Not too long ago my car began to overheat. I checked the radiator fluid level and, sure enough, it was low. Since I am not very mechanically minded, I called Bill, my mechanic, to see what I ought to do. Fortunately I have a mechanic who does me right. He told me to wait until the engine cooled down, open the radiator cap, and look to see if the radiator was full. So, the next morning I checked it and, sure enough, it was low. I added about a quart of coolant then took it down to have it checked out.

When Bill finally looked at it, nothing seemed to be wrong. The fan was running, it had fluid, the light had not come on to indicate that it was overheating and it didn’t seem to be leaking anywhere. So, he poked around a little more and noticed that the air being blown by the fan was not hot. If the water had been running through the hot engine, the air being sucked away from the radiator should have been hot. This told him that water was not circulating in the radiator and that there was a blockage somewhere.

Based on that information, there were two possibilities. One was that there was a blockage in the radiator itself. The other possibility was that the thermostat was not opening up to let water into the radiator. So, he began to dig in. He opened up the place where the thermostat was located and, sure enough, it was closed down. As he grabbed and pulled it out with a pair of pliers, the thing suddenly popped open for him. This confirmed that the thermostat was, indeed, the problem. He went and grabbed a new one off of the shelf, put it in the car and I have not had a problem with it since.

As I thought about this whole problem solving process that my mechanic went through, I thought how cool it was that he was able to work through a series of steps and, one by one, eliminate possibilities until he located the actual problem. Problem solving at it’s finest.

Virtually every day, every one of us knock our heads up against some kind of problem. Sometimes they are routine - things that we run into frequently. Since these are so common, we usually recognize them immediately and are able to solve them right away. But there are other problems that are not so obvious, like the issue with my car’s thermostat. When they are not obvious, there is sometimes a tendency to just let them rock on until they become so big that real damage is done. However, as professionals who encounter problems as a regular part of daily life, that is not acceptable.

It is necessary to have a plan of diagnosis and attack to keep things running smoothly. Consider the process below as a way of getting at problems before they get out of hand.

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The Five Step Problems Solving Method

Step 1 - Learn All You Can

The first step for great diagnosis and problem solving actually takes place before the problem ever occurs. This step is to get yourself educated. Why do we have problems in the first place? It is because something comes up that is not supposed to happen. If we know ahead of time what those things could be, we can more easily deal with them when they come.

Certainly experience is a great teacher. A problem comes up, you struggle through it, and the next time it comes you know what to do. But why not be proactive? You have resources available where you can learn the basics based on the bad experiences of other people. Join organizations where you can pick the brains of other others who do the same work you do. There are also many great books to read, classes to take and certifications to study receive. All of these give you knowledge that will help you when the problems begin to hit.

Step 2 - Pay Attention

Most problems don’t start out full grown. When I was a child I used to play in a drainage ditch near my house. One of my favorite things to do was to build a dam, then watch the water build up until it overflowed. After it broke I loved to watch the great wall of water rush downstream.

When the water got to the top of the dam, it didn’t just collapse the whole thing immediately. First it found the lowest point and began to trickle over just a little bit at that point. That trickle would then erode the dirt making the hole larger and larger until the whole thing suddenly crashed in. When the first trickle happened, I could easily pile more mud on that spot and save the dam. After the whole thing began crashing in, though, it was too late.

Pay attention to everything going on. Check your systems ahead of time. Keep on top of the other people who have responsibilities. If something rears its head that could become a problem, jump on it quickly.

Step 3 - Make a List

When a problem does emerge, take the time to sit down and figure it out. Certainly there are times when you have to just jump in and “put a finger in the dike.” But if you are in charge, you are the strategic planner. Grab someone else who can jump on the immediate problem and you sit down and make sure that you have all of the implications covered. What you don’t want is a ripple down effect. Take the time to actually write down the issues related to the cause and solution to the problem. This will become your way of staying focused and objective.

Step 4 - Organize Your Data

If the problem is a big one, there will likely be several things on your list that need to be done in order to solve the problem. Organize the data. Put your thoughts in logical order for dealing with the issues. Again, this may take you a little bit of time when you feel pressured to put out fires, but get other people to be the firefighters. You need to be the fire chief!

Step 5 - Solve the Problem

Once you have your prioritized list, systematically go through each step to take care of the problem. This way you will not just be putting out brush fires, but will be dealing with the issues that caused them to happen in the first place.

Keeping Your Engine Cool

There are so many things that can happen in the planning and implementation of your life’s activities. Those who have great problem solving skills will take the problems in stride. Those who do not will end up sick and with constant disasters. The skills are not that hard to acquire, but it does take a systematic and intentional effort to make it happen.

A car engine with the stopped up thermostat will soon break down. A person with stopped up problem solving skills will too. Learn the skills, solve the problems. Have a great career.

Dr. Freddy Davis is the owner of TSM Enterprises and conducts conferences, seminars and organizational training for executives, managers and sales professionals. He is the author of the book Supercharged! as well as the “Nutshell” Series of books for strengthening business. Sign up, free, for Freddy’s twice-monthly e-letter, Nutshell Notes, at http://www.tsmenterprises.com. You can contact Freddy directly at 888-883-0656 or by e-mail at info@tsmenterprises.com.