strength and weakness of problem solving

• What is problem solving?
• Step1 Finding the problem
• Step 2 Analysing the cause and nature of the problem
• Step 3 Generating alternative possible solutions
• Step 4 Selecting the best solution
• Step 5 Implementing the solution
• Step 6 Evaluating the solution
• Step 7 Consolidating gains
• Advantages and disadvantages
• How to use effectively
• Other aspects to consider
• References and links

Advantages of problem solving

Disadvantages of problem solving.

The SWOT Analysis in Problem-Solving

• Introduction to SWOT Analysis

In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, effective problem-solving techniques are essential for organizations seeking to gain a competitive edge. The SWOT Analysis tool, an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, is a strategic planning method that can provide valuable insights into solving various business challenges.

This comprehensive guide will explore what SWOT Analysis is, why it is vital for problem-solving, who can benefit from its application, when and where to use it, and how to conduct a SWOT Analysis effectively.

What is SWOT Analysis?

Why use swot analysis for problem solving, who should use swot analysis for problem solving, when and where to use swot analysis for problem solving, how to perform swot analysis for problem solving.

SWOT Analysis is a powerful framework for evaluating the internal and external factors affecting an organization’s performance. By thoroughly examining strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, businesses can gain a holistic understanding of their current situation and make informed decisions. Let’s explore each component of SWOT Analysis in detail:

1. Strengths: These are the internal attributes and resources that give a company an advantage over its competitors. By identifying strengths, organizations can leverage them to confront challenges and seize opportunities.

Example: Imagine a tech startup specializing in mobile app development. Their strength lies in having a highly skilled and innovative development team that consistently produces top-notch applications. Leveraging this strength, they can address the problem of declining user engagement by enhancing their existing apps and offering cutting-edge features that rival companies cannot match.

2. Weaknesses: These are the internal limitations and areas for improvement within an organization. Recognizing weaknesses is crucial for effective problem-solving as it helps in allocating resources wisely and finding ways to overcome hurdles.

Example: Consider a retail chain with a weak online presence and outdated inventory management systems. By conducting a SWOT Analysis, they become aware of these weaknesses. To solve the problem of declining sales and improve customer experience, they invest in upgrading their e-commerce platform and implementing modern inventory management solutions.

3. Opportunities: These are external factors that can positively impact a business’s growth and performance. Identifying opportunities through SWOT Analysis allows organizations to capitalize on market trends, emerging technologies, or new customer segments.

Example: Suppose a renewable energy company performs a SWOT Analysis and discovers an increasing demand for solar power solutions due to the government’s push for sustainable energy sources. Recognizing this opportunity, they can invest in expanding their solar panel product range, targeting environmentally conscious consumers, and strengthening their market position.

4. Threats: These are external factors that can pose challenges or risks to an organization. Identifying potential threats helps businesses develop contingency plans and proactively address risks.

Example: Let’s say a hospitality chain conducts a SWOT Analysis and realizes that increasing competition from new market entrants poses a threat to their market share. To tackle this problem, they focus on enhancing customer loyalty through personalized experiences, offering unique amenities, and strengthening their brand reputation.

SWOT Analysis holds immense value as a problem-solving tool due to the following reasons:

• Holistic Assessment: SWOT Analysis provides a comprehensive evaluation of internal and external factors, enabling businesses to develop a well-rounded understanding of the problem at hand.
• Informed Decision Making: By highlighting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, SWOT Analysis equips organizations with valuable insights to make informed decisions and formulate effective problem-solving strategies.
• Strategic Alignment: SWOT Analysis helps align problem-solving efforts with broader organizational goals and objectives, ensuring that solutions are congruent with the overall strategic direction.
• Competitive Advantage: By leveraging strengths, minimizing weaknesses, capitalizing on opportunities, and mitigating threats, organizations can attain a competitive edge in the market.

SWOT Analysis is a versatile tool applicable to a wide range of individuals and teams within an organization:

• Business Owners and Entrepreneurs: SWOT Analysis assists in evaluating the feasibility of new business ventures, identifying areas for improvement, and making strategic decisions.
• Project Managers: Project managers can employ SWOT Analysis to assess risks, identify project strengths and weaknesses, and exploit opportunities for success.
• Marketing Teams: SWOT Analysis aids marketing teams in understanding customer preferences, exploring market trends, and creating targeted marketing strategies.
• Product Managers: SWOT Analysis helps product managers evaluate product viability, identify competitive advantages, and prioritize feature development based on market demands.
• Executives and Managers: SWOT Analysis empowers executives and managers to evaluate their organizations’ position in the market, develop strategies, and optimize performance.

SWOT Analysis is a versatile tool that can be employed in various contexts:

• Strategic Planning: SWOT Analysis plays a fundamental role in strategic planning processes, allowing organizations to align their resources effectively and capitalize on opportunities.
• Market Entry: When entering a new market or launching a new product, SWOT Analysis provides valuable insights into the business landscape, competitor analysis, and potential challenges, enabling informed decision-making.
• Problem Diagnosis: SWOT Analysis helps organizations diagnose complex problems by examining the internal and external factors influencing the situation and identifying root causes.
• Performance Evaluation: Businesses can use SWOT Analysis to evaluate their ongoing performance by identifying areas of improvement, optimizing resources, and staying ahead of emerging threats.
• Business Transformation: SWOT Analysis is useful during times of business transformation or restructuring, as it facilitates a comprehensive evaluation of the organization’s current state and assists in formulating a roadmap for change.

To conduct a successful SWOT Analysis, follow these steps:

• Define the Objective: Identify the specific problem or objective that you want to address through the SWOT Analysis. This clarity will guide the rest of the process.

Example: In the case of a small restaurant chain, strengths could include a dedicated and well-trained staff, a unique dining concept, and high-quality ingredients. Weaknesses might include limited parking space, inconsistent customer service, and outdated POS systems.

Example: Continuing with the restaurant chain example, opportunities could include a growing demand for healthy and sustainable dining options, collaborations with local food festivals, or partnerships with delivery platforms. Threats might include new competitors entering the market, changing food safety regulations, or shifts in consumer preferences.

Example: Based on the SWOT Analysis, the restaurant chain may decide to revamp their customer service training programs to address weaknesses, introduce a new menu featuring sustainable and locally sourced ingredients to take advantage of opportunities, and implement a loyalty program to build customer retention and counter potential threats posed by new competitors.

• Implementation: Once strategies have been devised, it is essential to implement them effectively. This may involve detailed action plans, resource allocation, assigning responsibilities, and establishing performance metrics to monitor progress and ensure continuous improvement.

SWOT Analysis is a valuable tool for problem-solving in any organization. It provides a comprehensive evaluation of internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and formulate effective strategies. Whether you are a business owner, project manager , marketer, or executive, integrating SWOT Analysis into your problem-solving toolkit empowers you to tackle challenges head-on and strive for success. Remember, SWOT Analysis is not limited to specific sectors or industries—it can be applied across various contexts to drive growth and maximize performance. Now, armed with the knowledge of SWOT Analysis, you are equipped to face any problem with confidence and strategic acumen.

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PISA 2012 Results: Creative Problem Solving (Volume V)

Students' strengths and weaknesses in problem solving, students' skills in tackling real-life problems.

This fifth volume of PISA 2012 results presents an assessment of student performance in problem solving, which measures students’ capacity to respond to non-routine situations in order to achieve their potential as constructive and reflective citizens. It provides the rationale for assessing problem-solving skills and describes  performance within and across countries and economies. In addition, the volume highlights the relative strengths and weaknesses of each school system and examines how they are related to individual student characteristics, such as gender, immigrant background and socio-economic status. The volume also explores the role of education in fostering problem-solving skills.

English Also available in: French

• PISA 2012 Results: Excellence through Equity (Volume II)
• PISA 2012 Results: What Makes Schools Successful (Volume IV)
• PISA 2012 Results: Ready to Learn (Volume III)
• PISA 2012 Results: What Students Know and Can Do (Volume I, Revised edition, February 2014)
• Education at a Glance 2013
• PISA 2012 Results: Students and Money (Volume VI)
• Trends Shaping Education 2013
• https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264208070-en
• Click to access:
• Click to download PDF - 3.67MB PDF
• Click to Read online and share READ

This chapter provides a nuanced look at student performance in problem solving by focusing on students’ strengths and weaknesses in performing certain types of tasks. The items in the PISA problem-solving assessment are categorised by the nature of the problem (interactive or static items) and by the main cognitive processes involved in solving the problem (exploring and understanding; representing and formulating; planning and executing; monitoring and reflecting). The analysis in this chapter identifies the tasks and skills that students master better than students in other countries do, after taking into account overall differences in performance.

• Click to download PDF - 417.29KB PDF

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Author(s) OECD

01 Apr 2014

Pages: 77 - 92

Differences in countries'/economies' success on problem-solving tasks, by nature of the problem

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Relative success on problem-solving tasks, by nature of the problem

Differences in countries'/economies' success on problem-solving tasks, by process

Relative success on problem-solving tasks, by process

Relative strengths and weaknesses in problem-solving processes

Relative success on problem-solving tasks, by response format

Joint analysis of strengths and weaknesses, by nature of the problem and by process

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Problem-Solving Strategies and Obstacles

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Sean is a fact-checker and researcher with experience in sociology, field research, and data analytics.

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From deciding what to eat for dinner to considering whether it's the right time to buy a house, problem-solving is a large part of our daily lives. Learn some of the problem-solving strategies that exist and how to use them in real life, along with ways to overcome obstacles that are making it harder to resolve the issues you face.

What Is Problem-Solving?

In cognitive psychology , the term 'problem-solving' refers to the mental process that people go through to discover, analyze, and solve problems.

A problem exists when there is a goal that we want to achieve but the process by which we will achieve it is not obvious to us. Put another way, there is something that we want to occur in our life, yet we are not immediately certain how to make it happen.

Maybe you want a better relationship with your spouse or another family member but you're not sure how to improve it. Or you want to start a business but are unsure what steps to take. Problem-solving helps you figure out how to achieve these desires.

The problem-solving process involves:

• Discovery of the problem
• Deciding to tackle the issue
• Seeking to understand the problem more fully
• Researching available options or solutions
• Taking action to resolve the issue

Before problem-solving can occur, it is important to first understand the exact nature of the problem itself. If your understanding of the issue is faulty, your attempts to resolve it will also be incorrect or flawed.

Problem-Solving Mental Processes

Several mental processes are at work during problem-solving. Among them are:

• Perceptually recognizing the problem
• Representing the problem in memory
• Considering relevant information that applies to the problem
• Identifying different aspects of the problem
• Labeling and describing the problem

Problem-Solving Strategies

There are many ways to go about solving a problem. Some of these strategies might be used on their own, or you may decide to employ multiple approaches when working to figure out and fix a problem.

An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that, by following certain "rules" produces a solution. Algorithms are commonly used in mathematics to solve division or multiplication problems. But they can be used in other fields as well.

In psychology, algorithms can be used to help identify individuals with a greater risk of mental health issues. For instance, research suggests that certain algorithms might help us recognize children with an elevated risk of suicide or self-harm.

One benefit of algorithms is that they guarantee an accurate answer. However, they aren't always the best approach to problem-solving, in part because detecting patterns can be incredibly time-consuming.

There are also concerns when machine learning is involved—also known as artificial intelligence (AI)—such as whether they can accurately predict human behaviors.

Heuristics are shortcut strategies that people can use to solve a problem at hand. These "rule of thumb" approaches allow you to simplify complex problems, reducing the total number of possible solutions to a more manageable set.

If you find yourself sitting in a traffic jam, for example, you may quickly consider other routes, taking one to get moving once again. When shopping for a new car, you might think back to a prior experience when negotiating got you a lower price, then employ the same tactics.

While heuristics may be helpful when facing smaller issues, major decisions shouldn't necessarily be made using a shortcut approach. Heuristics also don't guarantee an effective solution, such as when trying to drive around a traffic jam only to find yourself on an equally crowded route.

Trial and Error

A trial-and-error approach to problem-solving involves trying a number of potential solutions to a particular issue, then ruling out those that do not work. If you're not sure whether to buy a shirt in blue or green, for instance, you may try on each before deciding which one to purchase.

This can be a good strategy to use if you have a limited number of solutions available. But if there are many different choices available, narrowing down the possible options using another problem-solving technique can be helpful before attempting trial and error.

In some cases, the solution to a problem can appear as a sudden insight. You are facing an issue in a relationship or your career when, out of nowhere, the solution appears in your mind and you know exactly what to do.

Insight can occur when the problem in front of you is similar to an issue that you've dealt with in the past. Although, you may not recognize what is occurring since the underlying mental processes that lead to insight often happen outside of conscious awareness .

Research indicates that insight is most likely to occur during times when you are alone—such as when going on a walk by yourself, when you're in the shower, or when lying in bed after waking up.

How to Apply Problem-Solving Strategies in Real Life

If you're facing a problem, you can implement one or more of these strategies to find a potential solution. Here's how to use them in real life:

• Create a flow chart . If you have time, you can take advantage of the algorithm approach to problem-solving by sitting down and making a flow chart of each potential solution, its consequences, and what happens next.
• Recall your past experiences . When a problem needs to be solved fairly quickly, heuristics may be a better approach. Think back to when you faced a similar issue, then use your knowledge and experience to choose the best option possible.
• Start trying potential solutions . If your options are limited, start trying them one by one to see which solution is best for achieving your desired goal. If a particular solution doesn't work, move on to the next.
• Take some time alone . Since insight is often achieved when you're alone, carve out time to be by yourself for a while. The answer to your problem may come to you, seemingly out of the blue, if you spend some time away from others.

Obstacles to Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is not a flawless process as there are a number of obstacles that can interfere with our ability to solve a problem quickly and efficiently. These obstacles include:

• Assumptions: When dealing with a problem, people can make assumptions about the constraints and obstacles that prevent certain solutions. Thus, they may not even try some potential options.
• Functional fixedness : This term refers to the tendency to view problems only in their customary manner. Functional fixedness prevents people from fully seeing all of the different options that might be available to find a solution.
• Irrelevant or misleading information: When trying to solve a problem, it's important to distinguish between information that is relevant to the issue and irrelevant data that can lead to faulty solutions. The more complex the problem, the easier it is to focus on misleading or irrelevant information.
• Mental set: A mental set is a tendency to only use solutions that have worked in the past rather than looking for alternative ideas. A mental set can work as a heuristic, making it a useful problem-solving tool. However, mental sets can also lead to inflexibility, making it more difficult to find effective solutions.

How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

In the end, if your goal is to become a better problem-solver, it's helpful to remember that this is a process. Thus, if you want to improve your problem-solving skills, following these steps can help lead you to your solution:

• Recognize that a problem exists . If you are facing a problem, there are generally signs. For instance, if you have a mental illness , you may experience excessive fear or sadness, mood changes, and changes in sleeping or eating habits. Recognizing these signs can help you realize that an issue exists.
• Decide to solve the problem . Make a conscious decision to solve the issue at hand. Commit to yourself that you will go through the steps necessary to find a solution.
• Seek to fully understand the issue . Analyze the problem you face, looking at it from all sides. If your problem is relationship-related, for instance, ask yourself how the other person may be interpreting the issue. You might also consider how your actions might be contributing to the situation.
• Research potential options . Using the problem-solving strategies mentioned, research potential solutions. Make a list of options, then consider each one individually. What are some pros and cons of taking the available routes? What would you need to do to make them happen?
• Take action . Select the best solution possible and take action. Action is one of the steps required for change . So, go through the motions needed to resolve the issue.
• Try another option, if needed . If the solution you chose didn't work, don't give up. Either go through the problem-solving process again or simply try another option.

You can find a way to solve your problems as long as you keep working toward this goal—even if the best solution is simply to let go because no other good solution exists.

Sarathy V. Real world problem-solving .  Front Hum Neurosci . 2018;12:261. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00261

Dunbar K. Problem solving . A Companion to Cognitive Science . 2017. doi:10.1002/9781405164535.ch20

Stewart SL, Celebre A, Hirdes JP, Poss JW. Risk of suicide and self-harm in kids: The development of an algorithm to identify high-risk individuals within the children's mental health system . Child Psychiat Human Develop . 2020;51:913-924. doi:10.1007/s10578-020-00968-9

Rosenbusch H, Soldner F, Evans AM, Zeelenberg M. Supervised machine learning methods in psychology: A practical introduction with annotated R code . Soc Personal Psychol Compass . 2021;15(2):e12579. doi:10.1111/spc3.12579

Mishra S. Decision-making under risk: Integrating perspectives from biology, economics, and psychology . Personal Soc Psychol Rev . 2014;18(3):280-307. doi:10.1177/1088868314530517

Csikszentmihalyi M, Sawyer K. Creative insight: The social dimension of a solitary moment . In: The Systems Model of Creativity . 2015:73-98. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9085-7_7

Chrysikou EG, Motyka K, Nigro C, Yang SI, Thompson-Schill SL. Functional fixedness in creative thinking tasks depends on stimulus modality .  Psychol Aesthet Creat Arts . 2016;10(4):425‐435. doi:10.1037/aca0000050

Huang F, Tang S, Hu Z. Unconditional perseveration of the short-term mental set in chunk decomposition .  Front Psychol . 2018;9:2568. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02568

National Alliance on Mental Illness. Warning signs and symptoms .

Mayer RE. Thinking, problem solving, cognition, 2nd ed .

