Nine Attributes Of Problem Solvers

Problem solvers are hard to find. In a market where scarcity commands top pay and recognition, problem solvers are in very high demand. Problem solvers share a number of attributes. Nine of them are listed later in this article.

Problem identifiers, while valuable, are much easier to find. And not nearly as valuable or effective.

To illustrate my point:

I was engaged with a team of top managers on identifying the critical problems that needed to be addressed to pull their business out of a slump. The first step in the process was to define the problems - in concrete specific terms. The team was active, aggressive, focused and came up with quite a list of problems.

The next step was to prioritize the problems. The top 5 priorities were agreed to quickly - the remainder took quite some time.

But as soon as they were tasked with coming up with solutions, the dynamic changed. The team members were reluctant to deal with the solutions part of the process. It wasn't a question of ability - these were highly experienced, knowledgeable people who knew their business - that was evident in the problem identification phase. What they as a group were unwilling to do was to offer solutions. Solutions meant ownership. And ownership meant engagement and accountability. And, as a group, they simply weren't willing to do that.

There was not a single person in that team that stepped forward to take leadership and be the problem solver - and it was a group of eight senior managers.

That happens a lot. Ask anyone in any organization to tell you what's wrong, what can be improved, and they can go on for hours. Then ask them for solutions and many of the same people who were so good at problem identification start looking for an escape from the conversation.

One of my first bosses had a cure for that behavior. He told me to never come to him with a problem without bringing a solution - or at least the basis for one. It's a good behavior to adopt and to stress to others. It really cut down on the amount of time my boss spent listening to issues without answers.

Problem identification is a good thing - but there is a very fine line between problem identification and complaining. I recall a TV ad where the CEO and his staff were celebrating the acquisition of a company. Everyone was in high spirits And then the IT person broke into the conversation. He said he would be faced with a whole new set of IT challenges - more server farms, more software requirements, more possible security problems, more data configuration issues, more system requirements. The rest of the group stopped celebrating - the CEO looked at the IT person - and said - "Is that a good thing, or is that a bad thing?"

The moral - Don't bring buzzkill to a celebration. The IT head knew what he was talking about, but expressing concern at that point was both inappropriate and prematurely negative. And it identified him as a negative person - perhaps unfairly, but that's what happens when problems are thrown on the table without solutions.

Here are key attributes of problem solvers - attributes that help them multiply their personal success by making key contributions to their organization's success. And doing it without being the buzzkill of the organization.

1 - They have the ability to define a problem in terms of its impact on the enterprise, and then to communicate that impact to the organization.

2 - They have the ability to prioritize and see the big picture. Some problems may be pressing, but in the context of resources, jeopardies and opportunities, they may have to take a back seat for some period of time.

3 - They have the ability to predict problems and prepare to respond to them, and the emotional maturity to wait to respond to them until they actually become an issue to the enterprise.

4 - They have a strong sense of urgency about dealing with issues, coupled with the belief that very few issues disappear or get better with age. They believe that success likes speed - controlled speed.

5 - They have the ability to maintain a high profile for the issue and be its advocate until it is successfully dealt with. Too often attention drains away after initial actions - before the issue is successfully dealt with.

6 - They are comfortable with a ready, fire, aim mindset. Very few problems are solved without modification of the initial solution. Most need action, then measurement, then amendment, then another cycle of action, measurement and modification.

7 - They possess strong collaborative skills. Very few high level problems respond well to the efforts of just one person, one department, one function. Cross functional efforts are critical - and the problem solver has to be doing the leading.

8 - They are willing to take risk. Not all problems end up being solved or fixed to the satisfaction of all involved. There is always the possibility that criticism and resistance may be the undoing of the solution - and the people associated with it.

9 - They know when to hold, and when to fold. At some point in every problem solving process, certain things just don't work as anticipated. Knowing when persistence is becoming a failure behavior - a "pushing on the rope" behavior, and having the courage and communication skills to change course, is a critical attribute.

Take a look at your own attributes, beliefs, skills and motivators. See where action can be taken to strengthen your own problem solving abilities. It's worth the effort - problem solvers are a rare and valuable breed for any organization. And that translates into increased rewards, security and opportunities.

