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This article is from WeChat official account:Mr. L said (ID: lxianshengmiao ) , author: Lachel, title figure from: vision China

Today, write a hard-core content, hoping to inspire you.

I will roughly divide the problems encountered in life and work into four categories according to novelty and controllability, namely:

• Pathological issues

• Systemic issues

• Challenging questions

• Impact problem

What is novelty? It refers to: Can I use the old model and the old path to solve it step by step?

And controllability refers to the extent to which I can control and interfere with it. The higher the controllability, the clearer its causality and the fewer uncertain interference factors.

So, how to understand these four types of problems? Give a simple example:

The boss assigns you a task and asks you to make a report – you know very clearly what you should do and what results your actions will bring. Everything is certain. Therefore, it is a path problem.

You have learned a method that needs to be applied to practice to solve a class of problems-can this method be mastered once? No, you need to practice repeatedly to make it your habit. Therefore, it is a systemic problem.

You encounter a problem in your work that you have never encountered before-this time you find that the old model you know has failed, and you must try new possibilities. Therefore, it is a challenging problem.

The company’s recent performance is not good. It may have to lay off employees or go bankrupt. This is because of the external environment. It is almost impossible for you to interfere with it, and you cannot change anything. The only thing you can do is to minimize losses and avoid risk. Therefore, it is an impact issue.

So, what is the effect of thinking and looking at problems in this way?

On the one hand, it can help us better understand our situation and adopt more effective strategies to deal with it; on the other hand, it can also help us “squeeze out” the value of the problem, reduce and control our anxiety and pressure.

Detailed below.

1. Pathological issues: gaining experience

Of all the problems, the pathological problem is the simplest one. A common pattern used by many people is to directly copy the solution, minimize the time and brain costs invested in it, and get it done as quickly as possible.

Are there any problems with this? No. But it is not the best solution.

Since you have to do it anyway, why not squeeze its value as much as possible?

For example:

It’s coming to a particular holiday soon.To do a marketing campaign-this is a simple path problem. Just like solving a problem, you know what to do, and you have a complete set of reserves and models.

So, in this case, I will adopt the strategy of “getting experience” to maximize its value.

How to “get experience”? To put it simply, do experiments: control other variables unchanged, change one of them, and observe what changes will happen to the result.

In other words: under the condition that the overall tone remains unchanged, and under the condition of “guarantee”, try to introduce some new explorations and attempts to observe the possibilities they bring.

For example: can I refer to previous plans and introduce some new ideas or forms on the basis of roughly the same, and then observe:

How does the new idea compare with the old idea? Is the effect better or worse? why?

What lessons can I learn from this process?

What information can I extract for future reference and reference?

In other words: adopt the “15% principle“: keep 85% of the content unchanged, and explore new possibilities for the remaining 15%.

On the one hand, it will not “copy everything” and make the entire problem-solving process unchallenged and fresh, which is a waste of time; on the other hand, the risk can be controlled within an appropriate range. Will not produce too much fluctuation.

This is a more effective way of thinking.

For example: The content of each phase of the intellectual camp is the same, but I will make some fine-tuning according to the actual situation of this phase-such as adjusting the Q&A, adjusting the form and time of interaction, and adding some new The extended reading, thinking exercises and guidance, etc., observing the feedback of the students, removing the leftovers from them, and finally summarizing the best way.

Similarly: If your work involves some cyclical affairs, then you might as well give it a try: on the basis of guaranteeing the “bottom guarantee”, do more different attempts, accumulate experience and learn lessons from it, and slowly Improve understanding and cognition of it.

Many friends have asked me: How to sum up a methodology that suits you? In fact, the process is nothing more than this: First hypothesize, then experiment, get feedback, and mostIn the end, it is summarized and integrated into a set of models, that’s it.

Among these, experimentation-feedback-induction requires the continuous “introduction of the old and the new” to gain and accumulate experience.

So, one of the words I often say is: You might as well consider your work as a laboratory for you to improve yourself.

Under the condition of ensuring that nothing goes wrong, first conceive a set of models and methods based on past experience, and then seek opportunities in the work, continue to explore, try and experiment, and fine-tune this method over and over again. Parameters, let it stand the test.

In the end, all the feedback you get, integrated, is your methodology.

This is the key to making your work value to yourself.

II. Systematic issues: system improvements

What is a systemic problem? Simply put: Its existence depends on the entire system.