Schooler JW, Ohlsson S, Brooks K. Thoughts beyond words: When language overshadows insight. J Experiment Psychol: General . 1993;122:166-183. doi:10.1037/0096-3445.2.166

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

How to improve your problem solving skills and build effective problem solving strategies

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Effective problem solving is all about using the right process and following a plan tailored to the issue at hand. Recognizing your team or organization has an issue isn’t enough to come up with effective problem solving strategies. 

To truly understand a problem and develop appropriate solutions, you will want to follow a solid process, follow the necessary problem solving steps, and bring all of your problem solving skills to the table.  

We’ll first guide you through the seven step problem solving process you and your team can use to effectively solve complex business challenges. We’ll also look at what problem solving strategies you can employ with your team when looking for a way to approach the process. We’ll then discuss the problem solving skills you need to be more effective at solving problems, complete with an activity from the SessionLab library you can use to develop that skill in your team.

Let’s get to it! 

What is a problem solving process?

• What are the problem solving steps I need to follow?

Problem solving strategies

What skills do i need to be an effective problem solver, how can i improve my problem solving skills.

Solving problems is like baking a cake. You can go straight into the kitchen without a recipe or the right ingredients and do your best, but the end result is unlikely to be very tasty!

Using a process to bake a cake allows you to use the best ingredients without waste, collect the right tools, account for allergies, decide whether it is a birthday or wedding cake, and then bake efficiently and on time. The result is a better cake that is fit for purpose, tastes better and has created less mess in the kitchen. Also, it should have chocolate sprinkles. Having a step by step process to solve organizational problems allows you to go through each stage methodically and ensure you are trying to solve the right problems and select the most appropriate, effective solutions.

What are the problem solving steps I need to follow? 

All problem solving processes go through a number of steps in order to move from identifying a problem to resolving it.

Depending on your problem solving model and who you ask, there can be anything between four and nine problem solving steps you should follow in order to find the right solution. Whatever framework you and your group use, there are some key items that should be addressed in order to have an effective process.

We’ve looked at problem solving processes from sources such as the American Society for Quality and their four step approach , and Mediate ‘s six step process. By reflecting on those and our own problem solving processes, we’ve come up with a sequence of seven problem solving steps we feel best covers everything you need in order to effectively solve problems.

1. Problem identification 

The first stage of any problem solving process is to identify the problem or problems you might want to solve. Effective problem solving strategies always begin by allowing a group scope to articulate what they believe the problem to be and then coming to some consensus over which problem they approach first. Problem solving activities used at this stage often have a focus on creating frank, open discussion so that potential problems can be brought to the surface.

2. Problem analysis 

Though this step is not a million miles from problem identification, problem analysis deserves to be considered separately. It can often be an overlooked part of the process and is instrumental when it comes to developing effective solutions.

The process of problem analysis means ensuring that the problem you are seeking to solve is the right problem . As part of this stage, you may look deeper and try to find the root cause of a specific problem at a team or organizational level.

Remember that problem solving strategies should not only be focused on putting out fires in the short term but developing long term solutions that deal with the root cause of organizational challenges. 

Whatever your approach, analyzing a problem is crucial in being able to select an appropriate solution and the problem solving skills deployed in this stage are beneficial for the rest of the process and ensuring the solutions you create are fit for purpose.

3. Solution generation

Once your group has nailed down the particulars of the problem you wish to solve, you want to encourage a free flow of ideas connecting to solving that problem. This can take the form of problem solving games that encourage creative thinking or problem solving activities designed to produce working prototypes of possible solutions. 

The key to ensuring the success of this stage of the problem solving process is to encourage quick, creative thinking and create an open space where all ideas are considered. The best solutions can come from unlikely places and by using problem solving techniques that celebrate invention, you might come up with solution gold. 

4. Solution development

No solution is likely to be perfect right out of the gate. It’s important to discuss and develop the solutions your group has come up with over the course of following the previous problem solving steps in order to arrive at the best possible solution. Problem solving games used in this stage involve lots of critical thinking, measuring potential effort and impact, and looking at possible solutions analytically. 

During this stage, you will often ask your team to iterate and improve upon your frontrunning solutions and develop them further. Remember that problem solving strategies always benefit from a multitude of voices and opinions, and not to let ego get involved when it comes to choosing which solutions to develop and take further.

Finding the best solution is the goal of all problem solving workshops and here is the place to ensure that your solution is well thought out, sufficiently robust and fit for purpose. 

5. Decision making 

Nearly there! Once your group has reached consensus and selected a solution that applies to the problem at hand you have some decisions to make. You will want to work on allocating ownership of the project, figure out who will do what, how the success of the solution will be measured and decide the next course of action.

The decision making stage is a part of the problem solving process that can get missed or taken as for granted. Fail to properly allocate roles and plan out how a solution will actually be implemented and it less likely to be successful in solving the problem.

Have clear accountabilities, actions, timeframes, and follow-ups. Make these decisions and set clear next-steps in the problem solving workshop so that everyone is aligned and you can move forward effectively as a group. 

Ensuring that you plan for the roll-out of a solution is one of the most important problem solving steps. Without adequate planning or oversight, it can prove impossible to measure success or iterate further if the problem was not solved. 

6. Solution implementation 

This is what we were waiting for! All problem solving strategies have the end goal of implementing a solution and solving a problem in mind. 

Remember that in order for any solution to be successful, you need to help your group through all of the previous problem solving steps thoughtfully. Only then can you ensure that you are solving the right problem but also that you have developed the correct solution and can then successfully implement and measure the impact of that solution.

Project management and communication skills are key here – your solution may need to adjust when out in the wild or you might discover new challenges along the way.

7. Solution evaluation 

So you and your team developed a great solution to a problem and have a gut feeling its been solved. Work done, right? Wrong. All problem solving strategies benefit from evaluation, consideration, and feedback. You might find that the solution does not work for everyone, might create new problems, or is potentially so successful that you will want to roll it out to larger teams or as part of other initiatives. 

None of that is possible without taking the time to evaluate the success of the solution you developed in your problem solving model and adjust if necessary.

Remember that the problem solving process is often iterative and it can be common to not solve complex issues on the first try. Even when this is the case, you and your team will have generated learning that will be important for future problem solving workshops or in other parts of the organization. 

It’s worth underlining how important record keeping is throughout the problem solving process. If a solution didn’t work, you need to have the data and records to see why that was the case. If you go back to the drawing board, notes from the previous workshop can help save time. Data and insight is invaluable at every stage of the problem solving process and this one is no different.

Problem solving workshops made easy

Problem solving strategies are methods of approaching and facilitating the process of problem-solving with a set of techniques , actions, and processes. Different strategies are more effective if you are trying to solve broad problems such as achieving higher growth versus more focused problems like, how do we improve our customer onboarding process?

Broadly, the problem solving steps outlined above should be included in any problem solving strategy though choosing where to focus your time and what approaches should be taken is where they begin to differ. You might find that some strategies ask for the problem identification to be done prior to the session or that everything happens in the course of a one day workshop.

The key similarity is that all good problem solving strategies are structured and designed. Four hours of open discussion is never going to be as productive as a four-hour workshop designed to lead a group through a problem solving process.

Good problem solving strategies are tailored to the team, organization and problem you will be attempting to solve. Here are some example problem solving strategies you can learn from or use to get started.

Use a workshop to lead a team through a group process

Often, the first step to solving problems or organizational challenges is bringing a group together effectively. Most teams have the tools, knowledge, and expertise necessary to solve their challenges – they just need some guidance in how to use leverage those skills and a structure and format that allows people to focus their energies.

Facilitated workshops are one of the most effective ways of solving problems of any scale. By designing and planning your workshop carefully, you can tailor the approach and scope to best fit the needs of your team and organization. 

Problem solving workshop

• Creating a bespoke, tailored process
• Tackling problems of any size
• Building in-house workshop ability and encouraging their use

Workshops are an effective strategy for solving problems. By using tried and test facilitation techniques and methods, you can design and deliver a workshop that is perfectly suited to the unique variables of your organization. You may only have the capacity for a half-day workshop and so need a problem solving process to match. 

By using our session planner tool and importing methods from our library of 700+ facilitation techniques, you can create the right problem solving workshop for your team. It might be that you want to encourage creative thinking or look at things from a new angle to unblock your groups approach to problem solving. By tailoring your workshop design to the purpose, you can help ensure great results.

One of the main benefits of a workshop is the structured approach to problem solving. Not only does this mean that the workshop itself will be successful, but many of the methods and techniques will help your team improve their working processes outside of the workshop. 

We believe that workshops are one of the best tools you can use to improve the way your team works together. Start with a problem solving workshop and then see what team building, culture or design workshops can do for your organization!

Run a design sprint

Great for: 

• aligning large, multi-discipline teams
• quickly designing and testing solutions
• tackling large, complex organizational challenges and breaking them down into smaller tasks

By using design thinking principles and methods, a design sprint is a great way of identifying, prioritizing and prototyping solutions to long term challenges that can help solve major organizational problems with quick action and measurable results.

Some familiarity with design thinking is useful, though not integral, and this strategy can really help a team align if there is some discussion around which problems should be approached first. 

The stage-based structure of the design sprint is also very useful for teams new to design thinking.  The inspiration phase, where you look to competitors that have solved your problem, and the rapid prototyping and testing phases are great for introducing new concepts that will benefit a team in all their future work. 

It can be common for teams to look inward for solutions and so looking to the market for solutions you can iterate on can be very productive. Instilling an agile prototyping and testing mindset can also be great when helping teams move forwards – generating and testing solutions quickly can help save time in the long run and is also pretty exciting!

Break problems down into smaller issues

Organizational challenges and problems are often complicated and large scale in nature. Sometimes, trying to resolve such an issue in one swoop is simply unachievable or overwhelming. Try breaking down such problems into smaller issues that you can work on step by step. You may not be able to solve the problem of churning customers off the bat, but you can work with your team to identify smaller effort but high impact elements and work on those first.

This problem solving strategy can help a team generate momentum, prioritize and get some easy wins. It’s also a great strategy to employ with teams who are just beginning to learn how to approach the problem solving process. If you want some insight into a way to employ this strategy, we recommend looking at our design sprint template below!

Use guiding frameworks or try new methodologies

Some problems are best solved by introducing a major shift in perspective or by using new methodologies that encourage your team to think differently.

Props and tools such as Methodkit , which uses a card-based toolkit for facilitation, or Lego Serious Play can be great ways to engage your team and find an inclusive, democratic problem solving strategy. Remember that play and creativity are great tools for achieving change and whatever the challenge, engaging your participants can be very effective where other strategies may have failed.

LEGO Serious Play

• Improving core problem solving skills
• Thinking outside of the box
• Encouraging creative solutions

LEGO Serious Play is a problem solving methodology designed to get participants thinking differently by using 3D models and kinesthetic learning styles. By physically building LEGO models based on questions and exercises, participants are encouraged to think outside of the box and create their own responses. 

Collaborate LEGO Serious Play exercises are also used to encourage communication and build problem solving skills in a group. By using this problem solving process, you can often help different kinds of learners and personality types contribute and unblock organizational problems with creative thinking. 

Problem solving strategies like LEGO Serious Play are super effective at helping a team solve more skills-based problems such as communication between teams or a lack of creative thinking. Some problems are not suited to LEGO Serious Play and require a different problem solving strategy.

Card Decks and Method Kits

• New facilitators or non-facilitators 
• Approaching difficult subjects with a simple, creative framework
• Engaging those with varied learning styles

Card decks and method kids are great tools for those new to facilitation or for whom facilitation is not the primary role. Card decks such as the emotional culture deck can be used for complete workshops and in many cases, can be used right out of the box. Methodkit has a variety of kits designed for scenarios ranging from personal development through to personas and global challenges so you can find the right deck for your particular needs.

Having an easy to use framework that encourages creativity or a new approach can take some of the friction or planning difficulties out of the workshop process and energize a team in any setting. Simplicity is the key with these methods. By ensuring everyone on your team can get involved and engage with the process as quickly as possible can really contribute to the success of your problem solving strategy.

Source external advice

Looking to peers, experts and external facilitators can be a great way of approaching the problem solving process. Your team may not have the necessary expertise, insights of experience to tackle some issues, or you might simply benefit from a fresh perspective. Some problems may require bringing together an entire team, and coaching managers or team members individually might be the right approach. Remember that not all problems are best resolved in the same manner.

If you’re a solo entrepreneur, peer groups, coaches and mentors can also be invaluable at not only solving specific business problems, but in providing a support network for resolving future challenges. One great approach is to join a Mastermind Group and link up with like-minded individuals and all grow together. Remember that however you approach the sourcing of external advice, do so thoughtfully, respectfully and honestly. Reciprocate where you can and prepare to be surprised by just how kind and helpful your peers can be!

Mastermind Group

• Solo entrepreneurs or small teams with low capacity
• Peer learning and gaining outside expertise
• Getting multiple external points of view quickly

Problem solving in large organizations with lots of skilled team members is one thing, but how about if you work for yourself or in a very small team without the capacity to get the most from a design sprint or LEGO Serious Play session? 

A mastermind group – sometimes known as a peer advisory board – is where a group of people come together to support one another in their own goals, challenges, and businesses. Each participant comes to the group with their own purpose and the other members of the group will help them create solutions, brainstorm ideas, and support one another. 

Mastermind groups are very effective in creating an energized, supportive atmosphere that can deliver meaningful results. Learning from peers from outside of your organization or industry can really help unlock new ways of thinking and drive growth. Access to the experience and skills of your peers can be invaluable in helping fill the gaps in your own ability, particularly in young companies.

A mastermind group is a great solution for solo entrepreneurs, small teams, or for organizations that feel that external expertise or fresh perspectives will be beneficial for them. It is worth noting that Mastermind groups are often only as good as the participants and what they can bring to the group. Participants need to be committed, engaged and understand how to work in this context. 

Coaching and mentoring

• Focused learning and development
• Filling skills gaps
• Working on a range of challenges over time

Receiving advice from a business coach or building a mentor/mentee relationship can be an effective way of resolving certain challenges. The one-to-one format of most coaching and mentor relationships can really help solve the challenges those individuals are having and benefit the organization as a result.

A great mentor can be invaluable when it comes to spotting potential problems before they arise and coming to understand a mentee very well has a host of other business benefits. You might run an internal mentorship program to help develop your team’s problem solving skills and strategies or as part of a large learning and development program. External coaches can also be an important part of your problem solving strategy, filling skills gaps for your management team or helping with specific business issues. 

Now we’ve explored the problem solving process and the steps you will want to go through in order to have an effective session, let’s look at the skills you and your team need to be more effective problem solvers.

Problem solving skills are highly sought after, whatever industry or team you work in. Organizations are keen to employ people who are able to approach problems thoughtfully and find strong, realistic solutions. Whether you are a facilitator , a team leader or a developer, being an effective problem solver is a skill you’ll want to develop.

Problem solving skills form a whole suite of techniques and approaches that an individual uses to not only identify problems but to discuss them productively before then developing appropriate solutions.

Here are some of the most important problem solving skills everyone from executives to junior staff members should learn. We’ve also included an activity or exercise from the SessionLab library that can help you and your team develop that skill. 

If you’re running a workshop or training session to try and improve problem solving skills in your team, try using these methods to supercharge your process!

Active listening

Active listening is one of the most important skills anyone who works with people can possess. In short, active listening is a technique used to not only better understand what is being said by an individual, but also to be more aware of the underlying message the speaker is trying to convey. When it comes to problem solving, active listening is integral for understanding the position of every participant and to clarify the challenges, ideas and solutions they bring to the table.

Some active listening skills include:

• Paying complete attention to the speaker.
• Removing distractions.
• Avoid interruption.
• Taking the time to fully understand before preparing a rebuttal.
• Responding respectfully and appropriately.
• Demonstrate attentiveness and positivity with an open posture, making eye contact with the speaker, smiling and nodding if appropriate. Show that you are listening and encourage them to continue.
• Be aware of and respectful of feelings. Judge the situation and respond appropriately. You can disagree without being disrespectful.   
• Observe body language. 
• Paraphrase what was said in your own words, either mentally or verbally.
• Remain neutral. 
• Reflect and take a moment before responding.
• Ask deeper questions based on what is said and clarify points where necessary.   

Active Listening   #hyperisland   #skills   #active listening   #remote-friendly   This activity supports participants to reflect on a question and generate their own solutions using simple principles of active listening and peer coaching. It’s an excellent introduction to active listening but can also be used with groups that are already familiar with it. Participants work in groups of three and take turns being: “the subject”, the listener, and the observer.

Analytical skills

All problem solving models require strong analytical skills, particularly during the beginning of the process and when it comes to analyzing how solutions have performed.

Analytical skills are primarily focused on performing an effective analysis by collecting, studying and parsing data related to a problem or opportunity. 

It often involves spotting patterns, being able to see things from different perspectives and using observable facts and data to make suggestions or produce insight. 

Analytical skills are also important at every stage of the problem solving process and by having these skills, you can ensure that any ideas or solutions you create or backed up analytically and have been sufficiently thought out.

Nine Whys   #innovation   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   With breathtaking simplicity, you can rapidly clarify for individuals and a group what is essentially important in their work. You can quickly reveal when a compelling purpose is missing in a gathering and avoid moving forward without clarity. When a group discovers an unambiguous shared purpose, more freedom and more responsibility are unleashed. You have laid the foundation for spreading and scaling innovations with fidelity.

Collaboration

Trying to solve problems on your own is difficult. Being able to collaborate effectively, with a free exchange of ideas, to delegate and be a productive member of a team is hugely important to all problem solving strategies.

Remember that whatever your role, collaboration is integral, and in a problem solving process, you are all working together to find the best solution for everyone. 