Written by Andy Cox. President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

A Personal Tune Up To Multiply Your Success

I had a CEO tell me that she has never seen so much talent available. She has never had the opportunity to pick and choose from so many qualified candidates when making hiring decisions as she does now. Even if you're not looking for a job, with so much talent available, it's important to keep track of the image you present to others.

It's time to take a look at your Pace, Persona and Posture - three critical elements that say so much about you. Now's the time to take an inventory of these three elements of who you appear to be to other people - and to use that information to multiply your success.

Pace

When you want to be heard and seen as a busy, effective person, pick up the pace of your speaking. Talk faster. Slow talkers are perceived as people who have lots of time, who are relaxed and who are not as committed as people that are direct, to the point and speak with energy. Is that true? Of course not - but in a world where how you are perceived is at least as important as who you really are, it is a factor that requires attention. Check the pace of your speaking - record your phone calls, record a presentation, ask a trusted friend how you come across in conversation - and see if your pace of speech is working for you, or against you. And try an experiment. On a phone call, consciously increase the pace of your speech. Watch the person you are talking to do the same thing. Pace sets the tone - be in charge of your yours.

Persona

What you do speaks so loudly I can't hear what you are saying. Take a hard look at grooming, manners, personal habits, style of dress, and interpersonal skills. You may be the most motivated, well intentioned, energetic person in the world, but if the persona you project doesn't carry that message, the chances of getting an opportunity to show just how good and motivated and bright you are will not be granted. And someone with less of the attributes you possess, but with a more positive persona, will get what you want. It's not the way it should be, but it's the real world.

Posture

Nothing communicates energy and positiveness more than good posture. Nothing says "beat down" more than poor posture. So many of us spend a lot of time hunched over a computer, and the result is rounded shoulders, and stooped posture. And that's bad. Just think about how you judge someone who doesn't stand up straight, who slouches. It speaks low energy, careless, defeated. I had a trainer at a gym tell me to stand up straight. I didn't realize I had been slouching. I thought my posture was good. I stood up straight, against a wall, and gained an inch and a half in height. Amazing - but true. Slouching just kind of happens, but the result is a negative. How to fix this? Unless there is a physical problem, good posture can be regained. Stand straight, pull the glutes in, suck in and lift the abdomen, pull the shoulders back and down, and pull your chin in, not up. Go to http://www.coreperformance.com/ to get information on gaining core strength to ensure good posture. It's worth the effort.


In this highly competitive world, where more and more talent is competing for fewer jobs and resources, taking the time and effort to do a personal tune up is a big step to being able to sell all your other great qualities - the ones that can't be seen, and require acceptance on the appearance level before they can be demonstrated.

Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Be A Problem Solver, and Multiply Your Success

Watching the circus in Congress and on the news shows is so depressing. I'm left with the impression that the most important thing is to put the finger on someone for whatever issue is served to the public by the Congress, or the Administration or the news media. The problem is that the blame behavior can be infectious. And it's a toxic behavior.

Have you ever been in any organization where a blamer was rewarded for pointing the finger and assigning blame? I haven't - and I hope I never will be. Blame is a behavior that stands in the way of problem solving and positive action to correct past problems. It can suck the air right out of a room, out of a meeting, out of a relationship. And the people practicing it often don't even see what they are doing - to themselves and to others. And they assume that everyone else is thinking the same as they are. They're wrong.

Given the world we live in right now, with all the negativity swirling around - it's time to really examine our behaviors, and work hard to be problem solvers. It's not easy, particularly when so many take the low road by blaming others, making sure they aren't blamed or by not being accountable for either their own actions or for actions to correct problems.

But rising above those negative behaviors to be a problem solver has its rewards. First, it's a top ten percent behavior. For someone who wants to multiply their success, being seen as a problem solver means being seen as a go - to person. It means being in control. Stuff happens, much of it beyond our reach. But how we choose to respond to stuff separates the successful from the not so successful. It creates the opportunity for accomplishment. How often have you seen a blamer given the opportunity to be a problem solver? Not too often - negative behavior pushes people and opportunities away.

Here are steps to take to be part of that top ten percent - the problem solvers.

