Take Your Worst Problem (Part 2)
Last month I provided an example of how a large pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, is saving huge amounts of time and money by applying one of my favorite strategies: “Take Your Worst Problem and Skip It.” The strategy refers to confronting your personal and professional roadblocks and leaping over them rather than having them stop you from reaching your goals. The strategy is very different than procrastination or avoidance because it is based on recognizing the problem and making a conscious decision to find a way to move forward instead of being blocked by it.
Slow Typist? Skip It!
A friend of mine is very slow on his computer keyboard, yet he wanted to write a book. Publishers do not accept handwritten manuscripts, so he was stuck. He skipped the problem by purchasing a voice recognition program, Dragon Systems Naturally Speaking, and dictated the book directly into his computer. To date, he has had two books published and both were written by his voice, not a keyboard.
Cold Winter? Skip It!
Millions of people live in the northern part of the country, but not everyone loves the winter. Their problem begins when the icy winds of winter blow and the temperature drops to below zero day after day. Each year, millions of people skip the problem by moving to their winter home in a sunny southern climate like Florida, Texas and Arizona.
Can’t Get A Loan? Skip It!
Another friend of mine who owns a small manufacturing business started getting many requests for additional products, but in order to meet the increased demand, he would have to borrow the capital necessary for a major expansion. His business was relatively new and without a track record, the bank rejected his loan request. Could he skip the problem? Yes! He skipped the problem by pre-selling the products, and with advanced orders in-hand he was able to secure the loan.
Can’t Afford New Hardware and Software? Skip It! Instead of purchasing expensive software and servers and then having to upgrade a few years later, many companies are skipping the problem by using application service providers (ASP) who will lease the software and related hardware based on actual use.
Long Sales Cycle and Reduced Budgets?
The education division of Burrus Research offers a strategic thinking and planning process to school district leadership teams titled Designing Thriving Schools™. It has helped school districts of all sizes accelerate learning and improving staff performance, but there is a problem. School district budgets have been slashed due to the economic slowdown of recent years and getting the funds for the program through federal and state grants takes time. We skipped the problem by finding corporations that already market technology solutions to schools, and see the value of sponsoring this powerful program by underwriting the costs for the school districts.
Good Growth Forecast? Skip It!
That got your attention. Why would any businessperson want to skip a good-looking growth curve? I’ll answer this with another question. Why spend the time and money going through the middle part of the growth curve when you might be able to skip right to the top now with a different strategy?
Don’t Get Stuck, Move Forward
A difficult problem can easily become a roadblock so large that it seems impossible to get around it. The result is often procrastination. The longer the problem is in place, the more convinced you become that there are no solutions.
Every problem has a solution, some better than others. The key to breaking through your problem roadblocks is to realize that there are many paths to a destination and some don’t have roadblocks. By asking yourself if you can skip the problem altogether, you free your mind to look beyond the roadblock. That is usually where the best solution lies.
Daniel Burrus, one of the world's leading technology forecasters, business strategists, and author of six books
Copyright 2003 Author retains copyright. All Rights Reserved.