If you just solve it without changing the factors that caused it to exist, then it will never be eliminated, and it will reappear after a while.

A common problem many people make is taking systemic problems as pathological problems.

Like weight loss. Many people’s thinking circuit is like this: My weight has increased, indicating that I have eaten more and exercise less recently, so I have to diet + exercise.

Is this kind of thinking right? That’s right. But people who think this way often have a result: they did succeed in losing weight in a short time, but it was easy to rebound. Therefore, continue to lose weight and continue to rebound…In the long run, the results will be minimal.

Why? It’s simple: because dieting or exercise is not a normal state in your daily life, but an “abnormal state”-they require you to be conscious, spend time and energy to maintain them. This kind of maintenance must not last long, and once it is relaxed, it is easy to return to the old fashioned.

For example: Many people eat “weight loss meals” when they lose weight, but is it possible for you to eat weight loss meals for the rest of your life? Once stopped, it will soon resume.

So, what is a better way? Start from your own lifestyle and make adjustments slowly. AlsoIt is a “system improvement” strategy.

For example:

Introduce fitness and exercise into your daily life, find a suitable rhythm, make it a habit, no need to deliberately do it;

Under the condition of ensuring energy intake, optimize and adjust your diet structure to make your diet healthier;

Reduce unhealthy energy intake, such as snacks, milk tea, etc., and replace it with other methods, instead of “suddenly quitting”…

In a nutshell: is not guided by “solving problems”, but by “adjusting to a better system state”. Apply a force to the system step by step, wait for it to adapt, apply a force, and wait for it to adapt…

Like this, make it finally reach a “better state”. As a result, the problem no longer occurs fundamentally.

Similarly, many people often complain, saying that there are many problems in the department, such as overcrowding, poor communication, and changing day and night…

But are these problems the problem of one or two people or even a certain department? Not many times. They exist because the underlying structure of the entire company is not perfect, and there is the soil that makes them happen. If you don’t start with the underlying structure, just try to extinguish it from the surface, it will not have any effect.

Take an example: In a department, people are overwhelmed. Everyone doesn’t work well. They only know how to deal with the upper management. What are the high possibilities? It is because people feel that what they do is worthless, without feedback, and meaningless. Therefore, I lost my enthusiasm for struggle, just perfunctory and prevarication.

If you don’t start from the bottom, let everyone feel that the work is meaningful, feedback, and valuable, but just strengthen performance evaluation and discipline, will it be useful? You will only get the appearance of “Yang Feng Yin violates”. The real problem is hidden at the bottom, and the resistance will be even greater.

Another example: Many people have this feeling: I have taken a course, learned a method, and suddenly realized it, but after learning it, I still don’t know how to use it.

Why is this happening? The big reason is that they did not really change their thinking system, but just bluntly tried to “insert” the new method into the old model, and naturally they could not fit together.

Over time, the new methods are discarded, and you still use the old thinking.

So, I have always emphasized one point: Don’t think about digesting all the content at once, but start from your life and work, find the most urgently needed scenes, pick up a point, and remind yourself through sticky notes or notes:

1. When encountering this scene, try a new method;

2. How do I need to adjust my old habits to integrate the new methods more effectively?

3. How do I feel when trying new methods? What’s the problem? How to optimize this method to make it more suitable for my actual situation?

Repeat this step repeatedly, slowly, internalize this method into your own habit, transform it in a way that suits you better, remove its edges and corners, make it blend into your way of thinking, and let yourself Change in thinking and behavior.

This is more effective learning.

3. Challenging question: Expanding possibilities

What is a challenging problem? When a problem cannot be solved directly with the old model, and there is great uncertainty, it is a challenging problem.

When many people face challenging problems, the most common misunderstanding is to fall into anxiety.

This is normal. Because, what is the source of anxiety? It is the fear of the threat of uncertainty. When we clearly know that “there will be danger”, we will be afraid; but when we realize that “there may be danger, it depends on what I do, but I just don’t know what to do”, anxiety arises.

But what I want to tell you is: there is no need for anxiety. Because of challenging problems, although it will bring impact, but more often, it is an opportunity for your growth.

Why? Because, what is the nature of growth? It is to break the old model and step into the new model. It is you who find that the old mental world is out of touch with this real world and need to be adjusted to better fit the real world.

In this fitting process, growth occurs.

So, in fact, the challenging question is a warning from the outside world, telling you: Your mental world has been in the old model for too long, it’s time to look up at the outside world .