Marshmallow challenge with debriefing   #teamwork   #team   #leadership   #collaboration   In eighteen minutes, teams must build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow. The marshmallow needs to be on top. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. Visit the Marshmallow Challenge website for more information. This version has an extra debriefing question added with sample questions focusing on roles within the team.

Communication  

Being an effective communicator means being empathetic, clear and succinct, asking the right questions, and demonstrating active listening skills throughout any discussion or meeting. 

In a problem solving setting, you need to communicate well in order to progress through each stage of the process effectively. As a team leader, it may also fall to you to facilitate communication between parties who may not see eye to eye. Effective communication also means helping others to express themselves and be heard in a group.

Bus Trip   #feedback   #communication   #appreciation   #closing   #thiagi   #team   This is one of my favourite feedback games. I use Bus Trip at the end of a training session or a meeting, and I use it all the time. The game creates a massive amount of energy with lots of smiles, laughs, and sometimes even a teardrop or two.

Creative problem solving skills can be some of the best tools in your arsenal. Thinking creatively, being able to generate lots of ideas and come up with out of the box solutions is useful at every step of the process. 

The kinds of problems you will likely discuss in a problem solving workshop are often difficult to solve, and by approaching things in a fresh, creative manner, you can often create more innovative solutions.

Having practical creative skills is also a boon when it comes to problem solving. If you can help create quality design sketches and prototypes in record time, it can help bring a team to alignment more quickly or provide a base for further iteration.

The paper clip method   #sharing   #creativity   #warm up   #idea generation   #brainstorming   The power of brainstorming. A training for project leaders, creativity training, and to catalyse getting new solutions.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is one of the fundamental problem solving skills you’ll want to develop when working on developing solutions. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, rationalize and evaluate while being aware of personal bias, outlying factors and remaining open-minded.

Defining and analyzing problems without deploying critical thinking skills can mean you and your team go down the wrong path. Developing solutions to complex issues requires critical thinking too – ensuring your team considers all possibilities and rationally evaluating them. 

Agreement-Certainty Matrix   #issue analysis   #liberating structures   #problem solving   You can help individuals or groups avoid the frequent mistake of trying to solve a problem with methods that are not adapted to the nature of their challenge. The combination of two questions makes it possible to easily sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex , and chaotic .  A problem is simple when it can be solved reliably with practices that are easy to duplicate.  It is complicated when experts are required to devise a sophisticated solution that will yield the desired results predictably.  A problem is complex when there are several valid ways to proceed but outcomes are not predictable in detail.  Chaotic is when the context is too turbulent to identify a path forward.  A loose analogy may be used to describe these differences: simple is like following a recipe, complicated like sending a rocket to the moon, complex like raising a child, and chaotic is like the game “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”  The Liberating Structures Matching Matrix in Chapter 5 can be used as the first step to clarify the nature of a challenge and avoid the mismatches between problems and solutions that are frequently at the root of chronic, recurring problems.

Data analysis 

Though it shares lots of space with general analytical skills, data analysis skills are something you want to cultivate in their own right in order to be an effective problem solver.

Being good at data analysis doesn’t just mean being able to find insights from data, but also selecting the appropriate data for a given issue, interpreting it effectively and knowing how to model and present that data. Depending on the problem at hand, it might also include a working knowledge of specific data analysis tools and procedures. 

Having a solid grasp of data analysis techniques is useful if you’re leading a problem solving workshop but if you’re not an expert, don’t worry. Bring people into the group who has this skill set and help your team be more effective as a result.

Decision making

All problems need a solution and all solutions require that someone make the decision to implement them. Without strong decision making skills, teams can become bogged down in discussion and less effective as a result. 

Making decisions is a key part of the problem solving process. It’s important to remember that decision making is not restricted to the leadership team. Every staff member makes decisions every day and developing these skills ensures that your team is able to solve problems at any scale. Remember that making decisions does not mean leaping to the first solution but weighing up the options and coming to an informed, well thought out solution to any given problem that works for the whole team.

Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ)   #action   #decision making   #problem solving   #issue analysis   #innovation   #design   #remote-friendly   The problem with anything that requires creative thinking is that it’s easy to get lost—lose focus and fall into the trap of having useless, open-ended, unstructured discussions. Here’s the most effective solution I’ve found: Replace all open, unstructured discussion with a clear process. What to use this exercise for: Anything which requires a group of people to make decisions, solve problems or discuss challenges. It’s always good to frame an LDJ session with a broad topic, here are some examples: The conversion flow of our checkout Our internal design process How we organise events Keeping up with our competition Improving sales flow

Dependability

Most complex organizational problems require multiple people to be involved in delivering the solution. Ensuring that the team and organization can depend on you to take the necessary actions and communicate where necessary is key to ensuring problems are solved effectively.

Being dependable also means working to deadlines and to brief. It is often a matter of creating trust in a team so that everyone can depend on one another to complete the agreed actions in the agreed time frame so that the team can move forward together. Being undependable can create problems of friction and can limit the effectiveness of your solutions so be sure to bear this in mind throughout a project. 

Team Purpose & Culture   #team   #hyperisland   #culture   #remote-friendly   This is an essential process designed to help teams define their purpose (why they exist) and their culture (how they work together to achieve that purpose). Defining these two things will help any team to be more focused and aligned. With support of tangible examples from other companies, the team members work as individuals and a group to codify the way they work together. The goal is a visual manifestation of both the purpose and culture that can be put up in the team’s work space.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an important skill for any successful team member, whether communicating internally or with clients or users. In the problem solving process, emotional intelligence means being attuned to how people are feeling and thinking, communicating effectively and being self-aware of what you bring to a room. 

There are often differences of opinion when working through problem solving processes, and it can be easy to let things become impassioned or combative. Developing your emotional intelligence means being empathetic to your colleagues and managing your own emotions throughout the problem and solution process. Be kind, be thoughtful and put your points across care and attention. 

Being emotionally intelligent is a skill for life and by deploying it at work, you can not only work efficiently but empathetically. Check out the emotional culture workshop template for more!

Facilitation

As we’ve clarified in our facilitation skills post, facilitation is the art of leading people through processes towards agreed-upon objectives in a manner that encourages participation, ownership, and creativity by all those involved. While facilitation is a set of interrelated skills in itself, the broad definition of facilitation can be invaluable when it comes to problem solving. Leading a team through a problem solving process is made more effective if you improve and utilize facilitation skills – whether you’re a manager, team leader or external stakeholder.

The Six Thinking Hats   #creative thinking   #meeting facilitation   #problem solving   #issue resolution   #idea generation   #conflict resolution   The Six Thinking Hats are used by individuals and groups to separate out conflicting styles of thinking. They enable and encourage a group of people to think constructively together in exploring and implementing change, rather than using argument to fight over who is right and who is wrong.

Flexibility 

Being flexible is a vital skill when it comes to problem solving. This does not mean immediately bowing to pressure or changing your opinion quickly: instead, being flexible is all about seeing things from new perspectives, receiving new information and factoring it into your thought process.

Flexibility is also important when it comes to rolling out solutions. It might be that other organizational projects have greater priority or require the same resources as your chosen solution. Being flexible means understanding needs and challenges across the team and being open to shifting or arranging your own schedule as necessary. Again, this does not mean immediately making way for other projects. It’s about articulating your own needs, understanding the needs of others and being able to come to a meaningful compromise.

The Creativity Dice   #creativity   #problem solving   #thiagi   #issue analysis   Too much linear thinking is hazardous to creative problem solving. To be creative, you should approach the problem (or the opportunity) from different points of view. You should leave a thought hanging in mid-air and move to another. This skipping around prevents premature closure and lets your brain incubate one line of thought while you consciously pursue another.

Working in any group can lead to unconscious elements of groupthink or situations in which you may not wish to be entirely honest. Disagreeing with the opinions of the executive team or wishing to save the feelings of a coworker can be tricky to navigate, but being honest is absolutely vital when to comes to developing effective solutions and ensuring your voice is heard. 

Remember that being honest does not mean being brutally candid. You can deliver your honest feedback and opinions thoughtfully and without creating friction by using other skills such as emotional intelligence. 

Explore your Values   #hyperisland   #skills   #values   #remote-friendly   Your Values is an exercise for participants to explore what their most important values are. It’s done in an intuitive and rapid way to encourage participants to follow their intuitive feeling rather than over-thinking and finding the “correct” values. It is a good exercise to use to initiate reflection and dialogue around personal values.

Initiative 

The problem solving process is multi-faceted and requires different approaches at certain points of the process. Taking initiative to bring problems to the attention of the team, collect data or lead the solution creating process is always valuable. You might even roadtest your own small scale solutions or brainstorm before a session. Taking initiative is particularly effective if you have good deal of knowledge in that area or have ownership of a particular project and want to get things kickstarted.

That said, be sure to remember to honor the process and work in service of the team. If you are asked to own one part of the problem solving process and you don’t complete that task because your initiative leads you to work on something else, that’s not an effective method of solving business challenges.

15% Solutions   #action   #liberating structures   #remote-friendly   You can reveal the actions, however small, that everyone can do immediately. At a minimum, these will create momentum, and that may make a BIG difference.  15% Solutions show that there is no reason to wait around, feel powerless, or fearful. They help people pick it up a level. They get individuals and the group to focus on what is within their discretion instead of what they cannot change.  With a very simple question, you can flip the conversation to what can be done and find solutions to big problems that are often distributed widely in places not known in advance. Shifting a few grains of sand may trigger a landslide and change the whole landscape.

Impartiality

A particularly useful problem solving skill for product owners or managers is the ability to remain impartial throughout much of the process. In practice, this means treating all points of view and ideas brought forward in a meeting equally and ensuring that your own areas of interest or ownership are not favored over others. 

There may be a stage in the process where a decision maker has to weigh the cost and ROI of possible solutions against the company roadmap though even then, ensuring that the decision made is based on merit and not personal opinion. 

Empathy map   #frame insights   #create   #design   #issue analysis   An empathy map is a tool to help a design team to empathize with the people they are designing for. You can make an empathy map for a group of people or for a persona. To be used after doing personas when more insights are needed.

Being a good leader means getting a team aligned, energized and focused around a common goal. In the problem solving process, strong leadership helps ensure that the process is efficient, that any conflicts are resolved and that a team is managed in the direction of success.

It’s common for managers or executives to assume this role in a problem solving workshop, though it’s important that the leader maintains impartiality and does not bulldoze the group in a particular direction. Remember that good leadership means working in service of the purpose and team and ensuring the workshop is a safe space for employees of any level to contribute. Take a look at our leadership games and activities post for more exercises and methods to help improve leadership in your organization.

Leadership Pizza   #leadership   #team   #remote-friendly   This leadership development activity offers a self-assessment framework for people to first identify what skills, attributes and attitudes they find important for effective leadership, and then assess their own development and initiate goal setting.

In the context of problem solving, mediation is important in keeping a team engaged, happy and free of conflict. When leading or facilitating a problem solving workshop, you are likely to run into differences of opinion. Depending on the nature of the problem, certain issues may be brought up that are emotive in nature. 

Being an effective mediator means helping those people on either side of such a divide are heard, listen to one another and encouraged to find common ground and a resolution. Mediating skills are useful for leaders and managers in many situations and the problem solving process is no different.

Conflict Responses   #hyperisland   #team   #issue resolution   A workshop for a team to reflect on past conflicts, and use them to generate guidelines for effective conflict handling. The workshop uses the Thomas-Killman model of conflict responses to frame a reflective discussion. Use it to open up a discussion around conflict with a team.

Planning 

Solving organizational problems is much more effective when following a process or problem solving model. Planning skills are vital in order to structure, deliver and follow-through on a problem solving workshop and ensure your solutions are intelligently deployed.

Planning skills include the ability to organize tasks and a team, plan and design the process and take into account any potential challenges. Taking the time to plan carefully can save time and frustration later in the process and is valuable for ensuring a team is positioned for success.

3 Action Steps   #hyperisland   #action   #remote-friendly   This is a small-scale strategic planning session that helps groups and individuals to take action toward a desired change. It is often used at the end of a workshop or programme. The group discusses and agrees on a vision, then creates some action steps that will lead them towards that vision. The scope of the challenge is also defined, through discussion of the helpful and harmful factors influencing the group.

Prioritization

As organisations grow, the scale and variation of problems they face multiplies. Your team or is likely to face numerous challenges in different areas and so having the skills to analyze and prioritize becomes very important, particularly for those in leadership roles.

A thorough problem solving process is likely to deliver multiple solutions and you may have several different problems you wish to solve simultaneously. Prioritization is the ability to measure the importance, value, and effectiveness of those possible solutions and choose which to enact and in what order. The process of prioritization is integral in ensuring the biggest challenges are addressed with the most impactful solutions.

Impact and Effort Matrix   #gamestorming   #decision making   #action   #remote-friendly   In this decision-making exercise, possible actions are mapped based on two factors: effort required to implement and potential impact. Categorizing ideas along these lines is a useful technique in decision making, as it obliges contributors to balance and evaluate suggested actions before committing to them.

Project management

Some problem solving skills are utilized in a workshop or ideation phases, while others come in useful when it comes to decision making. Overseeing an entire problem solving process and ensuring its success requires strong project management skills. 

While project management incorporates many of the other skills listed here, it is important to note the distinction of considering all of the factors of a project and managing them successfully. Being able to negotiate with stakeholders, manage tasks, time and people, consider costs and ROI, and tie everything together is massively helpful when going through the problem solving process. 

Record keeping

Working out meaningful solutions to organizational challenges is only one part of the process.  Thoughtfully documenting and keeping records of each problem solving step for future consultation is important in ensuring efficiency and meaningful change. 

For example, some problems may be lower priority than others but can be revisited in the future. If the team has ideated on solutions and found some are not up to the task, record those so you can rule them out and avoiding repeating work. Keeping records of the process also helps you improve and refine your problem solving model next time around!

Personal Kanban   #gamestorming   #action   #agile   #project planning   Personal Kanban is a tool for organizing your work to be more efficient and productive. It is based on agile methods and principles.

Research skills

Conducting research to support both the identification of problems and the development of appropriate solutions is important for an effective process. Knowing where to go to collect research, how to conduct research efficiently, and identifying pieces of research are relevant are all things a good researcher can do well. 

In larger groups, not everyone has to demonstrate this ability in order for a problem solving workshop to be effective. That said, having people with research skills involved in the process, particularly if they have existing area knowledge, can help ensure the solutions that are developed with data that supports their intention. Remember that being able to deliver the results of research efficiently and in a way the team can easily understand is also important. The best data in the world is only as effective as how it is delivered and interpreted.

Customer experience map   #ideation   #concepts   #research   #design   #issue analysis   #remote-friendly   Customer experience mapping is a method of documenting and visualizing the experience a customer has as they use the product or service. It also maps out their responses to their experiences. To be used when there is a solution (even in a conceptual stage) that can be analyzed.

Risk management

Managing risk is an often overlooked part of the problem solving process. Solutions are often developed with the intention of reducing exposure to risk or solving issues that create risk but sometimes, great solutions are more experimental in nature and as such, deploying them needs to be carefully considered. 

Managing risk means acknowledging that there may be risks associated with more out of the box solutions or trying new things, but that this must be measured against the possible benefits and other organizational factors. 

Be informed, get the right data and stakeholders in the room and you can appropriately factor risk into your decision making process. 

Decisions, Decisions…   #communication   #decision making   #thiagi   #action   #issue analysis   When it comes to decision-making, why are some of us more prone to take risks while others are risk-averse? One explanation might be the way the decision and options were presented.  This exercise, based on Kahneman and Tversky’s classic study , illustrates how the framing effect influences our judgement and our ability to make decisions . The participants are divided into two groups. Both groups are presented with the same problem and two alternative programs for solving them. The two programs both have the same consequences but are presented differently. The debriefing discussion examines how the framing of the program impacted the participant’s decision.

Team-building 

No single person is as good at problem solving as a team. Building an effective team and helping them come together around a common purpose is one of the most important problem solving skills, doubly so for leaders. By bringing a team together and helping them work efficiently, you pave the way for team ownership of a problem and the development of effective solutions. 

In a problem solving workshop, it can be tempting to jump right into the deep end, though taking the time to break the ice, energize the team and align them with a game or exercise will pay off over the course of the day.

Remember that you will likely go through the problem solving process multiple times over an organization’s lifespan and building a strong team culture will make future problem solving more effective. It’s also great to work with people you know, trust and have fun with. Working on team building in and out of the problem solving process is a hallmark of successful teams that can work together to solve business problems.

9 Dimensions Team Building Activity   #ice breaker   #teambuilding   #team   #remote-friendly   9 Dimensions is a powerful activity designed to build relationships and trust among team members. There are 2 variations of this icebreaker. The first version is for teams who want to get to know each other better. The second version is for teams who want to explore how they are working together as a team.

Time management 

The problem solving process is designed to lead a team from identifying a problem through to delivering a solution and evaluating its effectiveness. Without effective time management skills or timeboxing of tasks, it can be easy for a team to get bogged down or be inefficient.

By using a problem solving model and carefully designing your workshop, you can allocate time efficiently and trust that the process will deliver the results you need in a good timeframe.

Time management also comes into play when it comes to rolling out solutions, particularly those that are experimental in nature. Having a clear timeframe for implementing and evaluating solutions is vital for ensuring their success and being able to pivot if necessary.

Improving your skills at problem solving is often a career-long pursuit though there are methods you can use to make the learning process more efficient and to supercharge your problem solving skillset.

Remember that the skills you need to be a great problem solver have a large overlap with those skills you need to be effective in any role. Investing time and effort to develop your active listening or critical thinking skills is valuable in any context. Here are 7 ways to improve your problem solving skills.

