How do you manage your time and resources when working on multiple problems with your team?

First & foremost as a Team Lead or a Manager, you must identify the problem. Understand the problem. Understand the root cause of the problem so that it can be clearly defined and understood by all the team members. Arrange brainstorming session with your team & analyse the various inputs or the solution being offered by the team. You as a team lead should analyse the problem thoroughly with team members inputs and identify the possible solutions

While SWOT analysis is a good technique, sometimes it doesn't get to the root of the problem and cause a lot of bad busyness. Here are a few alternatives: 1) Get out of the box: literally, go outside the office or zoom meeting room, have a meeting in the park, in the coffee shop, in the museum, etc. Why? Altering physical surroundings create novelty effect that stimulates curiosity and eagerness to find the right problem. 2). The 5 Whys? Asking why questions one after another cuts through the symptoms and reveals the actual problem. #TheGoodBusy

In problem-solving, a prescriptive approach involves anticipating the evolution of problems and solutions. It goes beyond conventional methods, envisioning how challenges may change and aligning strategies with future landscapes. This ensures teams address not only current issues but also emerging complexities, fostering adaptability in the ever-evolving business environment. ???? #PrescriptiveProblemSolving #FutureReadyTeams ????

I’d like to raise one important topic to be discussed with a team. There might often be many different factors for the problems, as misunderstandings, perhaps disrespectful behavior, lack of trust, unclear expectations towards each other, mutual competition and change situations. It is very crucial to bring up the risk into discussion and ask the team what it will cause in regards for well-being, reaching goals and collaboration if the problems remain unsolved? What impact will that have for an individual, for the entire team, for the cross-functional collaboration or for the clients? Resolving problems is always challenging, but making clear that everybody is responsible for becoming a part of a solution.

Prioritize the problem in alignment with your Big goal. 1) how does it impact our goal? 2) what else is impacted? 3) who else is impacted? 4) what would happen if we did nothing? 5) who might have the best solution? 6) what domino effect will we achieve by solving the problem? 7) what is one impactful thing we can do now? 8) on a scale from 0 to 10 how is it a problem for our goal? #TheGoodBusy

Not all problems are created equal impact. Some problems are more urgent or important than others. It is important to prioritize the problems so that your team is working on the most important ones first. When prioritizing the problems, consider the following factors: -Impact: How much of an impact will the problem have on the team, the organization, or the customers if it is not resolved? -Urgency: How soon does the problem need to be resolved? -Resources: Do you have the necessary resources to resolve the problem?

Be open to adjusting your priorities as needed based on new information or changing circumstances. Stay adaptable and willing to change your approach as required to ensure that the team stays on track and achieves its ultimate objectives on time.

In prioritizing problems for your team, a prescriptive approach involves anticipating the evolution of urgency, impact, and complexity. It goes beyond traditional methods, envisioning how these factors might change and adjusting prioritization strategies accordingly. This ensures teams address not only current challenges but also remain adaptable to emerging complexities in the dynamic business landscape. ???? #PrescriptivePrioritization #FutureReadyTeams ????

Focus on the strengths of your team when delegating. Sometimes, it is ok to forget the roles and titles. Playing to our strengths gets us faster to the desired outcome. 1) What is the key strength required by this task? 2) Who has this strength in the team? 3) What should I be doing to help them to optimize this strength? #TheGoodBusy

This is one of the most valuable steps that I have mastered over time as a people manager. It exposes how much they can get done outside the regular KPIs while gaining new competencies sometimes. Also, it can be exciting for junior members of the team who see it as a learning opportunity.

In task delegation for problem-solving, a prescriptive approach involves anticipating the evolution of roles, accountability, and skills. This strategy envisions how team dynamics might change, adapting role assignments, accountability structures, and skill mappings accordingly. By infusing a prescient perspective into task delegation, teams are prepared not just for current challenges but also for proactively navigating emerging complexities in the ever-evolving business environment. ???? #PrescriptiveDelegation #FutureReadyTeams ????

Visualisation are great, but remember that these visualisation only represent what the team understands and assumes at that point in time. The team leader must be prepared to change some of the interned goals and assumed dependencies between goals, and hence, the plans the team has.

In communicating problem-solving plans, a prescriptive approach involves anticipating the evolution of visualization tools. This strategy envisions how features, integrations, and collaborative elements might enhance communication effectiveness. By adapting visualization techniques to align with future needs, teams can not only understand current plans but also proactively engage with emerging complexities in the ever-evolving business environment. ???? #PrescriptiveCommunication #FutureReadyTeams ????

Asking for thoughts and ideas from the team on solving problems will likely lead to some innovative approaches and solutions. I’ve been impressed numerous times with brilliant ideas voiced by those considered less experienced, when I’ve ensured freedom of expressing thoughts and views within the team.

In collaborating with your team to execute plans and solve problems, a prescriptive approach involves anticipating the evolution of collaboration methods. Envisioning changes in creativity, feedback, and reflection, this strategy ensures that collaboration sessions remain dynamic and effective. By adopting prescient techniques, teams not only execute current plans effectively but also proactively adapt to emerging complexities. ???? #PrescriptiveCollaboration #FutureReadyTeams ????

Things don't always go according to plan. Be prepared to adapt to changes as needed. Here are some additional tips for managing time and resources when working on multiple problems with your team: Use a project management tool. A project management tool can help you to track the progress of each problem and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Set realistic deadlines. It is important to set realistic deadlines for each problem. This will help to prevent your team from feeling overwhelmed. Take breaks. It is important to take breaks throughout the day, even if it is just for a few minutes. This will help to prevent burnout and improve productivity.

If visualisations were used in the above steps, remember to update these visualisation and communicate the changes out.

In my experience I share my calendar to team Define my #1 priorities and train my team members how they can define their priorities. I loved what Brian Tracy shares on this topic; work on only most important thing at that time and share it with everyone else nothing else matters. Using Pareto principles if we can do 20% of important thing rest will take care of it. One very important thing is meeting If you are not needed in any meetings don’t attend or leave by sharing your concern that your input is not needed here

Ask the team to explain how they understand the problem: Don't start asking for solutions. Rephrasing the problem will unlock options. Sometimes we misdiagnose the problem. The problem may not always be obvious. For example: How do we use a ladder to get to the top of the building? At first glance, it sounds like a clear: You have a ladder and you want to get to the top. Upon looking at the problem again: It is not about using the ladder to get to the top. It is actually about getting to the top. Rephrase the problem: We want to get to the top of the building. Suddenly, the elevator, the stairs and of course the ladder become the options. From one option to three options. This gives a better chance of solving the problem.