Constructive Problem Solving

[John Galvin]

In lesson 8, in the virtual action session, we were exposed to Team Coaching – Problem Solving. I have been exposed to a simpler version of this in work I did with Keith Ferrazzi. He calls it a 5-5-5. In Keith’s model, a team member takes 5 minutes to share a problem they are working on. They are encouraged to share as much detail in that time that they can. Ideally, how long they have had this problem, the impact it is having, what solving it will enable or result in. They can also offer up things they have tried or similar problems they have had in the past.The team then has 5 minutes to ask open ended questions. I encourage them to be truly curious and to suspend judgement. Specifically I ask them to refrain from offering solutions. In the last 5 minutes, the team makes offers of help. This can be similar problems they had had and an offer to get together to share more details. It could be resources, for example one team during a 5-5-5 offered up a project manager they could loan the problem owner to help them put a project plan in place. Again I suggest the team to resist offering solutions but try to keep it in the space of offers of help. In the end, I let the problem owner know they can accept any of the offers that appeal to them, there is no obligation to accept any of them. But in bringing the problem forward, the team can hold them accountable for solving it in some way. Fo more information on Keith’s approach to collaborative problem solving you can read this article in Inc.https://www.inc.com/magazine/202102/keith-ferrazzi/collaborative-problem-solving-decision-making-leadership.html

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