Last Updated on July 17, 2024
This idea comes from Simplest, and I deeply agree with it.
Have you ever met people who seem to be on a higher level? They are very effective, produce great results, think efficiently, and have deep insights.
Think about it.
Two Mindset Shifts That Can Change Your Life
In Simplest’s life, there was one person, a former manager, whom we’ll call Hua.
Hua, in his thirties, has three children and manages a development team of about 20 people. In the tech industry, excellent leaders and engineers are common, but few excel at both. Hua spends several hours daily on programming, and he might be the best programmer in the company.
However, when you look at Hua’s resume, he doesn’t fit the traditional image of “success.” He didn’t complete higher education because he dropped out of college. The management and programming skills he possesses were all self-taught.
To Simplest, what sets Hua apart from others is his ideas and perspectives.
They can be summarized in two points:
- He constantly breaks down big problems into smaller, manageable ones.
- He focuses on finding the root cause of the issues his company and team face.
For example, let’s say we want to earn $1 million. This is a big problem. Break it down into smaller goals: first earn $1,000, then $10,000, then $100,000, $500,000, and finally $1 million.
To earn that first $1,000, you need to:
- Make money.
- Spend money, but ensure expenses are less than earnings.
- Save the money you’ve earned.
Through this simple breakdown, you can clearly see the next steps you need to take instead of just staring at the big goal and getting stuck in imagination.
Most people don’t make money not because of a lack of intelligence, but because of a lack of execution. Execution means repeatedly doing simple things until they accumulate to a significant result. Breaking down problems helps you find these “simple things.”
Once you verify this thinking process through a few trials, you can set bigger goals, like $10 million.
During execution, many problems will arise that need solving. This involves Hua’s second ability: finding the root cause.
Hua doesn’t focus on what’s happening on the surface. Many people solve surface-level problems well, but in essence, they are wasting time.
He tries to narrow down the problem’s scope.
For instance, when the team encounters a product issue, most people would focus on the product’s functionality. But the real issue might be the server’s speed, which limits the product’s speed. When Hua sees this, he shifts the meeting’s focus to solving the supply side problem. Once the supply issue is resolved, the product’s functionality is no longer an issue.
By addressing fundamental problems, Hua ensures the team won’t face the same issue again, leading to real results and making everyone’s work easier.
These two principles seem simple, but defining problems first and breaking down goals can significantly speed up progress and achieve results faster. Life is short; don’t waste time on unnecessary things.
How to Define Problems
If you want to be clearer in defining problems, consider the problem’s complexity and the impact of solving it.
Look at this chart.
Matrix for Defining Problems
What is the degree of a problem’s impact?
For example, what to have for dinner is a low complexity, low impact issue.
Buying a car involves significant financial investment but isn’t complicated, so it’s a low complexity, high impact issue.
Deciding where to move with your family for the next ten years involves many factors and affects your entire family’s future, making it a high complexity, high impact issue.
This might make Hua’s ideas seem overly theoretical, but most people’s common problem is being too quick to draw conclusions, thinking quick decisions are impressive.
Unfortunately, many people regret making quick decisions on high-impact issues, and such examples are not uncommon.
I will discuss more on the techniques of defining problems in another blog post.
I hope Simplest’s manager can inspire you.