Share best practices

Remember that your team is an excellent source of skills, wisdom, and techniques and that you should all take advantage of one another where possible. Best practices that one team has for solving problems, conducting research or making decisions should be shared across the organization. If you have in-house staff that have done active listening training or are data analysis pros, have them lead a training session. 

Your team is one of your best resources. Create space and internal processes for the sharing of skills so that you can all grow together. 

Ask for help and attend training

Once you’ve figured out you have a skills gap, the next step is to take action to fill that skills gap. That might be by asking your superior for training or coaching, or liaising with team members with that skill set. You might even attend specialized training for certain skills – active listening or critical thinking, for example, are business-critical skills that are regularly offered as part of a training scheme.

Whatever method you choose, remember that taking action of some description is necessary for growth. Whether that means practicing, getting help, attending training or doing some background reading, taking active steps to improve your skills is the way to go.

Learn a process 

Problem solving can be complicated, particularly when attempting to solve large problems for the first time. Using a problem solving process helps give structure to your problem solving efforts and focus on creating outcomes, rather than worrying about the format. 

Tools such as the seven-step problem solving process above are effective because not only do they feature steps that will help a team solve problems, they also develop skills along the way. Each step asks for people to engage with the process using different skills and in doing so, helps the team learn and grow together. Group processes of varying complexity and purpose can also be found in the SessionLab library of facilitation techniques . Using a tried and tested process and really help ease the learning curve for both those leading such a process, as well as those undergoing the purpose.

Effective teams make decisions about where they should and shouldn’t expend additional effort. By using a problem solving process, you can focus on the things that matter, rather than stumbling towards a solution haphazardly. 

Create a feedback loop

Some skills gaps are more obvious than others. It’s possible that your perception of your active listening skills differs from those of your colleagues. 

It’s valuable to create a system where team members can provide feedback in an ordered and friendly manner so they can all learn from one another. Only by identifying areas of improvement can you then work to improve them. 

Remember that feedback systems require oversight and consideration so that they don’t turn into a place to complain about colleagues. Design the system intelligently so that you encourage the creation of learning opportunities, rather than encouraging people to list their pet peeves.

While practice might not make perfect, it does make the problem solving process easier. If you are having trouble with critical thinking, don’t shy away from doing it. Get involved where you can and stretch those muscles as regularly as possible. 

Problem solving skills come more naturally to some than to others and that’s okay. Take opportunities to get involved and see where you can practice your skills in situations outside of a workshop context. Try collaborating in other circumstances at work or conduct data analysis on your own projects. You can often develop those skills you need for problem solving simply by doing them. Get involved!

Use expert exercises and methods

Learn from the best. Our library of 700+ facilitation techniques is full of activities and methods that help develop the skills you need to be an effective problem solver. Check out our templates to see how to approach problem solving and other organizational challenges in a structured and intelligent manner.

There is no single approach to improving problem solving skills, but by using the techniques employed by others you can learn from their example and develop processes that have seen proven results. 

Try new ways of thinking and change your mindset

Using tried and tested exercises that you know well can help deliver results, but you do run the risk of missing out on the learning opportunities offered by new approaches. As with the problem solving process, changing your mindset can remove blockages and be used to develop your problem solving skills.

Most teams have members with mixed skill sets and specialties. Mix people from different teams and share skills and different points of view. Teach your customer support team how to use design thinking methods or help your developers with conflict resolution techniques. Try switching perspectives with facilitation techniques like Flip It! or by using new problem solving methodologies or models. Give design thinking, liberating structures or lego serious play a try if you want to try a new approach. You will find that framing problems in new ways and using existing skills in new contexts can be hugely useful for personal development and improving your skillset. It’s also a lot of fun to try new things. Give it a go!

Encountering business challenges and needing to find appropriate solutions is not unique to your organization. Lots of very smart people have developed methods, theories and approaches to help develop problem solving skills and create effective solutions. Learn from them!

Books like The Art of Thinking Clearly , Think Smarter, or Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow are great places to start, though it’s also worth looking at blogs related to organizations facing similar problems to yours, or browsing for success stories. Seeing how Dropbox massively increased growth and working backward can help you see the skills or approach you might be lacking to solve that same problem. Learning from others by reading their stories or approaches can be time-consuming but ultimately rewarding.

A tired, distracted mind is not in the best position to learn new skills. It can be tempted to burn the candle at both ends and develop problem solving skills outside of work. Absolutely use your time effectively and take opportunities for self-improvement, though remember that rest is hugely important and that without letting your brain rest, you cannot be at your most effective. 

Creating distance between yourself and the problem you might be facing can also be useful. By letting an idea sit, you can find that a better one presents itself or you can develop it further. Take regular breaks when working and create a space for downtime. Remember that working smarter is preferable to working harder and that self-care is important for any effective learning or improvement process.

Want to design better group processes?

Over to you

Now we’ve explored some of the key problem solving skills and the problem solving steps necessary for an effective process, you’re ready to begin developing more effective solutions and leading problem solving workshops.

Need more inspiration? Check out our post on problem solving activities you can use when guiding a group towards a great solution in your next workshop or meeting. Have questions? Did you have a great problem solving technique you use with your team? Get in touch in the comments below. We’d love to chat!

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PISA 2012 Results: Creative Problem Solving (Volume V): Students' Skills in Tackling Real-Life Problems

Students' strengths and weaknesses in problem solving.

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What Are Your Decision-Making Strengths and Blind Spots?

• Cheryl Strauss Einhorn

Understanding your style will help you identify which biases that may get in your way.

Many of us approach decision making from the same perspective over and over. We use the same tools and habits every time, even if the decisions are vastly different. But following the same strategy for every problem limits your abilities. To make better decisions, you need to break out of these patterns and see things differently, even if it is uncomfortable.

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• Cheryl Strauss Einhorn is the founder and CEO of Decisive, a decision sciences company using her AREA Method decision-making system for individuals, companies, and nonprofits looking to solve complex problems. Decisive offers digital tools and in-person training, workshops, coaching and consulting. Cheryl is a long-time educator teaching at Columbia Business School and Cornell and has won several journalism awards for her investigative news stories. She’s authored two books on complex problem solving, Problem Solved for personal and professional decisions, and Investing In Financial Research about business, financial, and investment decisions. Her new book, Problem Solver, is about the psychology of personal decision-making and Problem Solver Profiles. For more information please watch Cheryl’s TED talk and visit areamethod.com .

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Team Problem Solving: Advantages and Disadvantages

Most of the time in personal and professional life, executing work or task with the help of a team or with the team can deliver some sort of positive as well as negative impression. But it is necessary for a person to understand both sides of the coin and in this case, it is about team problem solving skills.

Apparently, all the positive and negative terms or else, in other words, these advantages and disadvantages of team problem solving will help in reducing the contrast behaviour of certain task handling.

Tips to Strengthen Team Problem Solving Skills:

Problem-solving skill is one of the best known and important trait every employee should possess. Most of the time even a small team problem gets bigger, as no employee would be willing to take an extra step to solve it or to stand for it.

“ As far as it’s not our own problem, we do not have to worry ” is the cheat code most of us have. And the main reason for developing such a tendency are our employers. Though they allow employees to think creatively and motivate to do things accordingly, but will metaphorically bite people’s heads off if anything goes wrong. This propensity makes their employees work like robots who can just act upon commands.

Now even if the above-mentioned one is considered as a part of training and coaching, whenever any group or team problem arises, managers need to install few approaches and strategies to tackle it effectively. This would allow the employee to join in a group and work on it.

How to Strengthen Your Team’s Problem Solving Skills?

• Start working on team problem-solving by making smaller victories.
• Do not act with anger when you have failed
• Provide enough freedom to the employees for solving issues accordingly
• Set up high expectations
• Teach your group on how to frame problems
• Motivate the group to take extra expertise
• Motivate all the employees to form a group when solving team-related problems
• Celebrate accomplishments and success

Advantages of Team Problem Solving:

When it comes to problem-solving in a team, the organization heads prefer their best people to solve that issue. And while solving those issues the board of members or a team of people work on that particular issue and conclude with the best possible solution for an issue.

1. Better thinking:

During team problem-solving process, a person might think of certain solutions which can be used to solve such issue for a temporary basis. But in case of team problem-solving sessions a team or group of people will try to put in all their individual thinking in that particular matter so that they can get an answer and solution for their problem.

Therefore, team problem-solving techniques helps to conclude with a better solution with better thinking.

2. Better risk handling:

It might seem a bit confusing for people that when it comes to risk, more people can handle a higher amount of risk. And that is very true because when a group person tries to handle the severity of the risk, it is quite possible that they can grow better in their professional outputs.

Therefore, team problem-solving methods can increase the risk factor in a very positive manner and moreover because of such team problem-solving ability, one can create better growth.

3. Better communication:

Problems can be solved in a better way with proper communication between people. And when it comes to a team or a group of persons, then it is easy to understand that they can communicate better as compared to others.

Therefore, team problem-solving method increases communication and better understanding between a group of people and this ultimately helps to solve the issues as soon as possible.

4. Increases understanding:

As it is explained earlier that team problem-solving methods can increase better communication between people from the same group and apparently such behavior can lead them to build better understanding between teammates.

Therefore, such type of understanding can help all the people from the group and their problem-solving ability. Moreover, this can turn itself as one of the advantages for the sake of organization and their growth.

5. Increased number of solutions:

Most of the time while working in an organization whenever some sort of problem occurs, then the organization heads will consider their experienced employees to understand the problem and try to get the possible solution for such problems.

In this course of action, most of the people prefer their best working team to come with some best solution and that is why people and most of the companies prefer their team problem-solving abilities to look at the wide range of possible solution for a single issue.

6. Helps to increase the team’s potential:

There are some situations wherein which a person can face some uncertain situation in terms of their professional parameters, but at that point of time, that person needs to think wisely regarding the issue. And the level of thinking can increase the chances of his or her potential and ability in relation to a problem.

Similarly, when it comes to team problem solving, then it is quite clear that the level of problem-solving with the help of a team can definitely increase the chances of the team’s potential.

7. Higher commitment:

Most probably when a team or a group of people working on a project experiences some sort of professional problems, then it is the team’s responsibility to solve that problem as soon as possible. And eventually, the problem might possibly reach its end with the efforts of the team.

Therefore, at the end of every single issue solving process, the team presents its higher-level commitment towards the problem’s solution.

8. Reduces the possibility of bias:

When a team performs a job or a task, then the efforts that the team have indulged in that task or project would be mainly considered as a team effort than an individual person effort. And eventually, the organization will reduce their bias behaviour with certain employees of their company.

Therefore, it is definitely understandable that by involving team problem-solving technique the employee and employers of the company both can be comfortable with the working environment.

9. Greater productive output:

As it is definitely expected that when a company or an organization works with their team efforts, then the company or an organization can experience a greater amount of productive output in terms of their profit margin.

Therefore, involving in good problem-solving skills and techniques can be beneficial for both the company and its directors. And eventually, this increases the profit ratio of the company which can ultimately increase the growth of the company.

10. Encourages creative ideas:

As most of the team members working in a particular team will be equally provided a chance of presenting their own creative ideas while discussing something necessary for the welfare of the company. And in that process of creative ideas, a team baring potential employees can present their problem-solving ideas for the sake of the overall growth of the company.

Therefore, as it has been explained earlier that because of the team problem-solving behaviour, the company can benefit in terms of their profit margin as compared to the other company working in the same field.

Disadvantages of Team Problem Solving:

As compared to the advantages of team problem solving, the disadvantages can deliberately present the difference of opinion within the working behaviour of the team members.

1. Increased competition:

Most of the time while working in a team a person’s individual efforts can be ignored because of the team. And that is because every team maintains its own team leader and every time if that team achieves some sort of excellence, then it is quite clear that the team leader will be acknowledged first.

In this process of acknowledging, the team members can be left out and that eventually brings up competition within the members of the team.

2. Level of confirmation:

When it comes to confirmation of it regarding a certain task or project, a person needs to understand that it never helps if a person is involved in a group or is a member of a group.

Therefore, it is very much necessary for every single person that he or she should know more about these team problem-solving abilities. Moreover, team problem solving is capable of a distinguished level of conformity.

3. Lack of objective guidelines:

Most of the time it happens in the team working behaviour that all the objective direction need not be followed because of the team leaders direction. In a team working behaviour, it is clear to everyone that if a team needs to work according to the prescribed way, then they need to follow a certain type of objective direction.

That direction will not be available with the team problem-solving ability as the team leader leads all the decisions in the process.

4. Time constraints:

Because of the team problem-solving methods, a person might not think about or bother about its timing. And that is necessary to understand, clear out all the fogs in a way. Time constraints are one of the disadvantages in the team problem-solving ability and method that never depend upon the number of people in the group.

People think that if a single group have a maximum number of members, then time constraints will be eliminated.

5. Unequal participation:

It is not necessary that if a team or a group of a certain number of people are part of the group, then they need to participate in all types of work or task. Most of the time it happens such as a team member might be interested in being a part of something interesting, but the team doesn’t let him or her participate in such an event.

Similarly, this type of behaviour creates unequal participation within the group and which eventually grow into something big in terms of drift and loss.

6. Unwillingness to participate:

Most of the while being a part of a team or a group some member might not feel interested to participate in all sorts of events or task assigned to that particular group, but the actual truth is that such type of behaviour can bring up some sort of communal issue within the group.

Therefore, unwillingness to participate can be considered as a decision of a person who is a part of the group, but because of that individual decision, the whole team benefits some great loss.

7. Lack of team spirit:

Working in a team or a group takes a lot of team spirit, but some people totally lack behind in such type of criteria and because of that the team or a group damages its reputation.

And that is why a group must contain those members who are more than interested in the team working behaviour and its environment. Therefore, while choosing a member of a team, a team leader must consider the level of comfortability in the participant about being a team player.

Components of Effective Team Problem Solving:

There are certain components when it comes to team problem-solving methods. And those components bring up all sorts of solution to any type of team issues or problems. These components also help to improve problem-solving skills. Therefore, it is necessary to understand all those components first to go ahead with a solution without any understanding.

1. An undesirable situation:

It is a very common component in team problem solving and that is because a person might not experience any type of trouble or problem with the desirable situation. And these desirable situations, eliminate a process of problem-solving on its own without any extra efforts.

Therefore, while considering this undesirable situation component, a person needs to understand all things about undesirable objectives.

2. Desired situation:

Most of the time it is a contrasting behaviour that people might experience threatened with the desired situation and that is common for everyone. Because most of the time in a common daily life people face all sorts of people and all those people might not experience the same desired situation as one, and that is why it gets a little weird with the team problem-solving.

Therefore, it is very necessary to understand the desired situation as well in the team problem-solving ways.

3. The difference between the desired and undesired situation:

That is because of the team playing availabilities. Most probably while being a part of a team a person or a member need to understand a thin line between desired and undesired situation.

And it is very much necessary for all the team members to clear out all the doubts with the desired and undesired situation. Therefore, things which create a difference between desired and undesired need to solved by the team altogether.

Conclusion:

Finally, the bottom line is that here we have provided all the advantages and disadvantages of team problem solving along with its own components which brings up all the necessary study materials regarding team problem-solving activity. Therefore, if anyone is interested to understand more about team problem solving, then they can refer all the above-mentioned points to continue their study in the same field of work.

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What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses? (+ Example Answers)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

UPDATED 5/20/2022

When a hiring manager goes into an interview, they have one goal in mind: find the best possible candidate for the position. So how do they do this? By asking tough questions like, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

Interviewers want to see what happens when they rattle your cage and throw you off balance… which is why they love questions like this. Plus, it helps them learn more about how you view yourself and your capabilities, which is often enlightening.

Luckily, once you know how to answer “what are your strengths and weaknesses,” you can navigate the question like a pro. Here are some insights that can help, as well as some “what are your strengths” examples to get you headed in the right direction.

What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

At first, it might seem like a ridiculous question, but the strategy behind asking it is actually brilliant.   The interviewer is intentionally trying to get you to answer a question that is designed to trip you up. 

Do you notice how this question is essentially in two parts?

Don’t worry, we’ve got some strategies to help you turn a potential stumbling block into a launching pad of awesome!

Before we get into your strengths, let’s take a moment to talk about your weaknesses.

What is Your Greatest Weakness?

As we mentioned above, when asking about your strengths, a hiring manager will often also want to try and learn about your weaknesses. In reality, it is pretty rare for a hiring manager to ask you them together as one question, but you still need to be prepared in case this question comes up.

Generally speaking, you should prepare for these questions separately because each of them has unique characteristics and should be handled on its own.

However, these two questions will often be asked in a row as they’re obviously connected, so you need to prepare both!

MIKE'S TIP:

So in other words, focus on your weaknesses first!

Although this article focuses primarily on the way you should approach answering “what are your greatest strengths” question, we made sure to prepare a great article addressing how to answer the question “What are your weaknesses?”   Please click here to check it out .

Okay, without further ado, let’s talk about your strengths!

Preparing To Answer About Your Strengths

When you’re sitting down across from a hiring manager, you want to make sure you’re presenting yourself in the best possible way.

By preparing for this question ahead of time and outlining several possible answers, you’ll be in a much better position. You’ll have responses that not only cover the question but make you appear polished, well prepared, and confident.

So, let’s dive into what it takes to showcase your personal strengths in the best possible light.

How NOT To Answer “What Are Your Strengths?”

