I love a bit of problem solving. Which means I love to do crosswords, Wordle, all sorts (as long as numbers aren’t involved. Can’t do Sudoko to save my life). I nearly always have one on the go and they help keep my brain sharp. At least, that’s what I like to think. People who know me may disagree…
I have just picked up the paper (sometimes I go old school) again and puzzled over this clue:
‘Decent chalet I suspect’ 7 letters.
I had one clue, it ended in L.
Problem Solving Prompts
I struggled over this for a while when it suddenly came to me. The answer was ‘ethical’. It was an anagram of chalet I with decent being the key word.
The Coaching Anagram
As I wrote in the answer I laughed at myself because there it was written in the margins of the paper from yesterday. I had forgotten that I had worked out that problem before.
It made me think about the parallels with my coaching practice; I coach very bright, often very senior, women who sometimes can’t see the solution that they know is there, or ‘forget’ that they have experiences to draw on to help them solve their current puzzle. My role is to help them get the letters in the right order. ( I may be going too far with this analogy but hopefully it makes sense.)
Reflect On Your Problem Solving Skills
Sometimes one of the hardest things is to identify exactly what the problem is. Try this. Take some crayons (yes, I’m slightly obsessed with crayons, I know) and to try to ‘draw’, as in create an image on paper, of what your current dilemma is. Don’t overthink it. Just get something down. It works best if you are actually physically using crayons, not doing this on your phone or laptop etc.
Once you have a better idea of what the problem is, cast your mind back to any similar dilemmas. How have you dealt with similar issues? Did it work? (Obviously if it didn’t work, don’t do it again…). How would you advise a colleague to deal with this problem?
if you can, wait for a while before trying to come up with a solution, especially if you’re feeling frustrated or angry. Walk away from it and go grab a drink.
If you give yourself a little space and time you may well find the answer to a current problem lurking in your margins.
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on January 18th, 2024 by Jane
