little deeper. Discover the true cause. Or keep burning through the cash. The choice is up to you.

-- Douglas Brent Smith