Women in Business: Do you plan to succeed or fail to plan?

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Many directors or team leaders say that what sets staff apart from each other is how they handle the unexpected and manage critical situations.  In an ideal world nothing goes wrong and life is simple and easy.  As no-one lives in this ideal world you need to make sure you are prepared, and skilled, at handling situations when things go wrong to set you apart from your co-workers.

The everywoman workbook, Tackling critical situations, shows problem-solving tools that will get you in shape for when a critical situation occurs.  Don’t wait for the unexpected to happen before you use them.  Be proactive.  Have a brainstorm and use the results from the tools to be prepared for what could be thrown at you.

Cause and effect (or The Fishbone) – to help discover the cause of a problem

Draw a fishbone (see diagram).  Choose a problem and write it in the fish head.  Think of the major causes that contributed to the effect and put them on the end of each bone.Depending on the issue, you could use the 4 Ms (Manpower, Methods, Machinery and Materials) or the 4 Ps (Policies, Procedures, People and Plant).Brainstorm to discover the causes for each major area – let thoughts and discussion flow freely.Ask ‘why?’ as much as possible to build further branches/ribs to ensure you are getting to the root of the problem.Now prioritise the most important causes and decide which ones need improving for maximum benefit, or to cause the least disruption to your organisation.

The 5 whys – to get to the root of a problem

Clearly define the problem to be solvedKeep asking ‘why?’.  Write down the answers and continue to ask the question until all options have been exhausted.Use the answers to decide what needs to be prioritised and worked on immediately to tackle the situationUse some sort of image to show the flow of the whys pictorially.

Pros and cons – when a quick analysis of a decision is required.

Identify a decision to analyseAsk everyone in the brainstorm group to write two lists – one headed Pros and the other Cons.  They then need to record their own reasons for and against the decision.Pull together all the answers and compile a group list.  You may want to add weighting if some reasons are more important than others.Given all the Pros and Cons, determine whether the decision is the right one to take to resolve the situation.

The everywoman workbook, Tackling critical situations, can be downloaded from the everywoman website (member login required) and it contains more tips and strategies, to help you tackle the unexpected.   The blog post Women in business: Do you plan to succeed or fail to plan? has been taken from the workbook and covers four steps to take when faced with a critical situation.  If you are not a member of the everywomanNetwork* you can download a preview from bookshelf on our Personal Development page or go to www.everywoman.com/join to sign up and gain instant access to the whole workbook plus a range of exclusive tools that support your personal development.

*everywomanNetwork membership gives you access to workbooks, webinars, interviews, case studies and expert advice, plus promotional opportunities for you or your business, member discounts and offers, and the ability to connect with like-minded women.

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