Problem Solving
Jul. 21st, 2005 02:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smg01Apropos of nothing at all, I'm curious. How do some of you approach unexpected problems and how does it work for you?
For example, when an unforeseen problem or crisis comes my way, I tend to freeze up a little bit. I'm not good at thinking on my feet and I'm often thrown off by unexpected problems. Particularly if other people are upset or angry because it makes it harder for me to think through a solution logically. I usually need to talk it out with someone. And even after that things have to percolate in my mind for awhile. A lot times I find that if I sleep on something, I'll wake up in the morning with a plan of action. Once I have a plan of action that seems reasonable, I start feeling better. And then once the plan of action works, I tend to look back and say "that wasn't so bad." But overall, I need to have discussion time and then some peace and quiet during which a solution often seems to come to me without my really realizing it. Suddenly pieces will just fall into place for me.
My boss, on the other hand, is really good at thinking on her feet. It's kind of interesting to watch. She might be kind of surprised by something that comes up, but I've watched her talk it through, and, in what seems like very short order, she'll have assessed a situation and come up with a response that solves the problem and/or defuses the situation. I'm a little better at that than I used to be. If I'm pretty familiar I am with all of the issues surrounding a given problem situation I can usually come up with an adequate way to respond, but I've really never been good at immediately cutting to the heart of an issue and figuring out the best way to deal with it on the spot. I've always been a little bit jealous of people who can do that.
For example, when an unforeseen problem or crisis comes my way, I tend to freeze up a little bit. I'm not good at thinking on my feet and I'm often thrown off by unexpected problems. Particularly if other people are upset or angry because it makes it harder for me to think through a solution logically. I usually need to talk it out with someone. And even after that things have to percolate in my mind for awhile. A lot times I find that if I sleep on something, I'll wake up in the morning with a plan of action. Once I have a plan of action that seems reasonable, I start feeling better. And then once the plan of action works, I tend to look back and say "that wasn't so bad." But overall, I need to have discussion time and then some peace and quiet during which a solution often seems to come to me without my really realizing it. Suddenly pieces will just fall into place for me.
My boss, on the other hand, is really good at thinking on her feet. It's kind of interesting to watch. She might be kind of surprised by something that comes up, but I've watched her talk it through, and, in what seems like very short order, she'll have assessed a situation and come up with a response that solves the problem and/or defuses the situation. I'm a little better at that than I used to be. If I'm pretty familiar I am with all of the issues surrounding a given problem situation I can usually come up with an adequate way to respond, but I've really never been good at immediately cutting to the heart of an issue and figuring out the best way to deal with it on the spot. I've always been a little bit jealous of people who can do that.