Let’s start out with what NOT to say when you get asked this question:

THE COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT ANSWER:

“Uh, wow. Well, for starters, I have a super good grip, so my mom has me open all her jars for her. Yeah, that’s a good strength. And I have a wicked backhand in tennis.”

If this were a dating interview and not a job interview, an answer like that might earn you some points, but unless you’re interviewing for a job at a jam factory or trying to work your way into a position as a tennis pro at the local club, your answer is irrelevant, confusing, and lets the interviewer know right away that you’re not prepared.

THE OVERLY AGGRESSIVE OR COCKY ANSWER

“I’m a leader with proven results, which means it’s my way or the highway.”

Are you applying for Mercenaries-R-Us? If not, it might be a good idea to tone it down.

THE STRENGTHS THAT JUST KEEP ON COMING

“Well, I’m smart, I’m funny, I’m a great team leader, I work well with others, I’m prompt, I’m focused, I pay attention to details, I’m grounded, I really appreciate hard work, I’m never late, I can work weekends, I’m super excited to be here, I’m motivated, I’m…”

Whoa! The hiring manager isn’t asking you for thirty adjectives to describe yourself. Instead, a hiring manager wants to hear one or two… maybe three (absolute tops) qualities about you that you consider a strength.

THE ‘IT’S ALL ABOUT ME’ ANSWER

“Um, well, I’m super funny and smart, and all my friends say I’ve got a great attitude and I’m really easy to talk to.”

Although the interviewer IS interested in getting to know you better, this is not the question to answer with all-about-you information.  

THE STRENGTH THAT’S ACTUALLY A WEAKNESS ANSWER

“I’m a total workaholic. If I’m on a project, I’m going to make sure to stick with it to the bitter, bloody end.”

Although this might sound like a strength, it’s actually a weakness in disguise! By telling your employer that, you’re letting them know you lack self-reflection. It also comes across as smarmy, which is never good.

Also remember, this is just one question the hiring manager could ask you in your interview! That’s why we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview.

Click below to get your free PDF now:

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FREE BONUS PDF CHEAT SHEET: Get our " Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet " that gives you " word-word sample answers to the most common job interview questions you'll face at your next interview .

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How To Answer “What Are Your Strengths?”

Now that you know how not to answer the “what are your strengths?” question, it’s time to talk about the correct approach. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to answer “what are your strengths?”

Do Some Research

Ideally, you want to discuss a strength that aligns with the job and the company’s needs. By reviewing the job description, digging into the company values, and taking other steps, you can find out which strengths match its priorities.

Tailor Your Answer

Once you research the company and role, it’s time to create the foundation for a tailored answer. Choose one to three strengths that you possess that match the job and company’s needs, using those as a starting point for your response.

Match It with a Story

In the world of job interviews, it’s better to show than to tell. Make sure you have practical examples and success stories from your past that support your claims. That way, your answer is more likely to impress.

“What Are Your Strengths?” Example Answers

Now that you know how to answer what you’re your strengths, it’s time to take the next step. Here are a few example answers that can serve as inspiration:

Problem-Solving

“I’m a problem solver. I love taking a problem and looking at it from every angle. I enjoy work that challenges me and pushes me to think outside the box and situations where I am allowed to work with other people to come up with creative solutions.

“At my last company, we were asked to come up with ways to increase our workflow without decreasing our accuracy. By really analyzing what every department was doing and finding ways to work together more efficiently, I was able to not only streamline the process but made it possible for us to beat our previous deadline by three days with a superior product as an end result.”

“I’ve always been known for my work ethic. I am committed to meeting deadlines and taking responsibility for the quality of my performance.

“A few months ago, I was working with a client who had us on a tight deadline. There was a mix-up in the delivery of some key paperwork, and it didn’t get to our office until closing the night before the deadline. Rather than go home and ignore the problem, I stayed late and finished the project, making sure that our deadline was not only met but that the report was accurate.”

Interpersonal Skills

“I’m a people person. As a customer service rep for the past five years, I’ve learned how to deal with a wide variety of personalities. I enjoy handling tough cases that give me a chance to problem solve, interacting with the public, and outreach.

“Two summers ago, I was lucky enough to be a part of the Black Friday crew. A lot of other employees found it stressful and didn’t enjoy it, but I really found that I loved the excitement and the rush of having so many people come through so quickly. Not only was I constantly engaged, but I was able to provide one on one shopping assistance to a few last-minute gift buyers. Not only did I have a great time, but my team had the highest receipts for the entire weekend! It felt great.”

Communication

“My greatest strength is my communication skills. During my time in tech roles, I’ve frequently had to take complex concepts and make them accessible to users and stakeholders without technology backgrounds. This allowed me to develop reliable techniques for ensuring clarity, making it easier for anyone to follow critical discussions.

“One example of that involved an upcoming presentation. We needed approval to shift to a new MDM, as our current option was getting shut down in the coming months. As I researched the proposed system, I found ways to highlight the features in accessible ways, eliminating all jargon to ensure that everyone felt fully informed.”

Emotional Intelligence

“My emotional intelligence is easily one of my greatest strengths. I have an easy time putting myself in other people’s shoes, allowing me to understand conflicts and situations from their perspectives.

“In my last role, working in a call center, this was particularly beneficial. I picked up a call where the customer was noticeably frustrated, to the point of using curse words and insults during the conversation.

“While I was taken aback, I knew there had to be a reason. I relied on my active listening skills to dive into the root of the issue and quickly determined that the customer hadn’t felt heard in their past discussions, preventing them from getting a solution to their issue, even after multiple calls. Since I took the time to really understand their perspective, I was able to find the problem and resolve their issue to their satisfaction.”

“Overall, teamwork is my biggest strength. I’m comfortable enough to adjust my approach based on the scenario at hand, allowing me to be an effective team member in a variety of situations.

“For example, in my last position, I was a member of several project teams. While I enjoy opportunities to take the reins, I understand that there are occasions when another person has more expertise, making them more suitable for that role. When that occurs, I focus on offering my support, ensuring they have access to my knowledge and skills and are able to successfully pursue collective goals.

“Ultimately, it isn’t about always being in the spotlight; it’s about doing what’s best for the team. In that regard, I genuinely shine.”

Examples of Strengths You Can Use

If you’re still struggling for good strengths for a job interview, consider trying to fit one to three of these examples of strengths into your answers. They’re valuable in many roles, making them solid starting points.

Many of the skills below are soft skills. Along with applying to most roles, employers are increasingly seeking employees with critical soft skills . As a result, they can be smart capabilities to highlight.

Just make sure you only use this list of strengths as a guide, as what you choose does have to apply to you. While an estimated 78 percent of candidates lie on their resumes, getting caught comes with serious consequences. Along with missing out on the job, you could get blackballed by the company. Plus, the hiring manager might tell their network, hurting your broader reputation.

Additionally, focus on the examples of strengths that fit the job description and company priorities, increasing the odds that the ones you share resonate with the hiring manager:

NOTE: Check out our “ list of strengths article ” for more examples!

• Solid Leadership skills
• Solid Management skills
• Willingness to take on responsibilities
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Determination
• Problem Solver
• Clear attention to details
• Quick Learner
• Strong People Skills
• Team Player
• Able to work independently
• Hard Working

No matter what skill you decide to highlight in your answer, just make sure that it’s applicable to the job and the company and that you have a truthful and solid example to back it up. 

And finally, if you’re still running into walls and can’t come up with something good, ask your co-workers what they think your strengths are.   You might be surprised what they say and not realize something you take for granted or do without thinking is actually a valuable strength!

And as always…Good luck!

FREE : "What Are Your Strengths & Weaknesses" PDF CHEAT SHEET

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In it you'll get word-for-word sample answers that cover various scenarios and positions. Use them in your next interview!

PLUS the DO'S & DON'TS so you don't fall into any of the common traps associated with this question.

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Problem-Solving Theory: The Task-Centred Model

• Living reference work entry
• First Online: 12 April 2022
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Blanca M. Ramos 5 &
• Randall L. Stetson 6  

Part of the book series: Social Work ((SOWO))

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This chapter examines the task-centred model to illustrate the application of problem-solving theory for social work intervention. First, it provides a brief description of the problem-solving model. Its historical development and key principles and concepts are presented. Next, the chapter offers a general overview of the crisis intervention model. The task-centred model and crisis intervention share principles and methods drawn from problem-solving theory. The remainder of the chapter focuses on the task-centred model. It reviews its historical background, viability as a framework for social work generalist practice, as well as its applicability with diverse client populations and across cultural settings. The structured steps that guide task-centred implementation throughout the helping process are described. A brief critical review of the model’s strengths and limitations is provided. The chapter concludes with a brief summary and some closing thoughts.

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Ramos, B.M., Stetson, R.L. (2022). Problem-Solving Theory: The Task-Centred Model. In: Hölscher, D., Hugman, R., McAuliffe, D. (eds) Social Work Theory and Ethics. Social Work. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3059-0_9-1

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Received : 24 December 2021

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Published : 12 April 2022

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The Problem with Being a Problem Solver

Most web developers are problem solvers. It’s in our nature. We enjoy confronting a problem and cobbling together the technology that provides a solution. The problem with being a problem solver is that sometimes our drive to find a solution makes us lose sight of the ultimate goal.

See if this situation sounds familiar…

You’re working on a web project and you’re having fits with an ecommerce plugin. It’s supposed to do one thing and it’s doing another. You’ve tinkered, you’ve tweaked, but nothing you do has fixed the issue. So you google, and you try something – and it doesn’t work. You google again, and you try something else – and that doesn’t work. This process continues for hours until finally a piece of magic code solves the problem.

Your greatest weakness is your greatest strength taken to an extreme.

Now here’s where our nature as problem solvers becomes a problem in itself. When we finally find that magic code snippet, we’re thrilled. We celebrate. We pat ourselves on the back for a job well done and leave our desks with a feeling of immense accomplishment… when in fact we are unintentionally reinforcing a poisonous productivity habit.

Someone has said that your greatest weakness is your greatest strength taken to an extreme. Being a problem solver is no different. We love to solve problems so much that we don’t want to face a simple fact…

You don’t have to be the one to solve the problem.

Really, you don’t. As a matter of fact, insisting on being the problem solver can actually be a huge detriment to your business. Consider the scenario above. Wasting hours solving a small problem will kill your productivity.

Let’s say that your hourly rate is $100 an hour. If you spend 4 hours solving a niggling little problem, that answer just cost you $400. Was it really worth that much?

Yes, I realize that the problem certainly needed to be solved, but it’s likely you could have found the answer cheaper than what you paid with your investment of time (you need to view your time this way if you don’t already).

Solving the Problem Solver’s Problem

There comes a point when we hit a wall and it would be wiser to surrender the problem to someone with more expertise than we have.

As problem solvers we need to be honest with ourselves. There comes a point when we hit a wall and it would be wiser to surrender the problem to someone with more expertise than we have. That means having resources to turn to for quick answers when we need them.  None of us are proficient at every aspect of web development. It’s impossible. But all of us should have a short list of problem solvers who have the skills that we don’t.

Instead of spending four hours trying to solve a problem in the scenario above, what if you stopped about 20 minutes in and realized that you hit a wall. Instead of trudging ahead and wasting hours, you Skype your programmer friend who knows exactly what to do and fixes the issue in about 15 minutes. Say that programmer charges $150 an hour. The answer just cost you $75 instead of $400.

Now say that instead of going to a $150/hour programmer, you locate a few providers on Fiverr (or some other freelancer marketplace) who specialize in the ecommerce plugin that is driving you mad. You send a message to several of them describing the issue and asking for a quote. One comes back to you with a price of $25 (which is very realistic in this scenario).  Now your answer costs you just $25 instead of $400. See how this works?

Getting More Productive

Problem solvers don’t always have to solve the problems. Sometimes we just need to know the best way to find the answer.

Of course, this issue isn’t just about touching code. Maybe you’re great at that. But all of us have areas where we might have some competence, but not expertise. And as a result, we end up wasting time that would be more productively invested some place else.

What is your place of greatest expertise and what are the areas where you would be better served to hand things off?

How much productivity would you save if you self-imposed a 20-minute time limit to solve a problem before you outsource to an expert?

[takeaway]You don’t have to solve every problem. Be honest with yourself when you hit a wall. Set a time limit, and once you hit it, hand off the problem to an expert.[/takeaway]

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• Interview Questions & Answers

What Are Your Strengths (and Weaknesses): Example Answers + Bonus Tips

Confession time.

Years ago, I landed an interview at a company I really wanted to work for. But I blew it.

The worst part came when they asked me “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” I started rambling and didn’t really answer the question at all.

Luckily, I learned from my mistakes. And so can you — so that you won’t have to make your own ones.

To best answer “What are your strengths:”

• Choose strengths relevant to the job (e.g. quantifiable accomplishments, formal education)
• Talk about unique hard skills that make you a good fit (e.g. platform knowledge)
• Don’t shy away from soft skills (e.g. communication, problem-solving, attention to detail)
• Provide examples of specific situations when you displayed your strengths

In this article, you’ll discover:

• Why interviewers ask “what are your strengths” and “what are your strengths and weaknesses”
• How to answer “what are your strengths” and “what are your strengths and weaknesses”
• Examples of typical strengths and weaknesses you can mention

Want to get an offer after every interview? Our interview prep tool will guide you through all the questions you can expect, let you record and analyze your answers, and provide instant AI feedback. You’ll know exactly what to improve to turn your next interview into a job.

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Why Interviewers Ask “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses”

Interviewers ask “What are your strengths” in order to:

Assess whether you have the necessary skills for the job

It’s an indicator of how much time you’ll spend on onboarding and how quickly you can start contributing to the company.

Evaluate whether you’ll fit in with the team

Your strengths could make you a perfect fit with your team and help the entire team level up.

Identify if there’s space for development and growth

This way, they can set development plans for you and see if your affinities fit in with their plan for this role.

On the other hand, they ask “What are your weaknesses” so that they can:

Assess your level of self-awareness

Recruiters want to check the extent to which you know yourself, and if you’re trying to improve.

Evaluate how you handle challenges and failures

If you can admit your weaknesses and if you’re working on overcoming them, it’ll show recruiters you’re open to continuous learning.

Identify areas in which you might need support and training

They might ask you this question in order to create a plan for your onboarding, training, and career development.

Finally, recruiters may combine these two questions and ask you, “what are your strengths and weaknesses?”

They want to give you more space for putting your strong and weak sides into context. It’ll give them a realistic picture of your experience and skills.

The question will allow you to explain why a certain strength is particularly important and why a specific weakness is not a dealbreaker.

See our dedicated guides on how to tackle other common job interview questions:

• Why should we hire you?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Tell me about yourself
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What’s your greatest weakness?

“Typical” Strengths Examples to Mention in an Interview

Here are some common (and good) strengths you can mention next time they ask you “What is your biggest strength” or “What are your strengths”?

• Problem-solving 
• Communication 
• Critical thinking
• Time and task management
• Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills
• Analytical thinking
• Reliability
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Determination
• Working well under pressure
• Open to feedback
• Emotional intelligence

Experience-related strengths

Everyone has their own path. Let this play in your favor. You probably have a unique experience (life + work) that helped you hone certain skills.

For example, if you don’t have any work experience yet, but you used to spend entire summers at your grandparents’ countryside farm, you probably learned a thing or two. You helped out with the work, got up early in the morning, and developed strong discipline and time and task management. These are lovely transferable skills you can use in every aspect of life — and you can mention them to gain an advantage over other people during the interview (plus, it would be a great story to break the ice and display your personality).

Here are additional examples:

• The work ethic you developed in your boring first job ages ago
• The empathy you gained when you had to navigate a major layoff
• Organizational skills you developed when you volunteered to help with organizing a team-building event
• Self-startedness you mastered when you built your mom’s hand-made accessories Instagram store from scratch

Skills learned on-the-job

Skills learned in your previous positions are probably your strongest assets. These are often hard skills closely related to the industry you are in and what the company you applied for is hoping to achieve.

These skills can be:

• Knowledge of an app/platform (WordPress, Ahrefs, Salesforce, Adobe, Klaviyo, etc.)
• Knowledge of programming languages (Javascript, CSS, etc.)
• Payment processing
• Workflow development (sequential, state machine, rules-driven, etc.)
• Project management (Agile, Scrum, Lean, Kanban, etc.)
• Writing long-form or short-form content (email sequences, articles, blogs, case studies, SMS marketing, landing pages, etc.) SEO knowledge
• Google ads/LinkedIn ads

Formal education

You can highlight a degree or even experience related to your formal education such as:

• Relevant coursework
• Relevant practical exams
• Debate club
• Volunteering
• Extracurricular activities

Soft skills relevant to the position

There’s plenty to choose from, but make sure the soft skills are actually relevant to the position you’re applying for.

You can identify these by asking yourself: what are some traits and skills that complement the key hard skills that make me a good fit for this job? And will they make my life at work easier?

If you’re applying for an HR position, you’ll need to have outstanding interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.

Cashier? You’ll need to be a communicative and quick thinker.

Nurse? Emphatic and quick on your feet.

Most common soft skills are:

• Communication skills
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Stress management
• Attention to detail
• Work ethics
• Goal setting and prioritizing

How to Answer “What Are Your Strengths?”

Here’s how to craft your answer to this question.

1. Choose strengths relevant to the job

Choose and mention only the skills that are relevant to the position.

For this, you’ll need to study the job description, find out more about the company, and potentially speak to someone from the company who works in the same or similar position.

Applying for a project manager position? You’ll need to mention your superb time and task management, people skills, conflict resolution, critical thinking, thinking several steps ahead, and similar.