1 - Avoid the blamers. They're easy to spot; they attract other blamers; and rarely provide effective input directed to solutions

2 - Be conscious of your own behavior. It's easy to pick up the habit of blame. Being in the top ten percent can be a real challenge in many ways. Blame is sneaky, its can be hard to identify, and it's everywhere - particularly in times of crisis.. In some organizations blame may seem to be the way to survive. If that's true, move on.

3 - Always start a discussion with two questions: "What is the problem?" and "What can be done to fix the problem?" Do that in a meeting and watch the majority of people disappear. But the ones left standing are the key to success.

4 - After action to fix the problem is defined and implemented, find out what caused the problem in the first place. Often the reasons are not nearly as superficial as the blamers would like them to be. That analysis can result in not making the same mistake over and over. It's amazing how often seemingly intelligent, rational people don't take that step - and end up back in the same situation.

5 - Seek out positive things to help deflect the constant barrage of bad news. Effective problem solving needs a positive climate to be most effective. Ben Settle, a top copywriter, has sworn off the news. He says he feels better, works better, has more energy and makes better decisions since he stopped watching the " if it bleeds. it leads" news. If the news is a big part of your life, look for the good stuff and the media that provide it.

6 - Read and listen to high quality sources of information and possible solutions. Help your rational mind overcome the very human tendency to act on emotions without analysis. Emotion and intuition enter into any problem solution - very rarely will all the pieces of a puzzle be presented before action has to be taken. By seeking out sources of rational thought and process, snap decisions based purely on emotion can be avoided. And the learning involved adds to the body of knowledge and accomplishment that is your greatest security.

Choosing to be a problem solver can be a challenge. But like any other challenge, the rewards are worth it. Inventory your own behavior to ensure the blamers haven't pulled you down - and if they have, choose to multiply your success by rising above them.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Our Greatest Source of Security

The only real source of security any of us have in this time of change and downsizing and merging and new business models and all the other stuff we see, read and hear – is what? The only real security any of us have comes from our own accomplishments. Top performers - the people who will prosper even in the toughest of times - believe that. For others it's a frightening thought – or a frustrating thought – or just plain not true.

Victims will ask “How can it be true if I work in a situation where I'm not recognized for what I do? “ “How can it be true if I work in a situation where nothing ever changes?” “How can it be true if I really don’t want to change? “

Well it is true – regardless of personal circumstances, and to ignore that fact is to put the future in jeopardy.

Let’s take the case of two new graduates, both hired at the same business, both given similar assignments.

Graduate A goes to work every day, does his job as it's assigned to him, meets the requirements of his job, gets married and starts a family. After work our graduate spends time golfing with his old buddies, socializing with his college friends, watching TV – and generally enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Graduate B goes to work every day, does the work he is assigned, meets the requirements of his job, and asks his boss if there are any things he can do to prepare himself for future assignments. He gets married, starts a family, He's also a golfer, and gets to know some other golfers that work for the same business, as well as some of the customers and suppliers for the the company. He playa golf weekly with these people, and socializes with his old friends and his wife’s friends on a regular basis. He takes his bosses advice, and takes company sponsored courses that provide him with knowledge in areas that he did not study in college. He sets goals at work and shares them with his boss – and negotiates them so they support the bosses requirements. When a goal is met, he shares that milestone with the people that contributed to it, and with his boss.

After two years, the business is sold, and the new owner, a multinational organization, moves the business to a new location, and terminates all the existing employees, including our two graduates.

Who do you bet on to come out of this setback in better shape? I'll bet on Graduate B, who, in venturing out of his comfort zone for knowledge, contacts, and accomplishments, put himself way ahead in the race to succeed – and to have security through his own accomplishments.

Accomplishments are available for everyone, but they need to be sought after – and the most important individual quality anyone can have is the ability and capacity to seek out and embrace change. Top performers don’t wait for change to be imposed – too often imposed change is change arising out of crisis.

