Your Gambit

The word “solution-oriented” is the most common word used in today’s business world and it is used more often used to describe as being a part of the startup culture.

To give a little context.

A few years ago, I embarked on a journey with an early-stage startup—a direct-to-consumer fashion athleisure brand—taking on the role of their inaugural HR personnel, despite my limited experience in a comprehensive HR capacity. Together with the founders, we navigated through the initial challenges and teething issues in establishing the HR department. This experience, although daunting at first, ultimately shaped me into the professional I am today.

In those formative days, one particular phrase echoed consistently in my interactions with one of the founders, who also served as the CEO and my direct supervisor: “Figure it out.” These three words became the mantra of every meeting and were seemingly applicable to every situation. While it wasn’t explicit advice or guidance on how to tackle obstacles or plan for the future, it became clear that adaptability and resilience were paramount.

At the outset of my career, this approach left me feeling adrift, unsure of how to proceed. Yet, it was precisely this trial-by-fire environment that forced me to evolve and develop unique problem-solving strategies. I owe a debt of gratitude to my former boss for instilling in me a mindset that approaches challenges with resourcefulness and creativity, traits that have proven invaluable in my professional journey.

What’s a solution-oriented mindset? A solution-oriented mindset doesn’t mean one should ignore or be negligent of the problem on hand. Instead and in simple terms it means to take an holistic approach to solving a problem rather than focusing on the problem. It means to look at the problem with the possible solutions, to adapt, to learn and to grow. In some cases, it may even mean taking a much needed detour.

How to develop the ‘Solution-Oriented’ mindset?

Well, for starters it may not be easy, initially, but the goal or the idea is to develop it and how can one develop this is, is by using this 4-step method:

1.A well defined problem is half solved: True, normally when we have two or more problems at hand at the same time or even if we have one, it is easy to loose sight when we don’t have a clearly defined problem at hand but just a laundry list of tasks. Ideally, write them down and focus on the statement, are the other problems a subset of the main problem. Once, you’ve defined your statement, believe it or not, you are halfway there.

2. List the probable solutions: If you are like me, in the nascent stage of your career, be aware that you would only be able to solve this problem with research, lucky for this time in space, we now have Google, YouTube, AI, and more. Ideally research is complete when you have found at least two plausible answers to your problem. Once you have done that, you’ve already stepped up. However, if you are an experienced individual, list down the probable solutions from your experience.

3. Pros and Cons of each solution: This is something AI or Google may help you out with again but if you are an HR or in a situation involving decisions around people the best way forward is to think from the lens of the people who would get affected versus the people who would benefit for a particular solution/choice. Are the ones being affected in a long-term situation or short-term? What is the overall outcome going to be? If you’re the decision maker these questions are a must ask and if you’re not the decision maker the presentation of facts and understanding will help you present and rest your case.

4. Practice: No matter how small and trivial an issue or problem may be, using the above steps will help you develop a learner’s mindset and asking the right questions will help you develop your curiosity and innovation to the next level.

Ideally, to become a solution oriented person it is essential to become a person who is proactive and can foresee a problem before it may arise, because most often than not some decisions have to be taken at the spur of the moment, which may not give you the time to utilize all of the above steps, every single time. Continuous learning, curiosity, development and embracing the learning curve that comes with it, is essential to revolutionize yourself into becoming the a truly solutions oriented person, building on to path of success.

Concluding thoughts: Why is a solution-oriented mindset necessary? This mindset is essential for every role and career as well as it fosters personal growth of a person and more importantly it instills a sense of purpose in you as a person, it gives you a mission to develop and solve a problem and what could be better than the satisfaction of solving a problem versus having a problem at hand.