Problem Solving Discussions….
Solve Problems and Make Decisions More Effectively in Discussions With Other People
Your ability to communicate is the most important skill you can develop to get on to the fast track in your career. Perhaps the most important thing you do in business is to solve problems and make decisions, both by yourself and with other people. A major reason for meetings in the business organization is problem solving and decision making. The key to effective problem solving and decision making discussions, is for you to all go through the process systematically.
Clarify the Problem
Right at the beginning, you ask the question, "What exactly is the problem?" Clarity of definition will resolve 50% of the issues before they go any further
Think About the Future
When discussing a problem, be sure to focus on the future over the past. Ask the question, "Where do we go from here?" "What do we do from here?" "What are our options for the future?" Too many problem-solving discussions end up focusing all of the attention of all the people present on what happened in the past and who is to blame. The effective executive uses this type of communication to focus on where the company and the individuals are going, and what can happen in the future – the only part of the equation over which anyone has any control.
A second element in effective problem solving communications, is for you to talk about the solutions instead of talking about the problems. It is for you to keep the attention of the individuals in the meeting focused on the possible solutions and what can be done rather than what has already happened.
The discussion of solutions is inherently positive, uplifting and has a tendency to release creativity amongst the group. A discussion of problems is inherently negative, de-motivating and tends to inhibit creativity. You can become a positive thinker simply by becoming a solution-oriented person rather than a problem-oriented person. If you get everyone in your organization thinking and talking in terms of solutions, you will be astonished at the quality and quantity of ideas that will emerge.
Putting These Ideas Into ActionFirst, take some time to be absolutely clear about the problem that is under discussion. Give some thought to what an ideal decision or solution would accomplish. Instead of focusing on the situation as it is, talk about the situation as you would like it to be.
Second, keep the conversation focused on solutions, on what can be done in the future. The more you think and talk about solutions, the more positive and creative everyone will be and the better ideas you will come up with.
Past Attendee of The “High Performance Leadership” Program.
“Recently Mark delivered Brian Tracy International’s Communicate With Power program to our team of BNI Executive Directors in Australia. This significantly increased our appreciation of just how important successful interaction with others is, and just how easy achieving this can be!”
5 Questions And Answers By Brian Tracy.
Question: How do you stay motivated and succeed in our economic state and in the face of adversity?
Answer: There are several keys to self-motivation. First, you must have clear, specific, written goals with plans or lists of activities to accomplish them.
Second, you must make a “To-Do List” each day, preferably made up the night before.
Third, you must review your list and ask, “If I could only accomplish one activity on this list before I was called out of town for a month, which one activity would I want to be sure to complete?”
You then begin on your most important task and discipline yourself to concentrate on it single-mindedly until it is complete.
The way to stay motivated is for you to keep busy working at the most important things you can do each day to accomplish your most important goals.
You cannot control external factors or the future, but you can control yourself. When you take full control of your own mind and activities, you will naturally feel positive, focused and self-motivated.
Question: What differentiates successful people from unsuccessful people?
Answer: This answer has filled thousands of books and articles over the years. When you use the 80/20 rule and apply it to people, you will find that the top 20% of people in any society, those who enjoy 80% of the rewards, have certain characteristics in common:
1. They know who they are – their values, talents, abilities, desires, strengths and weaknesses, and they are very honest with themselves;
2. They know what they want – they have clear, written goals with plans for their accomplishment that they work on every day;
3. They accept 100% responsibility for themselves and their lives, and for everything that happens to them. They refuse to make excuses, complain or blame other people for problems in their lives. Instead of making excuses, they make progress;
4. Top people are continuous learners – they read, listen to audio programs, watch educational videos and never stop getting better at what they do;
5. Top people are optimists – they look for the good in every situation. They look for the lesson in every problem or setback. They take a constructive approach to life;
6. Top people are persistent. They make a decision, in advance, that they will never give up, no matter what happens.
Question: How important is my “mindset” on the path to success?
Answer: Earl Nightingale once wrote that “Attitude” is the most important word in the language. Your attitude is the way you approach any situation or problem, either positive or negative.