A story from my own experience to illustrate that point: A company had a large immigrant workforce – from a number of different countries and cultures - and all were struggling with the language requirements of the work they were doing. They worked for a large aerospace company, and their jobs had high value – good pay, good benefits and excellent working conditions. The inability to communicate in English was a major stumbling block to getting ahead, or even surviving. The company offered English Second Language programs to all who were interested – even setting up classes on a split between company paid time and personal time. It was a voluntary program – and only 15% of the people who were eligible and who needed to improve their English skills signed up. And of the 15% who signed up, only 20% of that group successfully completed the course and gained a better competence in English. Two years later that company consolidated operations in another state during a downturn in the economy – and terminated all the existing employees. For the top few who had taken advantage of the English Second Language classes, new jobs were found in no time – many of them found new jobs before the business shut down. For the others who had passed up the opportunity to gain a critical skill, new jobs came at a slow pace.

So when do you start this process of acquiring accomplishments as the means to providing security in your life? The answer is – today! Regardless of where you currently find yourself in your life, now is the time to start – or to continue – or to change the direction of where you are going. And the single most important thing you can do today is to set your own goals and then act to see them come true – and then make new goals – and then act to see them come true. And then make new goals, and then make them come true. When you do that you create your own life of expectations – and not simply allow whatever happens to force change.

Taking the route of seeking personal accomplishment as the way to security puts you in the top 10% of all people.. When you do that you give yourself a tremendous competitive advantage in this time of change.

And if you've had a record of accomplishment in the past, now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Recent accomplishments have a higher value than older ones, and with the pace of change, what happened five years ago – or even a year ago – may have lost some value in the marketplace. It's like Satchel Paige, the famous baseball pitcher from the old Negro Leagues used to say “ Don't look back, they might be gaining on you.”

And don't dwell on lost opportunities for accomplishment – I guarantee there are opportunities available right now. If there is a bright side to today's economy and change, it's that identifying positive change and going for it is more important than it has been for some time. Take advantage of that fact to grow personally and professionally and avoid the status quo.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright © 2009 All Rights Reserved

A Rock Through The Window - There Goes The Comfort Zone

Right around five PM yesterday, a loud noise, like a shotgun blast, got me out of my office and into the dining area of our house. There was a big hole in the shade covering the picture window. There was glass all over the rug, and all over the dining room table and chairs. I drew the vertical shade, and saw a very large hole through the middle of the thermopane window. It looked like a shotgun hole. It wasn't. Lying on the carpet near the window was a good size rock.

Someone had thrown that rock with quite a bit of force - enough force to blast through the double pane window and then through the shade - leaving shards of glass as far as fifteen feet into the room!

We called the police - they came in 10 minutes, recovered the rock and filled out a report, and looked at the area around the house. We had heard nothing, seen nothing, and had no clue as to what might have happened and what caused it.

After the police left, my wife and I got busy cleaning up - a process that took close to an hour. Then I taped over the hole in the window so it was sealed, and so that the remainder of the window would stay intact.

Nothing like this had ever happened to us before. No acts of violence, no vandalism, no feeling of being threatened. The house had always seemed like a real comfort zone. The closest thing to this was the theft of a car from our driveway some years ago. The car was old, there was no evidence of forceable entry, and the police were rather droll about it.

Now we feel uneasy - this rock throwing could be interpreted so many ways. A deliberate act directed at us - for God only knows what reason? A random act of vandalism? A mistake - whoever did it didn't mean to do it - at least not to us? Some kind of destructive impulse that just happened to target us? We'll never know. What we do know is that a comfort zone can change in a flash - without warning, without reason.

So what do we do? First thing is to accept that we will probably never know the cause - so it's a waste of time reflecting on it. It's a waste of time to look with suspicion at the people that walk, drive or run through the neighborhood - although doing so is a really human response. It's a waste of time trying to guard against a repeat - chances of it happening again are very small.

So we will get the window fixed, make sure the replacement thermopane window is shatterproof so we don't get glass spraying into the room if it should happen again, and then forget it.

Except. Our comfort zone took a little hit. It will never be exactly the same again. And our empathy for victims of real violence and circumstance has gone up a few levels. And that's good.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www,coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Captain Sullenberger, Preparation, Routine and Opportunities

Hats off to Captain Sullenberger and his crew and their rescue - I can't think of a better word to describe what they did - in saving the passengers and themselves when they had to ditch in the Hudson River. The accolades and gratitude and respect that the crew have received are well earned.

And there is a real lesson for all of us as we go about the business of our lives - every day - some routine days, some difficult days, some boring days, some really special days.

