Coaching for Leaders 160: The 5-Step Strategy For Solving Problems, with Michael “Coop” Cooper
Sep 29, 2014
Michael "Coop" Cooper is an executive coach and founder of Innovators + Influencers, dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs tackle their biggest challenges. In this engaging conversation, he reveals a powerful 5-step strategy to define and solve problems effectively. Coop emphasizes the importance of accurately identifying the real issues, using repeated questioning to dig deeper, and determining if a problem is worth solving. His insights offer a refreshing approach to enhance productivity and align solutions with company goals.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Define The Actual Problem
- Defining a problem means distilling exactly which problem you're solving, not just listing tasks.
- Michael Cooper warns most people have only a high-level grasp and waste resources as a result.
Employee Fear Revealed The Real Issue
- An HR director said engagement was low, but repeated whys revealed employees were terrified of the CEO.
- That frank discovery exposed the real problem: leadership fear, not a generic engagement issue.
Begin With A Clear Situation Description
- Start by describing the situation with facts, emotions, opinions, and impact to paint a vivid picture.
- Then draft a simple problem statement: "The problem we're trying to solve is ___."