For example: the first paragraphA friend who started a business in time chatted with me and said that there was a conflict between the top of their company and now the internal friction is very serious. He is a very honest person, never thought that this kind of thing would happen, and did not know how to deal with it.

But in fact, this does not require anger. I said to him: Another way of thinking: what does this mean? It means that you have a deeper understanding of the operating rules of this world. You will know that “it turns out there may be such a thing.”

From this perspective, this is actually a good thing, because it really expands your knowledge and makes you more aware of “what entrepreneurship is all about”.

So, how do you deal with challenging problems? When you realize that you are facing a challenging problem, you should do two things:

1. Stop your safety behavior.

When a person is in anxiety, the easiest response is to keep repeating the “safe behavior”-that is, with a fluke mentality:

I will check again, maybe it will be all right.

For example: never come up with a plan, do not take action, just think of it over and over again, and keep telling myself: It may not be that bad, maybe I think too much…

Is this useful? Of course it’s useless. But when you are in anxiety, it is difficult to withdraw from your emotions. You will give yourself a “okay” psychological cue by repeating safe behavior over and over again.

But in fact, this approach will only intensify your anxiety over and over again, it will not have any effect.

2. Expand the possibilities and list plans.

When a challenging problem occurs, it means that your inherent mode has failed. At this time, you must step out of your comfort zone and think: Can I try something that I have never tried before to try to solve this problem?

For example: seek the possibility of negotiation and communication; seek counsel from a lawyer; draw up contingency plans and cooperate with shareholders for high-level changes…

These possibilities may not be feasible. But the point is that when you turn your attention to “possibility” and start to make plans, you have let reason dominate your brain, so you can jump out of the anxious circle and start to “do useful things.”

Further, when you make these attempts, whether it works or not, For you, is a brand new experience. “I haven’t tried it, I can give it a try” in itself, is already a very effective harvest.

If you can’t defeat me, it will only make me stronger.

Keep this mentality, you will not be easily hurt by anything.

4. Impact problem: reduce impact

Finally is the impact issue.

If a problem is extremely novel, almost uncontrollable, unable to intervene, and can only be accepted passively, then it is an impact problem.

If you are facing an impact problem, what you have to do is to stay calm and think decisively:

1. Set a trigger: what is the worst possible outcome?

2. If it happens, what might happen?

3. What can I do to minimize the loss?

This strategy is called “reducing impact.”

Take an example: When the epidemic was severe at the beginning of the year, my friend’s company was affected and almost impossible to do anything. What can I do at this time?

1. Set the trigger: when the loss reaches how much, stop the loss decisively;

2. Consider the plan after the stop loss: how to explain to investors, how to explain to employees, how to deal with the following affairs, whether there is the possibility of transfer……

3. Set the above plan as “guarantee plan“; on the basis of the guarantee plan, try to do “aggressive plan“, thinking: you can do What to minimize losses and delay triggers.

For example: making consumer coupons to make up for cash flow, borrowing from other places, negotiating with the leaser and purchaser, and converting part of the business into online… and so on.

This way of thinking may not solve the problem.(When an impact problem occurs, it is often not based on human resources), But at least, it can buy you some breathing and thinking space, and it will not be rushingHelpless before hitting.

Conclusion

Finally, review this overall picture:

You may find that these four categories are sometimes not completely separate – sometimes, a problem may be divided into different parts, and each part corresponds to a strategy, which is also possible.

For example, like the last example: setting a minimum plan is a “reducing impact” strategy; making an aggressive plan is also a “expanding possibility” strategy.

Similarly, in the face of high-level conflicts, seeking the help of a lawyer to make high-level changes is a strategy of “expanding possibilities”; but with this problem, changing the company’s internal decision-making mode to avoid this type of problem is another Belongs to the “system improvement” strategy.

And so on.

So, when you encounter a problem, you might as well combine these four strategies and disassemble, analyze, and examine one by one ——

• What experience can I gain as I resolve it?

• Do I need to change my system to better adapt to it?

• Are there any possibilities I can try? How to plan?

• What is the worst case? On this basis, what can I do?

This is a more complete and effective way of thinking.

I hope this method canHelp you.

I also hope that you can understand:

Life is actually a process of constantly solving problems.

Don’t be too easily scared or overwhelmed by problems,

Because every problem is an opportunity for you to grow.

This article is from WeChat official account:Mr. L said (ID: lxianshengmiao) author: Lachel