Do you know how to make up your mind when faced with a dilemma? Don’t react instinctively. And don’t make a dash for the first solution that comes your way or leave it all to chance. Trust in a considered response so you can make a mature decision.
Based on
Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish, Penguin Random House, 2023
1. ARE YOU CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE POROBLEM IS?
You’ve been trained to solve problems since you were at school – not to define them. But if you make a botch of the definition, you’ll end up trying to get to the bottom of… the wrong problem. The first principle is to split up the problem definition phase and the resolution phase.
Are you part of a team? Then hold a meeting to define the problem, when:
You should ask each participant to answer the question: “What do you know about this subject that the other people in the room don’t know?” In this way, you’ll avoid superfluous contributions.
Don’t grab the first definition that comes along: more often than not, it is the symptom that is identified rather than the underlying issue. Dig deeper until you get to the root cause of the problem.
Do you have to get to the bottom of your question individually? Describe the problem in writing, and give it the once-over the day after. Is your text full of jargon, labyrinthine, and difficult for anyone else to fathom? If so, that’s a sign that you’re not lucid about your objective. Rewrite it: “What is clearly thought out is clearly expressed”.
Marianne graduated from HEC in 1998 and is now a freelance journalist specializing in management and higher education. What really fires her up is the human dimension and she is c taking a psychology course at Rennes 2 University.
To keep informed in trends in management and leadership
I would like to receive the Business Digest newsletter
Nous utilisons des cookies sur ce site. Avec votre consentement, nous les utiliserons pour mesurer et analyser l'utilisation du site. Visitez notre page sur la politique cookie pour en savoir plus.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
