Be A Problem Solver
To make things better, you have to become a great problem solver. Your influence grows as you provide solutions to problems. All business transactions are the result of someone paying to get a problem solved, whether meaningful or minuscule. The more you are able to provide solutions for people’s problems, the more valuable you become to them. This ability requires that you bring unique ideas to the table. You can’t just be a thermometer; you have to become a thermostat.
Thermometers read the temperature, but thermostats are able to change the temperature. Don’t just bring problems to the table…offer solutions for them. No one wants to pay to find out they have a problem, but they will pay exceptionally well to get a problem fixed. Make it your practice never to bring a problem without a solution for it. Presenting a problem without a solution is really just a complaint in camouflage.
Presenting a problem without a solution is really just a complaint in camouflage.
If you are struggling to find a solution, keep searching until you find one. Businessman J.P. Morgan said, “No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form. The changing of a vague difficulty into a specific, concrete form is a very essential element in thinking.” Don’t give up on finding solutions; you may be moments away from a big breakthrough. Albert Einstein used to say, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” It was his tenacity that enabled him to outlast his problems.
Solutions don’t present themselves, they are sought after, hiding under conversations and thinking. The more options for solutions you can bring to problems, the more influential you become. People seek out those who can see fixes to problems. Work on your problem-solving ability by being willing to spend time, seek solutions, and step out in boldness.
