8 Ways to Boost Your Problem-Solving Skills

Bruce is the founder of ProjectManagementHacks.com, a resource for growing IT project managers.

  Leadership   Risk Management  

The OECD and the World Economic have identified problem solving as a vital skill for the 21^st century. While I respect the insights raised by those two organizations, I haven't taken much interest in enhancing problem solving until recently.

How I Got Excited About Problem Solving
Over the past year or so, problem solving has fascinated me professionally and personally. In brief, it is an area with room for improvement. Let me give you one example.

This winter, I experienced a problem with some outside furniture. The designers created the furniture to withstand the elements. However, Canadian winters can do a lot of damage! Therefore, I was keen to reduce the impact of winter on the furniture. I put the cover on top of the furniture. Unfortunately, the wind kept blowing the cover off, leaving the furniture unprotected.

The first few times this happened, I put the cover back in place and hoped for the best. I usually noticed the problem when I went out the door in the morning. The problem continued, so raw persistence wasn't the correct answer here.

The answer eventually came to me from someone who pointed out that the cover could be weighted down to resist the wind. I put two objects on the cover, and that solved the problem to a large degree.

This experience made me think about problem solving and why it’s not always easy. There are a few lessons …

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