Anne Morriss, an entrepreneur and leadership coach, discusses effective problem-solving strategies drawn from her book, co-authored with Frances Frei. She emphasizes fostering trust and transparency to accelerate decision-making and tackle complex issues. Morriss shares insights on creating a collaborative environment, the importance of clear communication, and honoring previous contributions in times of change. She also underlines empowering teams to swiftly implement solutions, removing obstacles, and balancing urgency with thoughtful leadership.
Building trust and speed are crucial for solving hard problems.
Speed is an essential element in the change leader's toolkit, distinguishing between intentions and actual progress.
Deep dives
Building Trust and Speed to Overcome Problems
The key to overcoming problems is building trust and speed. The most effective change leaders focus on moving fast and fixing things. Building trust first establishes a foundation that allows for more effective problem-solving. Trust is not a static concept but something that requires continuous effort and self-awareness. While trust may take time to develop, it is essential for creating momentum in problem-solving. Speed is often undervalued but is crucial in addressing hard problems. It is the payoff for the hard work put into understanding the problem, building trust, expanding the team, and communicating the change. Speed is an essential part of the change leader's equation and distinguishes between good intentions and actual progress.
The Importance of Speed in Problem-Solving
Speed is a crucial element in solving hard problems. Taking less time to do more leads to stronger teams and organizations. While speed sometimes gets a bad reputation, it is an essential part of the change leader's toolkit. It can be the difference between good intentions and actually getting things done. The process of problem-solving involves steps such as understanding the problem, building trust, expanding the team, and communicating the change. Once these steps are completed, speed becomes the catalyst for progress. While the timeline for solving a problem depends on its nature, it is important to avoid taking years and instead focus on achieving results in weeks or months.
Effective Problem-Solving Steps
Effective problem-solving involves several steps. It starts with properly identifying the problem, which often requires humility and curiosity. Skimming over the diagnostic phase can lead to false assumptions and solutions. Engaging in conversation and creating a psychologically safe space for open dialogue among team members is crucial. Gathering data and asking thoughtful questions can lead to deeper understanding and insights. Creating a team of problem solvers with diverse perspectives can contribute to making significant progress in a short time. Addressing conflicts and disagreements gracefully is also important, as conflict debt can hinder progress. By following these steps and maintaining an environment of open communication, organizations can effectively solve hard problems.
When it comes to solving complicated problems, the default for many organizational leaders is to take their time to work through the issues at hand. Unfortunately, that often leads to patchwork solutions or problems not truly getting resolved. Instead, Anne Morriss offers a different framework: to increase trust and transparency and the speed of execution to truly tackle big problems. Morriss is an entrepreneur, leadership coach, and founder of the Leadership Consortium. With Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei, she wrote the new book, Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems.
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