Difficulty is the nature of life.
Personal life. Work life. Business life.
Difficult things occur all the time. We have to make decisions. We have to solve problems. Choosing to ignore those problems or being afraid of being wrong are possibly worse than choosing some type of decisions.
Those that are able to solve difficult decisions, or at least work toward a solution, are usually the more successful people in the world and in business.
Here are a few insights into solving difficult business problems…
1. Sleep On It
Research has shown that sleeping on big problems leads to better results. It seems counter to the American Way of thinking. It’s easy to feel pressure to pull an all nighter or to work as long as it takes to hash something out. But if you’ve actually worked like that you know that the results aren’t usually good.
First, you have a big issue. Not just the normal type of thing that comes across your desk every day. So the stress is high. You don’t want to make any decisions while stressed or feeling high emotion. Sleep is a good idea.
Second, sleeping actually gives your brain time to “think” about the problem. You’re not going to be racing through all the scenarios while you’re awake. Your brain will focus on the important things. You’ll wake up feeling a little refreshed. Still a little stressed, but in a better frame of mind for solving the issue.
2. Get Out Of The Normal Routine For A Bit
Many successful leaders enjoyed taking regular walks. There are many benefits, but one of the common reasons for this was a feeling that taking a walk would help when it came to big problems.
A walk, for starters, gets you out of the office and out of the normal routine. Big problems require all your focus. When you’re doing the day-to-day stuff you can kind of go into “routine mode” where your brain and body and going through the motions. Still doing good work, but not really putting your entire focus on things. Like driving the normal commute to work.
So take a walk. Go to a new restaurant. Go to a new park. Just do something new to get your brain active and thinking out of its normal mindless routines.
3. Trust Your Gut
Gut instinct is an incredible thing. Yet some of us question ourselves when it comes to big decisions and problems. Your gut instinct is built up throughout your entire life. Everything you do, see, experience and more is built into that gut feeling.
When something happens that needs to be fixed, before the entirety of the stress sets in, pay attention to what your gut is telling you.
That feeling is usually the correct one.
4. Don’t Delay The Inevitable
One of the issues with big business problems is not being willing to take action. We like to stay in our comfort zones. We like to keep things the way they are because that’s comfortable.
But take some time to think about how things will play out if you keep doing what you’ve been doing. Think it as far ahead as you possibly can. Usually you’ll see that things will continue to worsen.
Be bold and take the step to cut the cord now. It might be firing an employee. It might be doing big layoffs. It might be something else just as big or bigger.
But don’t delay the inevitable. Taking action sooner may save the business.
5. Think Long-Term
When the immediate moment is dire, we often make decisions based on the immediate. The best leaders, though, often do what it necessary in the short-term while also focusing on what needs to change in the long-term if the company survives.
For example, it might mean cutting staff and cutting products and features. While doing this it might also mean putting focus on a new product or on one area of the business that is showing promise.
Don’t lose sight of the next five to ten years when solving big problems today.
Final Thought
Difficult decisions are part of the job description for business operators. Most of the successful people in years past have been able to follow the items mentioned here. They’re not big shocks if you’re familiar with business. But they’re easy to lose sight of when you’re in the middle of a crisis.