People Solve Problems: The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem

by Jamie Flinchbaugh

Every person in every function of every organization is involved in solving problems. They show up in your email inbox, in meetings, in your own work. They are strategic and tactical, mundane and breakthrough, easy and difficult. Most organizations want to, and need to, improve their people's problem-solving efforts, and so they offer them tools, templates, and training. Yet this is not where the leverage for impact is found. People Solve The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem explores the real leverage to improve your problem solving.

In the first section of the book, we explore the problem with problem solving, including both the value and limits of tools and templates. We also explore the marriage of problem solving and standards. Building on that start, People Solve Problems is built on four primary domains. After setting up the challenge, we start by exploring People-Centered Capabilities. These capabilities are tool agnostic, equally applicable to any chosen problem-solving method or no method at all. This includes a wide range of capabilities from creating problem statements to integrating intuition into problem solving. Next, we cover Problem-Solving Culture. These chapters outline the culture needed in the organization or the personal behaviors you must master to be successful in problem solving. The behaviors explored range from deliberately learning through problem solving to building transparency, vulnerability, and trust.

In the third section, we dive into Success through Coaching. Problem solving is unlike other practices, training is incredibly insufficient, and coaching is the major driver of success. This section addresses the why, who, when, where, and of course the important how of coaching. Finally, we explore the Role of the Leader, whether the CEO or a team leader, in building an environment where problem solving can thrive. The leader must be the architect of their problem-solving systems, a shaper of culture, and a framer of problems.

Problem-solving effectiveness is critical to success for both the problems you already know about and those you have not yet experienced. People Solve Problems will help you, and those you lead, to be more effective now and in the future.

Audible Audio

Published October 25, 2021

About the author

As Founder of JFlinch, Jamie Flinchbaugh has helped purpose-driven leaders craft effective, resilient organizations at over 300 companies. Leveraging more than 30-years of experience and helping build over 20 companies, Jamie collaborates with leaders and their teams to bridge capability, strategic, cultural, and systems gaps so that they can safely span potential pitfalls and have a purposeful impact on their organizations.

Jamie has helped leaders across a wide spectrum of industries including healthcare, utilities, technology, consumer products, and professional services, including Harley-Davidson, Intel, Mars, Amazon, Crayola, Fidelity, Whirlpool, among many others.

Jamie is the author of People Solve Problems, The Power of Every Person, Every Day, Every Problem and co-author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean, Lessons from the Road and is the host of the podcast, People Solve Problems and the co-host of the Lean Whiskey podcast. He currently lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife, Jill Triani. Together they have three children, Emma, Jack, and Ben.

Reviews

[James Gribble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that this book is something I needed decades ago. It is my hope that many people will read this book and realize that they are in charge of there own lives.

[Tracy Schuster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many notes in this book. There’s an important learning on nearly every page. I finished and promptly bought the audible version because I want to absorb the information again in a new way.

Problem solving is not about the tools about the people using those tools. This book reminded me of that and challenged me to think about how I am going to encourage and empower the people I lead and myself to solve problems with respect and intentionality to deliver greater value to our customers and reduce frustration for those who carry out the processes we develop.

Jamie provides simple to understand methodologies you can use to address a complex issue.

[Nick Katko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to learn about lean problem solving

If you want to learn how to use lean problem solving methods this is the book to read. Jamie focuses on how people need to use the method and clearly explains how some companies get this wrong. He also explains that this is an approach that every company needs to apply in their own way, rather than it being a specific recipe. You will constantly refer back to this book.

[Jack Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Problems exist - we solve them.

This book had me thinking of all sorts of examples and opportunities in the “problem solving” space, but also beyond that into other arenas. For example, Flinchbaugh talks about setting a clear problem statement when attacking these situations, but what about new projects - should the goal be clear amongst all the people working one project and getting the benefit of it?

The book also does a nice job of setting up the discussion of problem solving without advising a specific approach. What are the basics? Who should be involved? How do you (individual, team, organization) get better at it? How to create a culture of problem solving? The role of leaders?

More on my blog: https://www.jackvinson.com/blog/2022/...