On a daily basis, the manager will be confronted with a whole series of problems: dissatisfied customers, team cohesion at half-mast, hierarchy to be satisfied, etc. Problem solving in management is therefore a key skill of the manager. However, this aspect is often underestimated to the point that difficulties accumulate and the manager is overwhelmed.
Don’t be alone in solving problems and the request for advice
The first axis is to realize that trying to solve your problems alone in management is very risky. You manage people. That means you work as a team. The difficulties and problems therefore generally concern everyone. Therefore, problem solving must also involve all those affected. If it’s just you, then yes, you can solve it on your own. But usually there’s always someone involved. For example, an issue with a customer will affect you and your teams. This can be in connection with the employees of the production workshop or customer service. Even a problem with your salary will concern your manager and the human resources department. It will therefore be necessary, for a good resolution of problems, to involve each person concerned, to ensure better results.
This video can explain it:
To solve a problem, solicitation of opinions is a powerful lever. It is simply a question of seeking the opinions of the people concerned. For example, you have a problem with a customer. You will ask them for a more specific opinion. In this case, he can tell you that your product is of poor quality. You will continue by asking for input from your production and quality teams to see what is possible. They will tell you how it is possible to strengthen the quality of the product and how much it costs. Then, you will go to the financial department to ask them if the company has the means to do so. You can also go to the marketing department to ensure that your strategy is the right one in terms of customer relationship.
Ensure teams are competent
Now that the commitment of the teams is present, the manager will have to ensure that the teams have the competence to implement the solution. Indeed, it is very good to have good ideas and good solutions, but still we must be able to implement them. To remain consistent in the approach, the manager can directly ask the teams if they think they have the necessary skills to implement the actions that have been decided. If so, that’s fine. If not, we’ll have to train the teams. Always following the same logic, the manager will ask the teams what training they need. In this way, the manager will maintain the accountability and autonomy of the teams, ensuring commitment at all levels.