A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.
—Charles Kettering
Assertive businesspeople often make the mistake of making snap judgments when they’re faced with a problem. I suppose that their thinking is “I’m paid to know the answers to these problems.”
You will come up with much better solutions if you slow down and consider all the aspects of the problem before you attempt a solution.
In this section we’ll talk about difficulties defining the problem. This is a critical issue. If you’ve defined the problem properly, you’re more than halfway to finding a perfect solution.
How fast you pick a solution is critical. It’s important not to choose too quickly, but it’s also important not to move too slowly. We’ll tell you how to analyze your problem to decide how urgent it is.
It’s important to decide on how to solve the problem and then give all your efforts to support that course of action. But it’s also important to realize when you’ve made a mistake. If the horse drops dead, get off fast, as they say in rodeo.
In Chapter 17 we’ll talk about how some of the most attractive solutions are completely unworkable.