Content writer? Superb writing and solid SEO skills, friendly and open to feedback, and great attention to detail.

Sales representative? Communication skills, persuasive speaking and writing, friendly, quick thinking, helpful.

Cashier? Friendly, efficient, interpersonal skills, good with money, patient.

Nurse? Experience with ICU/ER (whatever hard skill), people skills, compassion, patience, quick thinking, and nurturing.

You get the drill.

What are your strengths: Sample answer

2. talk about unique hard skills that make you a good fit.

There must be a key hard skill needed for that position you applied for. If you possess it, you need to emphasize it during the interview.

Talk about the background, how and when you acquired the skill, what it helped you achieve, maybe single out the biggest accomplishment, etc.

Pro tip: pair one or two key hard skills with several soft skills that complement them. It’ll put them into context and give recruiters more insight into your experience and personality.

3. Don’t shy away from soft skills

Some candidates don’t want to mention soft skills because they think everyone has them, or they’re too general.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Soft skills say a lot about your personality and as we already said, complement hard skills wonderfully.

For example, you can be a superb medical worker with tons of knowledge and experience. But if you’re not emphatic and if you don’t know how to communicate with sick people’s families and your own coworkers, it can all go to waste. You’ll be remembered as a rude person, difficult to work with.

Don’t underestimate the power of soft skills.

4. Provide examples

In order to make your strengths impactful and memorable, provide examples for each.

It can be a short story about how you acquired a certain skill, how you behaved in a certain situation, or how you achieved certain goals and results.

Anything that will put the skills into context and show how they make you a valuable asset will do! (If you look at the samples above, you’ll see they contain examples and details to prove their point.)

To get more details about learning how to talk about your strengths, click here .

Examples of Typical Weaknesses to Mention

First of all, avoid listing weaknesses such as perfectionism and the tendency to take on too much work. They’re overused, not honest, and (debatably) not actual weaknesses.

Mention your real weaknesses, and make sure you say what you’re currently doing to improve in those areas (it shows awareness and action).

It might happen that the weakness you mention can actually harm your chances of being successful in that job. If you successfully cover it up (which is not likely), you’ll end up burned out, underperforming, and hating your day-to-day. This is why it’s important to be genuine and transparent when talking about weaknesses, both for your own sake and for the employer.

Some of the typical weaknesses you can mention are:

• Getting overwhelmed easily
• Being prone to insecurity or self-doubt
• Lacking presentation skills
• Lacking numbers/analytical skills
• Lacking knowledge of a particular platform
• Lacking industry-related knowledge (SEO, email deliverability, etc.)
• Being introverted
• Being extroverted

Not  entirely  happy with how many interviews you’re scoring?  Maybe it’s time to revamp your resume. These guides will be a good starting point:

• How to Write a Resume
• Resume Formatting Basics  
• Resume Summary Examples
• Resume Objective Examples
• Resume Profile: What It Is & How to Write It
• How to Describe Your Work Experience on a Resume
• How to Create an Education Section on a Resume
• The Best Skills for a Resume
• How to Describe Hobbies and Interests on a Resume

How to Answer Questions About Weaknesses

And here’s how to tackle the weaknesses too, in case the recruiters ask you “What are your strengths and weaknesses”.

(FYI, we have a separate guide on answering the stand-alone question “ What is your greatest weakness ”).

As we already mentioned, don’t try to present strengths (or what looks like strengths) disguised as weaknesses.

“Oh, I work too much.”

“I’m so dedicated that I often lose a sense of time and ignore my personal life.”

“I’m a huge perfectionist.”

All bad answers. You’re purposefully trying to look good. (Plus, if a company actually considers these “strengths”, they probably have a toxic work environment and you should run for the hills.)

Mention things you really consider yourself less-than-perfect at. Try not to sabotage your reasonable chances of getting that job (“I hate people and have a tendency to drink at work”), but don’t try to disguise actual strengths as weaknesses, you’ll come across as pretentious.

Talk about improvement plans

For every weakness you list, it’s best to talk about what you’re doing to improve them.

It will show you’re self-aware and actionable, as you’re actively taking steps to improve yourself.

Let’s revisit the typical weaknesses we mentioned a few chapters earlier and see what you can add to each.

• Getting overwhelmed easily ( but you’re learning breathing and meditation exercises you apply every time you get overwhelmed at work)
• Being prone to insecurity or self-doubt ( but you’re working on accepting your good and bad sides equally; nobody’s perfect)
• Lacking presentation skills ( but you’re throwing yourself into the fire and you volunteer to give a presentation every time you can)
• Lacking numbers/analytical skills ( but you’re regularly making time to go into Google Analytics and dig around)
• Lacking knowledge of a particular platform ( but you took the course on Udemy/asked an expert to help you out)
• Lacking SEO knowledge ( but you’re currently devouring Ahref’s blog posts and speaking to an expert from your company)
• Being introverted ( but you’re making yourself step up and voice your opinions on meetings)
• Being extroverted ( but you’re making a conscious effort to tone it down, let others speak more, ask for others’ options, etc.)

Pro tip: If applicable, explain how a particular strength of yours can outweigh a weakness. You can also try to place it within the framework of your team and show how you complement your coworkers and make up for things you lack.

For example, if you’re not a natural-born public speaker, you won’t run workshops for junior teammates. It’s your weakness. But your strength is writing, so you can participate in the onboarding process by creating documentation and detailed manuals.

For a bunch of additional tips on how to talk about your strengths, sell yourself in an interview, negotiate, and land your dream job, get our free course here !

Remember my disastrous interview experience from the intro? Well, it was all because of the lack of practice. If I had taken the time to at least draft ideas for answering interview questions on paper, I would have done a lot better.

At the time, I thought preparing for interviews was a waste of time. After all, I know how to talk about myself, right? Well, I was wrong.

It was when I started using Big Interview that I realized just how important preparing in advance is.

I remember that I started by watching the “What are your strengths” video to try and figure out the reasons why I failed to answer it.

Then I record myself answering questions and did a self-assessment (but there’s also the option to send the recording to a friend to ask for their opinion). The Mock Practice tool provides awesome feedback too, so I didn’t have to bother people around me.

Whatever you choose, it’s good, as long as you’re preparing beforehand.

Additional Sample Answers to “What Are Your Strengths?”

Below are a few videos for common job positions. Each of them answers the question “What Are Your Strengths?” We hope they’ll get you inspired and craft your own answer to the question.

Sample answer for a Technology Team Lead

Sample answer for a Data Analyst

Sample answer for a Head of Marketing

Sample answer for a Medical Doctor

These were examples for answering “What are your strengths” — but if you want to discover additional common questions recruiters ask during interviews (and how to answer them), check out Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them . 

Summary of the Main Points

• “What are your strengths” is a question you’re likely to hear in every job interview. But recruiters also want to know about the combination of your strengths and weaknesses, so they may ask “What are your strengths and weaknesses”
• Recruiters want to know if you know yourself, if you’re a culture fit, if there are things you can improve, and how you handle challenges
• Mention strengths you gained through experience, on your current job, during formal education, or soft skills which are a part of your personality
• Be honest when speaking about your strengths and weaknesses
• Choose skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for
• Provide examples and stories for each strength
• For each weakness, say what you’re doing to improve it

____________________

Need a hand? There are 3 ways we can help you:

• Don’t know how to talk about yourself? Learn how to succinctly answer the “Tell me about yourself” question.
• Tired of interviewing and not landing the job? Discover actionable lessons and interview practice here (Rated with 4.9/5 by 1,000,000 users).
• Use our new Resume AI tool to instantly improve your resume and start landing more offers.

What are some typical examples of strengths employers want to hear about?

Here are some common strengths employers like to hear:

• Strong communication skills: demonstrating your ability to effectively listen, communicate ideas, and work well with others.
• Problem-solving: highlight your ability to analyze different situations and come up with workable solutions.
• Adaptability: emphasize your capacity to adapt and adjust to changing landscapes and priorities.
• Leadership: showcase your ability to motivate, guide, and support others to fulfill their potential.
• Teamwork: exhibit your ability to work collaboratively to achieve shared goals.
• Time management: indicate your aptitude for organizing responsibilities, meeting deadlines, and prioritizing tasks.

What 3 strengths are the most important in the workplace?

The top three strengths that are crucial in the workplace include:

• Communication skills: As they foster collaboration, idea-sharing, and efficient work processes.
• Problem-solving: Because it helps tackle challenges and find innovative solutions.
• Adaptability: As it enables you to adjust to new situations and contribute effectively.

Should I focus on my traits, skills, or achievements?

Focus on your skills and achievements, as they provide tangible evidence of your capabilities. Highlight transferable skills that are relevant to the position, and back them up with specific accomplishments to showcase their real-world impact.

What if I don’t have any unique strengths, just do my job well, in general?

Even if your strengths seem generic, they can still be beneficial. Focus on how you’ve consistently demonstrated your strengths in job-related scenarios, and provide examples of your reliability and commitment to producing high-quality work.

When asked about strengths, should I also talk about weaknesses?

Don’t discuss weaknesses when asked about strengths. It may divert attention from your positive attributes. Listen to the question carefully, and focus on highlighting your strengths with specific examples. You can address weaknesses later if explicitly asked by the interviewer.

What strengths should fresh graduates or people with no experience mention?

Fresh graduates or those with no experience should mention strengths such as:

• Quick learning ability: demonstrate your ability to learn and integrate new information quickly from coursework, projects, or internships.
• Initiative: show examples of taking initiative in group projects or extracurricular activities to emphasize your self-starting capabilities.
• Teamwork: showcase your experience working in groups or teams in coursework or volunteer work to demonstrate collaborative skills.

How should you talk about strengths without sounding too arrogant?

To discuss strengths without sounding arrogant:

• Be genuine: speak honestly about your strengths and provide concrete examples instead of exaggerating or sounding self-aggrandizing.
• Stay relevant: focus on strengths that specifically relate to the role you’re applying for, showing that you know which skills are critical for success.
• Balance confidence and humility: express confidence in your capabilities, but also convey openness to learning and improving in your new position.

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Strengths, weaknesses of students’ math abilities

Each year, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction analyzes where students, as a group, have trouble in math on the WASL. Here's a sampling from...

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Each year, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction analyzes where students, as a group, have trouble in math on the WASL. Here’s a sampling from this year’s analysis: FOURTH GRADE Strengths: • Algebraic sense, such as understanding how to write an equation to determine how many barrettes two girls have, if one has four in her hair and another has three. • Locating points on a grid, recognizing reflections and lines of symmetry (geometric sense). • Converting minutes to hours, or minutes to seconds, or hours to minutes. Weaknesses: • Understanding relative values of whole numbers and fractions, such as knowing that 36,700 is less than 37,600, and determining what’s larger: 2/3 or 3/5. • Comparing and interpreting information in a chart. • Organizing data for a given purpose, such as in a chart, or to support a point of view. SEVENTH GRADE Strengths: • Explaining or describing mathematical information. • Solving single-variable, one- and two-step equations. • Identifying what information is needed, and what isn’t, to solve a problem. Weaknesses: • Figuring out a method to solve a problem and justifying the results. • Determining percents. • Taking data that’s in one form and putting it in another, such as making a chart or graph. 10TH GRADE Strengths: • Understanding ratio, percent, proportion. • Ability to interpret tables and graphs. • Converting units of measurement. Weaknesses: • Analyzing complex information in a table or chart to draw conclusions about what the data say. • “Great” difficulty figuring out how perimeter, area, surface area or volume changes when, for example, the side of a rectangle changes. Confusing circumference of circle with area of circle. • Determining the number of possible outcomes in a probability question. Source: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Strengths and weaknesses of cooperative and problem-based learning

• Research Summary

• Character |
• Collaboration |
• Developing effective learners |
• Motivation |
• Project-based learning |
• Promoting good progress |
• Research Engagement |
• Research methods |
• Self-directed learning

Original research by:

Ghufron MA and Ermawati S (2018) The Strengths and Weaknesses of Cooperative Learning and Problem-based Learning in EFL Writing Class: Teachers and Students’ Perspectives. International Journal of Instruction 11(4): 657-672.

Introduction

This research explored the strengths and weaknesses of both cooperative learning and problem-based learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classes. I was drawn to this paper as I am interested in student-centred teaching methods and wanted to know more about the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches discussed in this paper.

What is the research underpinning the study?

Cooperative learning (CL) is where students learn by completing tasks collaboratively in small groups. Project-based learning (PBL) on the other hand, is where students acquire knowledge and skills by solving real-life problems with their peers.

How did they conduct the research?

The researchers used a mixed-method case study design to conduct the research. The research was carried out at a teacher training and education institute, and involved 60 university students and two teachers. Rather than designing a specific CL and PBL intervention, the researchers claim that both approaches were already used in the EFL writing classes at the university.

The researchers gathered data in a number of ways, including: participant observations to evaluate current CL and PBL practices in EFL writing; in-depth interviews with teachers and students to understand students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the practices; and a student questionnaire to evaluate the implementation of CL and PBL. Once gathered, the data was analysed, coded and themed into key findings.

What were the key findings?

The implementation of cl and pbl.

The researchers observed two classes – one which used CL and the other, PBL – over the course of two weeks. The common strengths that emerged from these observations were students’ active participation, their motivation to learn, social interaction (which reduced nervousness), and increased responsibility for their own learning.

Researchers also observed weaknesses including: teachers having difficulty organising the class into well-balanced groups; limited implementation time for both CL and PBL; and with PBL, some students were unclear as to what they should do.

Strengths of CL and PBL

The responses to the interviews from the teachers suggests that CL raises students’ self-confidence and motivation, reduces their nervousness, increases responsibility over their learning, and makes it easier for them to learn. As for PBL, the authors maintain that the strengths included the development of students’ problem-solving skills, self-directed learning skills, self-confidence and motivation.

The researchers also note that PBL resulted in students being more active in their learning, sharing and exchanging ideas, as well as an increased positive attitude. Similarly, the results from the student questionnaires revealed that students thought that both CL and PBL could promote self-confidence and motivation, reduce nervousness, and increase their responsibility in learning.

Weaknesses of CL and PBL

Based on the results from the interviews and questionnaire, the authors suggest that one of the main challenges with both CL and PBL is that it needs much more time to be implemented properly and can be difficult to manage. It can also be difficult to choose balanced groups that work well together. Furthermore, CL and PBL learning can be confusing for some students as they are unclear as to what is being asked of them.

What are the limitations of this study?

• The main limitation of this study is the small sample size, which only focused on EFL writing classes. It would be interesting to see how CL and PBL compared with other subjects.
• The research was conducted at university so it is difficult to make any generalisations as to how the findings might apply in other phases.
• Both CL and PBL are common practices at the university, so the teachers being interviewed may be more likely to view the approaches favourably.

Impact on practice

What ideas might you adopt for your own classroom from the research?

Try to explore ways in which CL and PBL can be used alongside other pedagogical approaches, especially as a way of developing students’ motivation and self-confidence. This would, of course, have to be carefully managed and implemented.

What questions does the research raise for teachers?

• What do other research studies suggest about the effectiveness of using CL and PBL approaches in the classroom?
• What are the alternatives to CL and PBL and are they more desirable in the classroom?
• Do the strengths of using CL and/ or PBL outweigh the weaknesses?
• How can CL and PBL be used in other phases and disciplines? Might it be more effective in some subjects compared with others?
• If deciding to use either CL or PBL approaches, how can you ensure that the students have fully understood what is required of them?

Further reading:

Cole KS (2012) Promoting cooperative learning in an expository writing course. Journal of International Education Research -Second Quarter 8(2): 113–124.

Iswandari DC (2017) Effect of environmental problem-based learning on the Indonesian EFL students’ environment-related vocabulary mastery and writing ability. Theory and Practice in Language Studies 7(8): 608–616.

Ribeiro LRC (2011) The pros and cons of problem-based learning from the teacher’s standpoint. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice 8(1).

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10 Examples of Strengths and Weaknesses for Job Interviews

Learn how to answer the question, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” in a job interview.

It is very common for hiring managers to ask about your strengths and weaknesses during a job interview. Like any question, your response holds weight. An interview’s purpose is to evaluate your ability to get the job done. Think of this as an opportunity to highlight your positive qualities and demonstrate a growth mindset.

Everybody has both strengths and weaknesses. Answering this question gives you the opportunity to provide a contextual example of how you use your strengths to shine and how you work to improve any weaknesses that are relevant to the role. 

This article explains why interviewers ask this question, lists examples of strengths and weaknesses, and offers suggestions to help you answer wisely.

Why interviewers ask about strengths and weaknesses

This common question is a helpful tool for interviewers to understand your personality and working style. When hiring managers ask about your strengths and weaknesses, they evaluate a few things:

How you conduct a self-assessment

Whether you are aware of your positive traits and how you use them in the workplace

Whether you can address your weaknesses and how you’ve worked to improve them

How your skills and traits will balance out those of current team members

Read more: 15 Insightful Questions to Ask a Hiring Manager During Your Next Interview

Strategies for talking about strengths

It may be helpful to first reflect on this question from the hiring manager’s perspective. What qualities or competencies are they looking for in this specific role? Consider how you can leverage your strengths to align with a key competency of the job description.

For your strengths, be confident. Don't be afraid to brag a little. This is your chance to highlight what makes you such a great fit for the job. Mention one or two top strengths, and provide examples of how you’ve used them in the workplace. If you can back this up with measurable results, even better. Reflect on these two questions as you formulate your answer:

Why are you good at X?

How does X help you at work?

Here is a sample structure for a response:

I am [STRENGTH]. I learned this through [HOW YOU DEVELOPED STRENGTH], and this allowed me to [IMPACT of STRENGTH] at my current/previous job/experience.

