As an executive recruiter, I
interview a lot of people. And while most candidates
find a way to look good on paper, their resumes don't
always reveal how good of a problem solver they are.
Yet all of my clients want to hire problem solvers -
people who can walk into their operation and make
their problems go away.
This is understandable. Business, of course, is all
about problems. In fact, whether your business is in
growth mode or decline, you will always have problems.
And it's management's job to either come up with the
answers, or hire people who will. This article is
about the latter.
How We Learned about Solving Problems
Through conventional classroom education, most of us
have come to believe that there is usually a right or
a wrong answer to a problem. As such, we tend to study
our most pressing business problems to find a single
'right' answer - as if we are solving for X in a math
problem. Yet in the business world, many problems
don't become clearer the more we study them. Instead,
they may become larger and more confusing. Problems
involving a mix of personalities and dynamic markets
can be especially vexing.
Naturally, hiring managers who fail to understand the
nature of their business problems will find it
difficult to hire someone who can solve them.
Seven Steps to Successful Problem Solving
When solving problems - whether in real life or in a
job interview - it's important to follow a logical
process. Most business problems are not solved because
people don't define the 'real problem' clearly.
Therefore, the strength of a job applicant's problem
solving ability can be seen by walking them through
the following seven step framework while getting them
to describe how they solved a real life problem in
their last job. When discussing a problem that they
solved in a previous job, the applicant should
demonstrate an ability to:
1. Define the problem: Have the candidate identify
what went wrong by including both a cause and an
effect in the definition in the problem they solved.
2. Define the objectives: Have the candidate explain
the outcome he wanted to achieve as a result of
solving the problem.
3. Generate alternatives: How many alternatives did
the candidate generate? Did the quality of the
alternatives vary greatly? Was there a significant
difference in the hard (and soft) costs associated
with each idea? And so on. This is the area in which
the candidate can demonstrate their creativity and
resourcefulness as a problem solver.
4. Develop an action plan: Have the candidate recap
their detailed action plan. Most action plans for
tough problems involve taking several steps over a
period of time. In his recap, does the candidate
specify who did what? And by what dates? The devil is
in the details, and detailed problem solvers are
usually more effective than generalists.
5. Troubleshoot: This is where the candidate can recap
the worst cases scenarios. What could have gone wrong
in his plan? What might have been the side effects?
How did the candidate ensure this plan would work?
Were there any unintended consequences?
6. Communicate: Getting information to the right
people is key for getting the buy-in to make it a
success. Have the candidate address which individuals
or groups affected the success of his action plan.
Does he explain who was impacted by it and who needed
to be informed about it? How did he communicate with
relevant parties? The most effective executives are
those who can leverage their time and talents by
getting things done through other people. This is your
opportunity to build your company's management bench.
7. Implement: Have the candidate address who carried
out the plan and monitor its implementation. Who was
accountable for each part of the solution? What were
the consequences for failure to meet the plan? Try to
determine: As a manager, will the candidate be 'hard
on the issues and soft on the people?'
Drilling down on how a candidate has solved problems
in the past will give you a good idea of how they will
solve problems in the future. Think in terms of the
quality, consistency, and costs of their solutions.
During the interview, you must get the candidate to be
specific about their problem solving experience.
Minimize the chances of being duped by getting the
candid to recap in vivid detail exactly what happened
in a given situation.
Think like a little kid: Ask 'Why?' or 'How?' to
everything they say. If you don't challenge them
during the interview process, you may pay a steep
price later for your lack of persistence.
About author
About the Author: Harry Joiner
comes to The SearchLogix Group
http://www.searchlogixgroup.com
) from Reliable Growth, an Atlanta-based Sales and
Marketing consultancy which he founded in August 2001.
Working with Fortune 500 clients such as Aflac
Insurance and NCR Corporation, Harry is a recognized
thought-leader in the area of new business
development. He has a long history of developing
domestic and international markets in multiple
industries including software, food, insurance,
telecoms and shipping.
Harry's regular columns have appeared in ERP Tips;
Institutional Distributor magazine; and Marketing &
Technology magazine. His creative business development
ideas have been featured in Competitive Edge magazine,
TEC World News, the Journal of Business & Industrial
Marketing, Best of Law Marketing, and the CPA
Marketing Report.
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