The most profound truth in human history is that “You will become what you think about – most of the time.”
What is it that you think about most of the time? If you think of something positive, constructive, uplifting or happy, you will be a positive and focused person.
Top people think about what they want, and how to get it, most of the time. If one thing doesn’t work, they try something else.
More than anything else, the busier you are working in the pursuit of your goals, the more energy and imagination you will have, you will be more positive and focused. You will feel in complete control of yourself and your life as you get so busy every day working on achieving your most important goals.
Question: How do you beat procrastination and execute your own potential to perform at your best?
Answer: In my book Eat That Frog! I explain how to overcome procrastination and get more things done faster.
In its simplest terms, the way to overcome procrastination is for you to make a list of everything that you have to do in the coming day and then set priorities on that list.
Identify the one activity or task that is more valuable and important than any other. You then discipline yourself to start on that task first thing, and concentrate on that task until it is 100% complete.
When you develop the habit of starting on your most important task and completing it at the beginning of each day, you will double, triple and increase your productivity as much as four or five times. You will get more things done faster and move ahead more rapidly in your life than with any other single technique.
Question: What are the initial steps one should take once a person has identified a goal?
Answer: Once you have identified a goal that you want to achieve, you should write it down in clear, specific language, in the present tense, as if it had already been achieved.
For example, you would write, “I earn $ XXX, XXX by (Specific date).
Identify the problems and difficulties you will have to overcome to achieve this goal. Why aren’t you already earning this amount of money?
Identify the additional knowledge and skills that you will need to achieve this goal. To achieve something that you have never achieved before, you must master a skill that you have never mastered before. What is it?
Identify the people, groups and organizations whose help and cooperation you require to achieve your goal. No one does it alone. Whose help will you require, and what will you give in return to make them want to help you?
Make a plan, a list of all the things that you can think of that you could do to achieve your goal and then organize your plan by sequence and priority:
Sequence: What do you have to do first, second and so on? Time management is your ability to choose the sequence of events;
Priority: What are the most important things you can do on your list to achieve your most important goal? All of life is the setting of priorities.
Finally, take action. Do something immediately. And do something every single day that moves you toward the achievement of your most important goal.
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Posted by Mark Garbelotto.
Develop A Clear Vision…
The one quality that all leaders have in common is that they have a clear and exciting vision for the future.
This is something that only the leader can do. Only the leader can think about the future and plan for the future each day.
Take the Time to Think
Excellent leaders take the time to think through and develop a clear picture of where they want the organization to be in one, three and five years. Leaders have the ability to communicate this vision in such a way that others "buy in" and eventually see the vision as belonging to them.
Motivate People to Give of Their Best
It is the vision of the future possibilities, of what can be, that arouses emotion and motivates people to give of their best. The most powerful vision is always qualitative, aimed at and described in terms of values and mission rather than quantitative, which is described in terms of money and numbers.
Money is Important
Of course, money is important, but the decision and commitment to "be the best in the business" is far more exciting.
Keep Your Cool
Another key to leadership success is for you to "keep your cool." A study at Stanford Business School examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting young managers toward senior executive positions, especially the position of Chief Executive Officer. The study concluded that the two most important qualities required for great success were, first, the ability to put together and function as part of a team. Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers’ output is the output of the team, the ability to select team members, set objectives, delegate responsibility and finally, get the job done, was central to success in management.
Practice is Everything
The second quality required for rapid promotion was found to be the ability to function well under pressure, and especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in a crisis means to practice patience and self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.
People Are Watching
The character and quality of a leader is often demonstrated in these critical moments under fire, when everyone is watching, observing and privately taking notes. As Rudyard Kipling once said, "If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all that’s in it".
Your job as a leader is to have a clear vision of where you want to go and then to keep your cool when things go wrong, as they surely will.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, project forward 3-5 years and imagine your ideal future vision. What does it look like? What steps can you take immediately to begin turning your future vision into your current reality?
Second, resolve in advance that, no matter what happens, you will remain calm and cool. You will not become upset or angry. You will take a deep breath and focus on the solution rather than on the problem.
Written By Brain Tracy.
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Seven Steps to Goal Setting
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