Read more: Interviewing Skills to Benefit Your Career

When you approach this question, think about the positive qualities you embody and the skills you possess that serve you well in the workplace. Here is a list of strengths to consider: 

Entrepreneurial

Detail-oriented

Collaborative

Problem solver

Leadership skills

Team player

Writing skills

Expert in a particular skill or software

Read more: What Are Interpersonal Skills? And How to Strengthen Them

Sample responses to “What are your strengths?”

These examples can give you an idea of the type of structured response. They demonstrate that you are confident of this strength and that you will use it to succeed in this specific role.

1. Collaborative

I am very collaborative. I’ve always enjoyed working on teams and it is one of my strongest attributes. In my previous job as a marketing research analyst, I led a project that involved diverse stakeholders, focus groups, and extensive field research, which taught me about my ability to inspire others in stressful situations. The client used our insights to create a sustainable (both environmentally and financially) product.

2. Technical know-how

I love staying up-to-date with trends in the tech industry. From my current role, I know the ins and outs of SAP very well, so I can anticipate problems before they arise. I get excited about tinkering around with gadgets in my personal life, and this trait has come in handy in the workplace when I get to know a piece of software or program intimately.

3. Detail-oriented

As a content creator, I love brainstorming new approaches to reach our consumers. But I am most known for my attention to detail. I care a lot about word choice because I believe that precise language can transform a piece from good to great (and I never miss a deadline). My blogs and articles consistently perform well and reach the top of Google searches. 

4. Positive attitude

My positive attitude is definitely one of my strengths. I have been a restaurant server, a tutor, and a health aide in the past decade, all jobs that require plenty of energy and endurance. I can view a situation from multiple perspectives and empathize with my customers, students, and patients to understand their needs at any given time.

5. Solving problems

I am a solutions-oriented person and a quick learner. In my role as an electrical engineer, I learned to perform well under pressure when designing equipment because our team would not be able to win a contract unless we produced the blueprints quickly, with as few resources as possible. In these circumstances, I am not afraid to ask questions to figure out the challenge. I do extensive research for every client, so I can be extra prepared.

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Strategies for talking about weaknesses

We all have weaknesses—that's just a part of being human. But your capacity to recognize a weakness and work toward improvement can actually be a strength. The key to talking about your weaknesses is to pair self-awareness with an action and a result:

What's the weakness?

What have you been doing to improve?

How has that improvement had a positive impact on your work?

Variations of the weaknesses question

Your interviewer may approach this question in different ways, so you’ll want to be prepared for the possibilities. Variations might include:

• What would your current manager/colleagues say is your biggest weakness?

• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

• How do you bounce back from mistakes?

• What areas in your career do you feel you could improve?

Explaining that you are aware of a particular weakness and have taken steps to improve is a sign of maturity and drive that is attractive to employers. Here is a sample structure for a response:

I used to have trouble with [WEAKNESS]. I've been working to address this by [ACTION] and I realized I was improving because [IMPACT].

Read more: How to Describe Your Weaknesses in a Job Interview

When preparing to discuss your weaknesses, choose one that gives you the chance to demonstrate growth and enthusiasm for learning. Here are some weaknesses that you might select from for your response: 

Self-critical

Disorganized

Prone to procrastination 

Uncomfortable with public speaking

Uncomfortable with delegating tasks

Risk-averse

Competitive 

Sensitive/emotional

Extreme introversion or extroversion

Limited experience in a particular skill or software

Sample responses to “What are your weaknesses?”

It's normal to feel uncomfortable with the prospect of airing your weaknesses to a potential employer. But remember, this is an opportunity to showcase your ability to honestly assess your performance, respond to feedback in a positive way, and continually improve—essential traits in almost any role.

The following examples can help you formulate your response.

1. Self-criticism

I can be quite critical of myself, which can lead to negative self-talk and eventual burnout. I've found that I can avoid this by recording my goals, objectives, and key results and setting aside time to celebrate milestones and achievements, big and small. This not only helps me focus on how I'm benefiting the team, but it also has also helped me get better at prioritizing my most impactful tasks.

2. Fear of public speaking

I am a naturally shy person. Since I was a kid, I have always felt nervous presenting in front of the class, and that translated into the workplace. A few years ago, I led a big project and was asked to present it to board members. I was so nervous, but I realized I had to overcome this fear. I signed up for Toastmasters as a way to practice public speaking. Not only did this help get me through that first presentation, but it also helped me feel more confident as a leader. Now I'm helping my own team build presentation skills.

3. Procrastination

Procrastination has long been a bad habit of mine. I think it stems from a fear of failure, to be honest. In my last job as a real estate agent, keeping up with appointments and critical paperwork was essential to success. I started using Google Calendar and apps like Trello to manage my time better. Crossing things off my to-do list makes me feel accomplished, and I've learned to tackle harder tasks early in the day when I'm feeling refreshed and less likely to put them off. 

4. Issues with delegating tasks

I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I sometimes struggle to delegate tasks to my teammates. This has led to taking on too much. As a manager, I've tried to be intentional about recognizing the strengths of those on my team and delegating tasks that match those strengths. It was hard at first, but I've seen that by communicating clear expectations and trusting my team, they rise to the occasion and I'm able to manage projects more efficiently.

5. Lack of experience with skill or software

I haven't had as much experience with Python as I'd like. When I decided to make a shift into data analytics, I knew I'd need to use a statistical programming language to perform efficient analysis. I signed up for a Python for Everybody course, and I've found I really love it. I'm excited to start applying the techniques I'm learning to help make my workflow more efficient.

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Published on: 12 Dec 2022 , 7 mins to read

The 7 employee strengths of a powerful team—and how to grow them

Every organization is as good as its employees. Your people make everyday operations run smoothly and bring results to your company. Each individual possesses a unique set of skills and strengths that critically contribute to the company goals.

Often, employers evaluate their candidates and employees based on more “tangible” criteria. For example, how well they can debug code, or what their sales track record is. These job-related skills are important, but it’s equally essential to evaluate additional strengths which are closely tied to the employees’ ability to perform well at work and bring success in the long run.

In this article, we’ll discuss the employee strengths every company should acknowledge, how to grow strong teams, and, finally, how to seamlessly turn any weaknesses into strengths.

What do we mean by employee strengths?

An employee’s strengths are the traits or set of abilities that help them easily achieve their goals. Some examples of employee strengths are communication skills, digital literacy, work ethic, problem-solving, and critical thinking. When employees demonstrate certain strengths, it’s more likely that they bring efficiency and boost performance and productivity to achieve your organization’s goals.

At the same time, when your people are aware of their strengths (and weaknesses), they’re more willing to learn from their mistakes and are open to training that will help them improve their skillset, thus, their overall performance and expertise.

Key employee strengths to look for

Let’s see which are the most essential employee strengths and why. Bear in mind that these strengths are important for every person in your team, regardless of their role, seniority level, or field.

1. Accountability

You need dependable employees who show accountability when any issues arise. Reliable and loyal employees demonstrate ownership, and you know you can depend on them no matter what . They are punctual and consistent, meet deadlines, and provide high-quality work.

Also, coworkers can always count on them for guidance, support, or advice. Such a strength helps develop strong work relationships, ensures efficiency, and establishes trust.

2. Flexibility

Times change, tasks change, the focus can change, anything, really. So, it’s necessary to have employees who can adapt quickly and easily to any changes at work.

Flexible individuals feel less stressed due to their fast adaptability in unexpected situations. Moreover, they demonstrate a more optimistic attitude and are likely to learn and discover new procedures, techniques, skills, and approaches faster than those who are not flexible enough.

3. Motivation

Self-motivated employees can perform exceptionally well without having managers or supervisors constantly reminding them to keep striving for excellence or boosting their morale. They’re very dedicated professionals and valuable assets for your organization as they can deliver high-quality work and perform with consistency.

4. Teamwork

Employees who have the ability and enjoy working with others or in teams benefit your business. It’s essential to have people who get along well with peers but also who have the skills to work with others toward a common goal without jeopardizing the process.

5. Communication

There can’t be teamwork or success without communication. Long-term goals can be hard to achieve if there are issues in communication between employees. Employees with communication skills can be approachable, and easy to talk and work with. They promote transparency and can handle difficult situations with humor and optimism.

At the same time, people with advanced communication skills are more likely to be active listeners and care for their peers’ perspective, and never have a judgmental attitude.

6. Problem-solving and decision-making

Making the right decisions for a project, team, task, or approach with ease is an amazing employee strength your organization could benefit from. People with problem-solving and decision-making abilities have a clear understanding of circumstances and obstacles, but also benefits and positive outcomes.

Those employees can approach an issue more creatively and, having an open mind and can-do attitude, they can play a vital role in your organization’s success.

Empathy and emotional intelligence are important employee strengths for any organization. These values not only help build stronger relationships between teams but also allow individuals to recognize behaviors and non-verbal cues. By using empathy and emotional intelligence, employees can improve and mediate the dynamics both internally and externally in the workplace.

Growing strong teams: How to help employees develop their strengths

Employee strengths are not something people naturally have or don’t have. They shouldn’t be confused with personality traits .

Strengths are a set of skills that is trainable and can be improved and evolved. You might have observed that some of your employees struggle in certain areas, so with proper training and other strategies, you can help them enhance specific skills and boost their overall performance.

This is why it is essential to plan ahead your L&D strategy and start investing in improving those skills and strengths that will make all the difference in your business.

So how can you help employees become stronger?

1. Conduct evaluations and provide constructive feedback

Proper employee evaluation helps employees understand pain areas and define whether there’s room for improvement concerning certain skill sets.

But evaluation alone is not sufficient.

It’s necessary to share these findings with your employees. Schedule regular feedback sessions so that your people are aware of what they’re doing right or wrong. Don’t wait for the quarterly evaluation to provide feedback. HR can help leadership track employee performance, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and offer feedback that will help employees improve their skills.

2. Create targeted training programs

During evaluations and skills gap analyses , you may identify weaknesses. This is the time for you to take action.

Build training programs that address those exact issues. For example, you might have discovered your teams lack communication skills and teamwork. Plan out a training program through your LMS that covers the soft skills they need to brush off, and offer additional resources to help your employees reach their fullest potential.

3. Apply mentorship and coaching programs

One way to nurture employee development with successful results is by offering mentorship and coaching programs . When employees get to experience this development approach, they have the chance to view things from a different perspective and form stronger professional relationships.

And this applies to both mentors and mentees. The best way to plan effective employee training is to choose an LMS that provides you with all the tools you need for coaching, like live videoconferencing apps and discussion forums.

4. Recognize achievements

Acknowledging and rewarding employees is very important to boost employee morale. Celebrating achievements and accomplishments makes employees feel satisfied, proud, and confident. As a result, they are more likely to continue being productive and high-performing.

Also, when employees use their strengths at work, you should acknowledge and reward them for that. This way, you motivate them to keep using those strengths, while, at the same time, they become role models for others.

Building a culture of turning weaknesses into strengths

When employees make use of their strengths on the job, the entire organization benefits. Your teams become more agile, more creative, and more competitive. And this translates into better employee engagement, motivation, retention, and as a result, better ROI.

Therefore, your employees should be able to identify weaknesses —not only on a personal level but on a group level, too—and assist in making these weaknesses into strengths that will take your business forward.

Building and nurturing a culture of valuing employee strengths and overcoming weaknesses is an amazing way to start the development of an amazing workplace.

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| Tags: Employee Engagement , L&D and employee retention

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8 key leadership strengths to focus on in 2024

Have you found your key leadership strengths.

If you’re looking to make a mark on the world there are some key leadership strengths you’ll need to develop. Leadership can come in many different forms, this article documents eight key leadership strengths that are key to master on your way to a successful career.

So whether you’re just starting out in your career or looking to take things to the next level, read on for the leadership strengths you should focus on developing.

• Self-awareness
• Situational awareness
• Excellent communication skills
• Effective negotiation skills
• Conflict resolution skills
• Collaboration skills and intercultural sensitivity
• Ability to work with different personal styles and approaches
• Being able to make courageous or difficult decisions

1. Self-awareness

Self-awareness is considered to be one of the key leadership strengths that must be developed by people placed in management positions. Self-awareness is, in essence, the ability to monitor your own emotions and reactions as a leader.

Practicing self-awareness allows you to better react to situations or people who may trigger you. This is a great skill to have for a leader. Developing self-awareness better equips you as a leader to become aware of your emotions, and build a toolkit for how to handle them in a professional situation. Being more self-aware can lead to avoiding unnecessary conflict. It will also help you set a good example for your team.

Leadership is a fluid topic, and many leaders are constantly striving to improve, so you may not be exactly where you want to be as a leader, however developing self-awareness and acknowledging areas you need to work on is a key step in your leadership development.

Leaders who do not practice self-awareness can often appear arrogant or entitled. This can make it difficult to connect with and build meaningful relationships with your team. If you have little to no awareness of yourself, how can you understand boundaries, or critically when you may be crossing a line as a leader.

Leaders who display self-awareness are also able to adapt their leadership style to the needs of their team. For example, if a team is feeling stressed or under increased pressure, a leader with good self-awareness will know how to provide the support and encouragement needed to alleviate such concerns.

Conversely, if a team is complacent, a leader with self-awareness will know how to challenge them and push them out of their comfort zone. Self-awareness is a key ingredient for success in any leadership role.

Here are some quick tips to help you become more self-aware as a leader:

• Keep an open mind
• Stay focused
• Understand your own strengths and weaknesses
• Know your emotional triggers
• Practice self-discipline
• Seek feedback from your team

2. Situational awareness

Being aware of what is happening around you is a sign of an innate leadership strength. Being a leader is fundamentally about taking your organization forward, therefore it is vitally important that you have situational awareness.

Situational awareness requires outward focus. As a leader you must listen, observe and consider the dynamics of a situation to make decisions. You are also reliant on strong inward focus, considering your strengths and weaknesses in order to make the most effective decisions. Situational awareness is a crucial component of leadership, with a lot at stake.

It is important to consider that situational awareness is more a mindset, than a hard skill. Developing situational awareness, and keeping this strong mindset will help you paint a picture of what is happening around you, and your organization. This will help you to make more informed strategic, and tactical decisions and drive the direction of your organization. Good situational awareness also allows you to predict potential problems and opportunities before they may arise.

As a leader, your every action is on show within your organization, a lack of situational awareness can easily become detrimental to your capacity to lead. A failed meeting or an encounter with executive management gone awry reflects a lack of situational awareness.

As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Situational awareness gives you the ability to plan ahead and be prepared for anything that comes your way. Being aware of your surroundings is not only a sign of a great leader but also an indication of a smart and strategic thinker.

Here are some quick tips to help you become more situationally aware as a leader:

• Elevate your attitude
• Allow yourself ample time for reflection
• Connect regularly with peers and colleagues

3. Excellent communication skills

Leadership is communication. To be an effective leader, you must be able to communicate effectively. Your success, and that of your organization is reliant on it.

As a leader, you need to be a skilled communicator in relationships at many levels, and with a wide range of different audiences. Therefore it is vital that you are able to think clearly, and critically you must learn to handle the rapid flow of information within your organization, and among customers, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and influencers.

Your communication as a leader must be purposeful, and intentional. The ability to know when, what and exactly how to communicate is an art. Delivering effective communication is vital to gain trust, align in pursuit of targets and goals, and inspire change. Leaders who lack strong communication skills often find themselves in situations where information is misunderstood, or lacking. This can ultimately lead to relationships souring and place barriers between you, and your teams which can inhibit success.

Good communication skills can also help to avoid conflicts within an organization. If you are able to effectively communicate your expectations and listen to the needs of others, it will be easier to find a compromise that everyone can agree on. Communication is an essential skill for any leader who wants to be successful.

Here are some quick tips to help you become a more confident communicator:

• Be authentic
• Listen carefully and intently
• Keep it simple, and direct
• Encourage input
• Affirm with actions

4. Effective negotiation skills

As a leader, effective negotiation skills will enable you to cope with a variety of different situations. Whether you are working on a complex deal, mediating in a difficult situation, or negotiating a new contract, it is likely there will be some compromise needed to reach a desirable solution.

In a negotiation, an effective leader will look to understand the needs and interests of those they lead and work to satisfy those needs. Effective negotiators are able to find common ground between parties, build trust, and manage conflict. They are also able to see the “big picture” and possess long-term thinking.

The environment you find yourself in can also have an affect on the type of negotiation skills that you need. Whether dealing with your direct reports, or engaging with members of the executive management, so you’ll need to be adept at adapting your style for each situation.

The way we view things determines how they will be perceived in reality. As an effective negotiator, it’s vital to keep your viewpoints open and avoid involving ego and bias. This ultimately means you need to keep your emotions in check throughout any negotiation. Managing emotions can have a positive impact in any negotiation situation. This can ultimately translate into easier negotiations, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Leadership and negotiation go hand in hand. Your success depends on how you prepare for negotiations. As an effective negotiator, the positive outcome depends on your ability to think through all the essentials. The ability to negotiate business terms is essential to any organization, as it increases the chance of obtaining the desired outcome and creates a win-win situation.

Here are some quick tips to help you become a more confident negotiator:

• Be emotionally adept and open
• Ask for more than you expect to receive
• Communicate openly
• Honor your commitments
• If possible, never be the first to make an offer
• Once a deal is concluded, stop negotiating!

Take your negotiation skills to the next level »

5. Conflict resolution skills

Conflict occurs when two or more people’s interests are not in alignment with each other. It can also occur due to an individual’s biases, cultural beliefs, social status, and other factors determining which values they prioritize above the ones others might not.

Conflict is a inevitable part of any organization , whether it is between co-workers, managers and employees, or different departments within the company. While conflict can sometimes be beneficial, allowing for creativity and different perspectives to be brought to the table, it can also quickly escalate and become detrimental to the business.

Generally, conflict should not be considered good or bad, rather it may be viewed as a necessity to facilitate meaningful relationships between people and groups. The means and how the conflict is handled determine whether it is productive or debilitating. How you as a leader navigates the intricacies of conflict management determines whether or not the conflict escalates.

By being able to calmly and patiently listen to both sides, identify the root of the problem, and come up with a mutually acceptable solution, leaders play a pivotal role in preventing conflicts from spinning out of control.

Conflict resolution skills are the tools that help people handle different types of conflict, this typically involves a person leading a discussion to diffuse a situation. When doing so it is critical to maintain emotional control and lead the situation toward mediation, or compromise. Leaders who are able to deploy these skills maintain unified teams, ensuring that debate remains healthy and doesn’t turn into division.

In addition, by modelling positive conflict resolution skills, leaders can encourage their employees to do the same, creating a more harmonious workplace.

Here are some quick tips to help you develop conflict resolution skills:

• Be receptive
• Learn to listen
• Recognize and reward
• Be mindful of biases
• Allow everyone to share their position

Boost your conflict resolution skills with a leadership program »

6. Collaboration skills and intercultural sensitivity

Instead of top-down management, a collaborative leadership style encourages wider access to information, different perspectives, and a shared responsibility amongst teams. When leaders are collaborative their team members feel like they are cared for, their contributions are valued, and their perspectives are understood and taken into account.

Practicing collaborative leadership encourages commitment and engagement. Employees are more likely to invest additional effort and energy when they know that management is invested in them and shows that they care about them.

Leadership can at times be a lonely pursuit, and, you may be comfortable working alone but that will not always lead to the best results. Having a team supporting you regardless of the members’ gender, age or race is one of the best ways to achieve greater results.

In order to build an effective and cohesive team, it is important to understand and appreciate the differences between people. Collaboration skills involve the ability to listen to others, communicate clearly, and negotiate compromise when necessary.

Collaborative leaders generally prefer to implement a bottom-up approach. This is where the people doing the actual work propose and determine direction, rather than the traditional top-down method, where a small group of managers set the direction.

Intercultural sensitivity goes hand-in-hand with collaboration skills, and refers to the ability to see the world from another person’s perspective. Leaders who are able to build teams that are diverse in background and viewpoints are more likely to be successful in achieving their goals.

Here are some quick tips to help you become a more collaborative leader:

• Communicate openly and honestly
• Listen to and encourage feedback
• Enable access to information
• Avoid silos
• Actively encourage speaking up
• Use failure as lessons

7. Ability to work with different personal styles and approaches

As a leader, you are responsible for creating and maintaining the connection between your employees and teams. This means adapting your style and communication to accommodate differing styles between people.

You need to know your employees, whether they are introverted, or extroverted as well as understanding how they behave and their style of work.

A strong leader is someone who can adapt their leadership style to suit the situation and the people they are working with. This can be a difficult skill to master, as it requires an understanding of different personality types and approaches.

Creating an inclusive environment and working culture is a critical element of this. Leaders need to create a safe space for their teams, and facilitate strong working relationships through inclusivity.

Here are some quick tips to help you adapt your leadership style:

• Be mindful of your language
• Help introverts to share their thoughts
• Help extroverts to listen to other persectives
• Be open, and avoid being vague
• Accept your own flaws

8. Being able to make courageous or difficult decisions

Knowing how to make difficult decisions is a challenging, yet essential element of leadership. Ultimately, the decisions you make are bound to make somebody unhappy, as a leader you are the go-to person for almost every hard business decision.

Being a successful leader is not just about making the right decisions, in fact some of the most effective leaders are those who are able to make tough decisions in the face of fear, uncertainty and doubt. Being able to face these challenges head-on is a key quality of strong leaders.

When faced with difficult situations, they don’t shy away from making courageous decisions. Instead, they embrace the challenge and use it as an opportunity to showcase their leadership strength.

As a result, their team knows that they can always rely on their leader to make the tough calls, even when things are looking uncertain. This type of strength instills confidence in those being led and helps to build a strong foundation for successful teams.

Indecision can be fatal in leadership – remember it is important to have conviction, and make informed decisions, however large or small. Sometimes you will have to make split-second decisions without all of the relevant information, and must rely on your intuition and gut feeling.

Here are some quick tips to help you develop your decision making capabilities:

• Be informed, wherever possible
• Limit the factors you use to make decisions
• Set yourself deadlines
• Remove yourself from the equation
• Reduce fatigue by spending less time on smaller decisions

Developing your own leadership strengths

Leadership strengths are important for anyone in a leadership position. A good leader needs to be able to understand human behavior and how different people will react in different situations. They also need to have a high level of self-awareness, so they can be aware of their own reactions and how they might affect others.

If you can master these leadership traits, you will be prepared to face any situation, even ones that are new to you. Confident leadership is essential in any situation, and these strengths will help you develop that confidence. Leadership is an essential skill in any area of life, and these leadership strengths will give you the tools you need to be successful.

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Leadership is crucial to the success of individuals, teams, and organizations. It encompasses diverse skills, qualities, and approaches that empower individuals to guide and inspire others toward achieving common goals. As the business environment continues to evolve, so will the concept of leadership — adapting to meet the demands and challenges of a dynamic world. […]

Imagine navigating a ship through uncharted waters in the dark, with each crew member holding a piece of the map. That’s the challenge of leadership in today’s dynamic, ever-evolving business landscape. How do you, as a leader, unite these diverse pieces to chart a successful course? The answer lies in inclusive leadership. In a world […]

What if you could supercharge your leadership development in a way that’s tailored specifically to you? Today’s business leaders are under immense pressure to deliver. It’s not just about achieving quarterly targets; it’s about being a visionary, a strategic thinker, and a great manager.  That’s where executive coaching comes in. Far from being a sign […]

Do you believe each team member has a unique strength that can fuel innovation and solve complex challenges? If your answer is yes, you might want to explore the landscape of laissez-faire leadership. Laissez-faire leadership, a term many have heard but few completely understand, is growing more relevant in today’s ever-changing, complex work environments. It […]

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The Strengths, Weaknesses and Blind Spots of Managers

Worldwide, the cost of poor management and lost productivity from not engaged or actively disengaged employees is $8.8 trillion, or 9% of global GDP .

Changing how people are managed is perhaps the easiest way to boost productivity within organizations.

Yet, the majority of managers receive little feedback on how effectively they manage their team. Less than half of U.S. employees (42%) report having the opportunity to formally provide feedback to their manager, and fewer than one in four (24%) have formally rated their manager’s performance. Managers are not getting much help from their peers either, with only about a third (36%) of managers saying they receive feedback from their peers as part of a formal feedback process.

Many managers admit they have room to grow. Four in 10 acknowledge they have not yet achieved an advanced or expert level of proficiency when it comes to engaging their team or managing performance. While six in 10 managers say they are not advanced or expert at developing employees and helping them create career paths.

To help managers foster highly productive teams, Gallup conducted a study comparing how managers think they are currently leading their team versus how employees say they are being managed.

The study used a nationally representative U.S. sample of 2,729 managers and 12,710 individual contributors. Each group assessed how they are managing their team or how they are being managed based on a list of 20 managerial responsibilities. Ratings of each managerial behavior were separated into four categories:

• Strengths -- rated highest by both managers and employees.
• Known Weaknesses -- rated lowest by both managers and employees.
• Blind Spots -- managers rated high, but employees rated low.
• Unrecognized Strengths -- employees rated high, but managers rated low.

Where are managers most effective?

The behaviors that both managers and employees rated highest are baseline expectations of management . These behaviors are more transactional and straightforward to deliver. While being responsive , approachable , informed and providing resources are important, these behaviors have the lowest correlations to employee engagement observed in the study, indicating they are less likely to elevate performance than other key behaviors.

The exception is high-quality feedback , a more refined managerial skill highly correlated with employee engagement.

Despite relatively high scores on these six behaviors, significant room for improvement remains. There is a wide difference between manager and individual contributor ratings on some fundamentals, including a 21-percentage-point gap in responsiveness to calls and messages and a 19-point gap in high-quality feedback .

Managers should not take these relative strengths for granted and must continue to sharpen them because they are the foundation of effective communication, support and strong working relationships.

Known Weaknesses

Where do managers struggle the most (and know it)?

The known weaknesses , behaviors both individual contributors and managers see as areas for improvement, focus on effective coaching. Meaningful feedback, motivation, removing barriers to performance and discussing strengths involve conversations that go beyond basic communication of facts and minimum responsibilities. And they all involve a forward-looking approach: “How do we get better?”

These known weaknesses are very highly correlated with employee engagement, demonstrating that managers are not only falling short, but these behaviors are among the most critical to increasing productivity, retention and customer engagement.

The lowest rated behavior was “meaningful feedback in the last week.” This behavior combines both quality (“meaningful”) and frequency (“in the last week”) of feedback. We call these ongoing, high-quality conversations the “coaching habit,” and it is among the best predictors of employee engagement Gallup has ever studied.

Blind Spots

Where are managers overconfident?

The biggest gaps between manager and employee perceptions are in the delivery of recognition and frequent feedback.

Nearly 60% of managers feel they are doing a good job recognizing their team’s hard work and contributions, but only about a third of individual contributors (35%) share the same sentiment. Recognition isn’t happening as often as managers think, or it’s not being delivered in a memorable way for employees. A Gallup-Workhuman study suggests the answer is likely somewhere in between, considering only 12% of employees report being asked how they like to be recognized. Managers need a better understanding of what meaningful recognition looks like for each team member to bridge this gap.

The largest difference between manager and employee perceptions is in how often they think feedback is provided . Only one in five (20%) employees say they receive feedback weekly, compared with about half of managers (50%) reporting they deliver it weekly. This measure of feedback describes frequency, which is theoretically more “objective” than quality, yet managers’ efforts are not registering with their teams.

Another blind spot is that managers are more likely than the people they manage to say their managerial style fosters a collaborative team environment . Managers may see collaboration happening or facilitate it themselves, but that may not translate into true peer-to-peer collaboration that employees can see or feel.

Unrecognized Strengths

The one behavior employees rated more favorably than managers was creating accountability for high performance . Managers tend to put a premium on accountability because it’s their job to hold a high standard for their team and help the team achieve it. Managers may judge themselves harder on this behavior because they have high expectations, or they may legitimately see their team has room for performance improvement.

In contrast, employees -- who may be more sensitive to performance standards -- indicate that managers’ performance standards are working better than they think. Yet they agree with managers there is room for improvement.

Top Drivers of Employee Engagement

Which behaviors are most important to engaging employees and enhancing productivity?

Findings from this study reveal that managers excel at the basics, but out of the top five most important manager behaviors that drive employee engagement, four are known weaknesses and one is a blind spot .

The strongest driver of employee engagement and the lowest rated behavior is weekly meaningful feedback , making it the most important opportunity for improvement among managers.

Establishing a weekly coaching habit provides a natural way to strengthen the other four critical behaviors. Routine coaching conversations should include discussing goals, development, and strengths and recognizing good work. Previous Gallup research shows these behaviors contribute to making coaching conversations “extremely meaningful.”

How to Reveal Manager Blind Spots

First, organizations need to close the perception gap between managers and their teams. Managers benefit from a holistic perspective of their own performance that includes precise feedback, whether through coaching effectiveness survey feedback, 360 feedback or open two-way dialogue with their team. Encourage managers to listen to this feedback to help them understand what they hear.

Second, organizations need to address managers’ most common weaknesses and blind spots this study uncovered . Organizations should intentionally develop managers into coaches, moving beyond the basics and teaching them how to effectively coach performance and development through a strengths-based lens.

This study serves as a call to action: Managers need the development, feedback and support required to manage people effectively and foster highly productive teams. The engagement, performance and retention of their workforce depends on it.

Develop managers who lead exceptional teams:

• Enroll managers in the Gallup Manager Program , where they’ll learn to focus on natural strengths, engage employees and develop performance.
• Learn about Gallup’s leadership development framework and the importance of a thriving leadership team.
• Track global trust in leadership, manager engagement and employee perceptions of performance management by following Gallup’s leadership and management indicator .

Ben Wigert is Director of Research and Strategy, Workplace Management, at Gallup.

Ryan Pendell contributed to this article.

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Discover what it means to be a strengths-based manager and how to become one, in Part 1 of a 2-part series with Gallup's Dean Jones.

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Discover how managers can become more effective at applying employees' strengths, in Part 2 of a 2-part series with Gallup's Dean Jones.

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One large organization partnered with Gallup to develop an elegant, effective solution to slumping engagement for frontline managers.

May 28, 2024 Gallup https://www.gallup.com/workplace/645299/strengths-weaknesses-blind-spots-managers.aspx Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street, Washington, D.C., 20001, U.S.A +1 202.715.3030

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PFF Roster Rankings Include Packers’ Biggest Strength, Weakness

Bill huber | may 31, 2024.

• Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers roster is the 13th-best in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, but there’s a chance to make a big leap if they can turn their biggest weakness into a strength.

PFF ranked every roster in the NFL and analyzed strengths, weaknesses and projected starting lineups. For the Packers, their biggest weakness is their middle-of-the-field defense.

“While the Packers excelled offensively last season, the same can’t be said for their defense,” the authors, Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman, wrote. “New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will be looking for improvement at linebacker and safety, in particular. Those groups ranked 31st and 24th, respectively, in overall grade last season. Several new additions to both units will be key to the Packers’ success.”

The Packers made three huge additions to the defense in hopes of solving that shortcoming.

First, it was signing safety Xavier McKinney in free agency. During his fourth and final season with the Giants, McKinney had 116 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed. Green Bay’s primary safeties last year, Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford – none of whom remain with the team – combined for two interceptions and 10 passes defensed.

McKinney is one of the best tacklers in the business and an enormous upgrade from that perspective compared to Savage.

Plus, he’s quickly emerged as a team leader – a “dude,” according to coach Matt LaFleur .

“We know what our goal is,” McKinney said at Packers OTAs. “We know what we want to accomplish. Obviously, I wasn’t here last year; they can speak on that more than I can. But for me, I’m just coming in and helping anywhere that I can. Being that piece that I know they need me to be and also making the guys around me better.

“Like I said, we know what our end goal is, and I told the guys today, every day counts because we’re actually one of the first games to be played, which is a little earlier, and obviously it’s out of the country so it’s going to be a big game. So, just kind of letting them know that we got to be prepared, we got to take these days seriously at OTAs, and we got to make sure we’re on our Ps and Qs come that moment.”

Next, it was drafting safety Javon Bullard in the second round. Bullard’s a bit undersized but had a strong history of playmaking, versatility and physicality at Georgia.

“I feel like we’re going to complement each other very well,” Bullard said of he and McKinney as the presumptive starting tandem. “At the end of the day, I know he’s going to do his job and he expects me to do the same thing. Just making sure we’re on the same page and making sure we get the job done.”

Finally, it was drafting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in the second round to pair with middle linebacker Quay Walker. He was a first-team All-American last year at Texas A&M after leading the team in tackles and the SEC in tackles for losses.

“I just think he’s an explosive player,” linebackers coach Anthony Campanile said before the start of OTAs. “He has a lot of explosive traits physically and he’s got a really good get-off. So, there’s some stuff there where you look at that and that definitely jumps out off the tape. If you watch those reps, he’s got the ability to run people down, and he does that in pass coverage, as well. So, he’s got a well-rounded foundation.”

The strength of the team, as you might have guessed, is the passing game. Jordan Love emerged during a red-hot second half of the season, and he’s surrounded by a “cascade” of young playmakers at receiver and tight end.

“I don’t think there was any one game in particular” that was the turning point, Love said last week. “I think throughout the season, every game I learned so many valuable lessons in every rep I took, so I feel like halfway through is when I started getting really comfortable, understanding more where I need to go with the ball, what I need to do out there to put our team in the best position and just limit the mistakes and things like that.

“I feel like every game I played, I learned a little bit and got a little more comfortable.”

Receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are back for Year 3, and the Packers last year became the first team since at least 1970 with four rookies with 30-plus catches. Leading the pack was Jayden Reed, who broke Sterling Sharpe’s franchise rookie record with 64 receptions.

“If the Packers perform that well offensively for an entire season, they could find themselves in Super Bowl contention,” wrote the authors.

The Detroit Lions are sixth, the Chicago Bears are 20th and the Minnesota Vikings are 21st. Similar to the Packers with the middle of their defense, the Lions addressed their biggest weakness – cornerback – with veterans and rookies. Lack of a pass rush is the big problem for the Bears and Vikings.

More Green Bay Packers News

The great @MathBomb recently put together an X thread of every team's RAS. The #Packers , not surprisingly, ranked near the top. Here's the story with his thoughts on GB's roster. ⬇️ https://t.co/XsT4NpYe0h — Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) May 31, 2024

Packers OTAs: DBs like Jeff Hafley | Josh Jacobs on legacy | Eric Stokes healthy, hopeful | Colby Wooden’s new position | Jordan Love’s late-game mistakes | Anders Carlson on competition  

Latest news: Team Relative Athetic Scores | Triplets | PFF’s OT rankings | Tom Brady on Jordan Love | Top 10 plays | Bounce-back Alexander? | Fifth-year options | An athletic roster | A complete roster

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: [email protected] History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.