The lesson can be summed up in a quote I read in the book "The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer.

"It has been written that so much of life is preparation, so much is routine, and so much is retrospect that the purest essence of anyone's genius contracts itself into a precious few hours."

The quote refers to the heroism of the small destroyers and destroyer escort ships of the US Navy at the Battle of the Samar Sea in WW II. They turned into the teeth of a large Japanese fleet bent on destroying the carriers they were protecting. Outgunned and outnumbered, the tin can sailors attacked - and all the preparation, routine, habit and response they had accumulated contracted into the collective genius necessary to give the carriers time to escape - but at a very high cost to those sailors and their ships.

Captain Sullenberger and his crew saw all of their preparation, routine and retrospect contract into a brief period of genius that was the product of everything that came before it. Everything I have read about the Captain tells a story of a man constantly striving to be better, to rehearse scenarios, to understand the dynamics of what he spent so much time doing. And when those birds hit, all of that contracted into his - and his crews - particular genius - and lives were saved.

In these times when so much negative is reported, stories of true genius, of competence, of heroism, of people just doing their jobs can help us keep perspective. And realize that our own times of preparation, routine and retrospect can contract into a few hours when an opportunity presents itself that can be life changing.

It's tempting right now - when everything seems mired in negativity - to ask ourselves "what's the use?" Answer that question by remembering and thanking the Captain Sullenberger's and the Tincan Sailors - draw inspiration from them - and press on.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

How To Hire The Right People

"The first thing you have to do is hire the right people." Have you ever heard that profound piece of advice? Of course you're going to hire the right people - if you know who the right people are. If that's the case, why isn't more time spent defining what the job requires of the right person as the first step in any talent selection?

If you Google the keyword phrase "hire the right people" you will get 76,000 responses. If you Google the keyword phrase "hire the best" you will get 872,000 responses. You will find the great majority of responses deal with ways to evaluate candidates. Lots of information on tools - checklists, questions, how to structure an interview, how to write a job description, recruiting practices, and so on. But very few of those 948,000 Google responses address the key question - How to define the best person for the job - the right person for the job - based on the job, not the applicant?


Most organizations focus on the technical benchmarks. education, experience, industry knowledge, certifications, level of accomplishment and contribution, recommendations - hard information of high value - fairly easily obtained. And so these technical benchmarks and the intuition of the interviewers become the basis for the selection decision.

But the benchmarks critical to success or failure are often treated with a few statements about working in teams, ability to communicate, listening skills, sense of humor, and so on. Hard to define, describe and agree on. So the benchmarks that make the difference in success and failure - ever more so the higher up in the organization the job is - remain only vaguely identified - certainly not agreed to by the interviewers. And that is the weak link in the selection process.


It doesn't have to be that way. The stakeholders of the job, the people that have done the job, the people to whom the job reports, the peers the job works with, all have knowledge of the Behaviors, Personal Skills, and Motivators that make the difference between success and failure. Getting that information in a form that could be used in selection has been a real challenge. But now there are tools and processes that can benchmark Behaviors, Motivators or Attitude and Personal Skills that those in the know feel are necessary for success. And those benchmarks can then be used in the selection process - to see how candidates measure up to the job, not to some measure of "good enough," or "best we could find." And let's face it, no person will bring the ideal profile to the job. The benchmarks can then be used to develop the person selected so they can be more successful, quicker.


Intuition is the force guiding most selection decisions. But intuition is influenced by many different inputs, as well as the biases created through life and work experience. By adding to intuition the benchmarks of Behavior, Personal Skills and Motivators, and the consistent application and comparison of those benchmarks to the selection process, intuition can be much more secure in its decisions. And that leads to commitment toward the person selected - and that's a good thing. The "throw them up against the wall and see if they stick" approach can be replaced with a commitment to success. And when that happens, turnover goes down, retention and productivity go up. And the right people for the job - the best people for the job - strengthen the organization.

With so much more talent available, it's a good time to examine selection practices to ensure the right people are being selected for the right jobs. It's tempting to hire the best people - whatever that means - out of a large talent pool. But it's critical to select the best talent matched to the right job for that talent.


If you would like more information on how to benchmark jobs in your organization, and multiply the success of your selection efforts, give me a call.

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved