Business Insight丨Author / Liu Run Finished / Banana Pi
This is the 1042 original article of Liu Run's public account
A few days ago, I was with some entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs to open a private board of directors.
A student asked me: How can I solve the problem effectively?
Because he often encountered some thorny problems in his management and management, he felt a sense of powerlessness as he fists on cotton.
I want to solve it, but I don't know where to start.
I said that there are some ways to analyze and solve problems.
Face the real problem, find the fundamental solution, and then iterate in solving the problem.
— 1 —
Face the real problem
To solve a problem, we must first find the "real" problem.
What is the real problem?
It is hidden behind the problem, the really big why.
What do you mean?
Let me give you an example.
On another occasion, we were opening a private board of directors and one of them raised a question:
Excuse me, how can I fire my senior management?
The other entrepreneurs on the scene learned more about the situation through questions and wanted to give him some suggestions.
What is the specific position of an executive? How much income? Are there any risks in the contract? ...
But is this a "real problem"?
I listened for a while and couldn't help interrupting everyone. Asked this entrepreneur another question:
Why are you firing your executives?
Pause. We tried to clearly define the real problem of this entrepreneur.
How can I fire a senior executive? This is a "how" question.
In fact, he has already made the decision by tacit consent-to fire the executive.
Taking this decision as the answer, what is the problem behind him?
Is "through what method to fire him, the least harm to the company"? This is a question of what.
But is this a "real problem"?
Behind what and how, there is another why. why?
What is the real problem?
The entrepreneur said:
Because in interviews with investors, every executive spoke differently about the company's vision.
Annoying. I have talked for so many years, but there is still no unified understanding.
I face investors, slapped my chest and vowed, everyone is one mind and has a great vision. As a result, none of you can tell.
Therefore, the purpose of this entrepreneur is to lose face because of some executives' performance, so he wants to kill them.
The real problem is how to make executives understand the company’s culture and strategy.
Every question people ask is actually an answer. But this answer may not answer the real question.
The question raised may not be accurate. The answer to the question may not be correct.
So, we must find the real problem first.
Face yourself and ask: Why? why?
What we have to do is not to step back and give "the answer behind the answer". Instead, go one step further and find the "problem before the problem".
This is to find the real problem and face the real problem.
— 2 —
Find the fundamental solution
Facing the real problem is just the first step. More importantly, find the fundamental solution.
Because of many problems, there is no effective solution.
Let me give a common example in the workplace.
When an employee is promoted to a manager, he will encounter the first management problem in his life: your employees are not as good as you.
What will you do at this time?
He tore the information to pieces, wishing to smash it directly on his face and curse severely.
However, after scolding a dog-blood sprayer, many managers will say: Forget it, let me go.
Let me come. You do use less time to achieve better results. Solved the immediate problem.
But, "Leave me alone", is it really the fundamental solution?
It's not.
Because you take the manager’s salary and do the work of the employee. This is to downgrade yourself to use.
Over time, you will find that the general manager is doing the director's business, the director is doing the manager's business, the manager is doing the employee's business, and the employees are discussing national issues.
What to do then?
The fundamental solution to this problem is: watching employees do things badly.
Watching him mess things up? Is this too ridiculous?
I will share a story with you.
When I worked at Microsoft, I used to have a boss who was called "Lao Hua".
Once, I wrote a very important report to be sent to the United States, first to Lao Hua.
After reading it, Lao Hua wrote back and made many comments. But nothing is changed.
Therefore, I could only make changes for most of the day based on my opinions and re-send the report.
Then it didn't take long before his reply came again. Still made a lot of comments. But nothing changed.
So, I can only continue to gritted my teeth.
Just like that, back and forth. For a report, the two of us stayed in the office to work overtime and kept revising it.
We just kept changing, keeping changing, and changing until 7 o'clock the next morning.
Maybe some people think this old China is sick, but I am grateful.
He obviously can finish the correction himself and go home. But he spent the whole night watching me do things wrong.
Every time I do something wrong, his opinions and time spent are all investments in me.
Let me give another example in life.
A few days ago, I invited psychologist Li Songwei to share it with my team members. He mentioned the case in his consultation, and I was very impressed after hearing it.
The child gets up every morning.
Every morning, it was like a fierce battle.
Help him draw the curtains. Help the child lying in bed put on clothes and pants. Push the child to the front of the sink. Help him squeeze toothpaste. Help the child wash with half-squinted eyes.
The parent asked, why a child in the third grade can't control the time by himself?
Because you are controlling the time for him.
You are helping him. And this is an ineffective solution.
Because the child knows that I can get up when the alarm clock rings. The final alarm must be the moment when my parents helped me put on my clothes, squeeze my toothpaste, prepare my face wash, and pull me up from the bed.
How to do?
The fundamental solution is to make the child realize that this is his own business.
Teacher Li Songwei said, try to leave him alone. He should be more anxious than you.
I'll be out at 7:30 tomorrow morning. You solve the problem of going to school by yourself.
The meaning of this sentence is, get up by yourself. It's your business if you are late. It is your business to be criticized by the teacher. Shame is also your business.
Carry your hands back. Try to leave him alone.
This sounds ridiculous, how can I ignore my children? But in fact, this may be a more effective approach in real consultations and cases.
Someone asked, how can I tell that I have found the fundamental solution?
There is a rough way of judging whether this solution is a bit unexpected, a bit anti-common sense, or even a bit ridiculous.
For example, at work, the more you say "let me", the more you demote yourself. It's better to watch the employees do things wrong.
For example, in life, the more you discipline your child, the more lazy your child may be. Why don't you ignore him to a certain extent and make him feel anxious.
Because many effective changes are due to jumping out of the original circle, breaking through the rules and common sense.
— 3 —
Constantly iterating in solving problems
Facing the real problem and finding the fundamental solution, this just solved a problem.
However, what we are facing is not one problem, but a series of problems.
To solve an old problem, a new problem will appear.
For example, how to motivate sales?
this is a problem.
We can use the "commission system". According to the sales amount, a sales commission is taken according to the ratio.
You will find that the team is like wolves and sales have soared.
However, you may find one day that the higher the company's sales, the more serious the loss.
why?
Because sales people will sell things at extremely low or even loss-making prices in order to improve their performance and sell their products better.
This is a new problem.
How to do?
We can use the "profit commission system." Change the original method of calculating the commission from 10% of "sales revenue" to 50% of "sales profit", and get the commission based on the sales profit.
You will find that the team begins to find a balance between low price discounts and high profit commissions.
The discount is too deep, the profit becomes less, and the achievement is less.
However, it took some time to discover that such a bonus system is not perfect.
When you want to open up other markets and want to send out this most brave team, they may collectively say: No.
It's not easy to do because the market is not familiar I have been in this mature market for so long, why should I leave?
Maybe I worked several times in the new market, and my profits were not as much as the original ones, and my income would almost certainly fall.
This is also a new problem.
How to do?
We can use the "bonus system".
Set different sales targets for each city. Use differences in sales indicators to hedge against differences in urban development.
For example, if you achieve 1 million in the A market, you can get a bonus of 100,000. Now you go to develop the B market and achieve 600,000 yuan, and you can also get a bonus of 100,000 yuan. If you go to develop the C market, as long as you achieve 300,000, you can also get a bonus of 300,000.
Did you find it?
From the "commission system" to the "profit commission system" to the "bonus system", new problems are constantly being solved.
Your business is also growing continuously.
So some people ask, what is growth, anyway?
To grow is to constantly solve new and specific problems one after another.
This process will always loop and iterate.
And when you stop one day and look back, you will find that you have gone so far.
Therefore, don't expect to be perfect, and don't expect to solve a problem once and for all.
There will always be new problems and iterate continuously in solving problems.
These questions are questions that arise to make yourself better. These problems can be annoying, but they are also growing problems.
Final words
So, how to solve the problem effectively?
Face the real problem. Find the fundamental solution. Iterate continuously in solving problems.
This is an important cognition, but also a skill that requires continuous training.
This requires you to keep thinking, trial and error, and practice.
When we can effectively solve more and more problems, it also means that we gain more and more growth.
The gap between people has gradually widened in this way.