Running your own business means you need to be ready for whatever problems that come to you. Sometimes they are easy to solve and sometimes they are so complex. Regardless, every individual has their own pattern in solving problems. It is all coming from the process of making decision. In business, recognizing your own pattern in solving problems and making decision is a big deal.
How to recognize your pattern
A pattern informs your processes that can become your method of problem-solving and decision-making. It is also possible for people to be unaware unconscious of the pattern they have been used. Even if you feel like that, you can leverage those unconscious things to make them less unconscious. In making decision and solving problems, awareness and intentionality do matter. Those are your tools to face any challenge while running your business. And here are what you can do to improve your decision-making and problem-solving processes:
Be specific
It is crucial to be specific about the decision or problems you face. Ask yourself more specific questions that can lead to more definite answers. Too general questions will only lead to vague answer which may raise another problem instead. When you are being specific, it brings more clarity into the decision to be made or the problem to be solved. To achieve the clarity, you need to have specific view of the timeframe, destination, and others impacted by the decision.
Ask feedback from others
Sometimes, the problem you face feel harder or more complicated for you because you only see it from your point of view. Hence, it is wise to ask feedback from others you trust who can give you objective feedback. However, make sure to be selective in choosing those people. At least those few people are the people you respect and who know your gaps. Those kind of people know your blind spots, what you are good at, and potential pitfalls. They will be able to challenge you with vital questions, and you will become more open to receive that. When you ask for feedback from the others, you will be informed with more options that you probably have never though before. It means, you have more options to be taken as the best solution accordingly.
Collect a data
It is normal for you to get stuck when trying to make decision even after contemplating alone or discussing it with the people you trust. If this is the case, then you may consider going back and get few people to weigh in and repeat the process. It can be called as collecting data. Some people may see it as pushing off decision to other people. However, it is indeed the value of collecting data you are searching for. This kind of approach works well for deductive thinker who tend to gather information from numerous sources before making decision. Keep in mind that this is not a plot to put a blame on someone. It is to share and garner learning from divers expertise.