5 ways to make a big challenge small

At times, when working year after year on the same types of issues or challenges, we’re tempted to revert back to what was done in the past.  It worked before, so why wouldn’t it work again?  Actually, there’s a lot to be said for consistency – when it makes sense. But doing the same thing over and over each time can lead to stale ideas that will make people believe you are not trying very hard.  So how do you get out of this rut and come up with new and exciting ideas that add life to your project and help solve your challenging situations?

1) Work in a group and add diversity to your team

The first thing you need to do is gather people to join your quest for a solution.  Don’t focus on people’s roles or backgrounds for your team. In fact, it is usually best to involve people from different functional areas who will bring to the table a variety of distinct perspectives. It is far more important to consider attitudinal dynamics when forming your group. Find people who like a challenge and who enjoy looking deeper into an issue or situation, not just at the surface.  Don’t underestimate the power of team thinking: six diverse brains are better than one!

2) Take the big challenge apart and break it into smaller pieces

Trying to solve a large challenge all at once is like trying to swallow a whole pizza in one bite.  Your challenge is like a pizza: by cutting it into smaller pieces, it is more manageable to eat.  Use your group to determine what the small pieces are by doing a simple brainstorming exercise. Have the group reflect on their experiences to determine all the “pain points” that make this particular situation a challenge.  Once you have identified all of the pain points, prioritize them by having each member of the group choose their top five. 

Base your ranking on three factors: 

1. Your ability to control the situation;
2. The potential benefit of “getting it right”; and
3. The relevance to the situation or audience. 

The three to five pain points with the most votes will form the basis of the challenge and will outline what your group needs to successfully solve it.

3) Solve the smaller challenges one by one

Once your smaller challenges are identified and agreed upon, break your large group into smaller ones and brainstorm ideas. These smaller challenges can often be solved quickly and easily and provide the team with an immediate sense of accomplishment and satisfaction which, in turn, can generate excitement about the next challenge ahead. “We solved that, now what’s next?”

4) Roll your smaller challenges up into one solution and build from it

Bring your new ideas back to the larger group and discuss them one by one.  Look for elements that can be built on, and don’t disregard an idea that may not immediately appear to have potential. Put it in a holding tank so you don’t lose it, just in case it proves useful later on. Then look for common areas that support the larger challenge. Build on the ideas to make them more relevant to the challenge at hand. By the end of this exercise, you will have a few executable ideas that will support your overall objectives and, again, bring life and a sense of accomplishment to the team.

5) Use a third-party moderator

Even if you don’t hire a professional moderator, it is very important to engage someone who is not attached to the situation and who has no emotional ties to any particular outcome.  A good, objective moderator who is not personally invested situation is best positioned to ask the “stupid” questions that get the group thinking of the problem in different ways. 

Following these five simple rules will help you gain a new and better understanding of your challenges, figure out the root cause of the issue, and allow you to come up with executable ideas to solve it.

It’s like spring cleaning: it’s tough to get started on, but once you get into it and see the end result, the time and effort it took to get you there is well worth it!