Soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving, are essential to succeed and progress in the workplace.
Unlike hard skills—things like computer programming, finance, or web design—soft skills are a little harder to define. Loosely put, soft skills are typically centered around people skills.
This certain set of skills informs, among many other things, how you communicate, whether you pick up on social cues, whether or not you are organized, and how punctual you are on a regular basis.
Developing your soft skills is crucial to both getting a job and advancing your career. Employers actively seek candidates with both hard skills and soft skills, usually weighing them equally. The very best web developer still needs to be a quality communicator and problem-solver.
Today, we are talking about an extremely important soft skill: problem-solving.
What Are Problem-Solving Skills?
Problem-solving skills are a set of soft skills to use in difficult, unexpected, or complicated matters that arise in the workplace. Whether you're an entry-level employee or a C-level executive, problem-solving skills will be an attractive asset to any employer.
Equipping yourself with the skills to actually solve problems has another amazing side effect: Problem-solving soft skills usually allow an employee to prepare for problems before they happen.
There are preparative techniques to solve common problems, uncommon problems, and worst-case scenarios. By being prepared, you are far less likely to become flustered or stop work to do damage control.
Let’s talk more about how to do just that.
Essential Problem-Solving Skills to Use at Work
Problem-solving skills are sort of an amalgamation of various soft skills. In fact, if I were to suggest one set of soft skills to master today, it would be problem-solving skills. Why? Problem-solving involves aspects of various other soft skill sets. It is sort of the grandmother of all soft skills, as it requires elements of communication, creativity, dependability, decision-making, leadership, and comprehensive analysis.
If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. Don’t worry—we're here to dive into the most important elements of problem-solving that can equip you for anything.
Open-Mindedness
The best leaders are often open-minded. Ahem.
Open-mindedness is crucial in relation to problem-solving. When a problem arises, it is human nature to find a scapegoat, blame it on her, and move on. That gets us nowhere.
A truly great problem solver will look everywhere—and I mean everywhere—for an effective solution.
There are times when—gasp—we might be our own problem. That's a tough pill to swallow, to say the least. If you come across a complex problem, make sure to run yourself through the filter, even if it's only to eliminate yourself as a suspect in the key problem.
Identifying the root of a problem is important. Whether it’s a missed deadline or a published typo, there will likely be a human error to trace back to. But that's often not the entire story.
In the face of a problem, especially in the workplace, it's far more important to identify the why of the problem rather than the who. Why did this problem occur? Was there a breakdown of communication? Is there a workload far too heavy for one person?
Open-mindedness, especially in the face of crisis, is going to solve the actual problem and make any changes necessary to avoid the recurrence of the problem.
The next time a problem arises in your workplace, look for the why instead of the who.
Active Listening Skills
Do you ever feel like people are waiting for you to stop speaking so that they can start? I feel that way—a lot.
Listening is a soft skill that I have found is extremely lacking in the workplace.
One time, I watched my two coworkers on a conference call together. While one laid out plans for a new initiative, the other continuously said “Yes, yes, exactly, yes” in between every three or four words. I was completely dumbfounded. This was a person speaking and not listening.
Spend more time listening and less time waiting to speak. You might even take it an extra step and write things down. When you really, really listen, you can understand more of what works and why.
Do not shy away from conversation or participation. It is imperative that your ideas and input are heard. If you find yourself in a room of people volleying for attention, consider constructing your thoughts while paraphrasing the crux of the discussion. Let your coworkers know that you are expressly thoughtful in your input.
Analytic Skills
Analytical skills are crucial when it comes to problem-solving. An employee who has the ability to make analysis-based decisions is going to be extremely helpful in a company’s overall success.
Just like we touched on in the open-mindedness section, analytical skills are what stop a person from pointing a finger when a problem occurs. Pointing a finger rarely works. Seriously, look at your history books. Companies are looking, instead, for someone with the ability to investigate a problem and find a solution in a timely manner.
Depending on the problem or challenge at hand, analytical skills can involve detecting patterns, analyzing raw data, asking open-ended questions, listening, creating theories, and making hypotheses based on multiple factors.
When I see the word “analytical,” I often picture a genius mathematician working out algorithms with the raw power of her own brain. While that can be true, analytic skills also manifest as deeply creative.
Not all problems involve a set of data and numbers. In fact, the more challenging a problem may be, the more creative the solution will need to be.
So, creatives rejoice! You are usually innately analytical without even realizing it.
Creativity
It only seems natural that we should glide right into creativity.
Creativity is another essential soft skill that comes into play in many facets. In relation to problem-solving skills, creativity is a crucial element.
As I mentioned above, not all problems are black and white. Actually, most problems are inherently not black and white, which means they call for creative solutions. Warning: Creative solutions should not be mistaken for easy solutions.
Creative thinking is the ability to find a completely new way to solve the problem. Creative people bring unique perspectives, alternative solutions, and productive new directions to departments and companies.
Research Skills
Research is an essential sub-skill to have in order to be an effective problem-solver.
Remember way back when we were talking about identifying the why of the problem? Great research skills will allow you to do just that. Researching allows you to get deeper into the daily processes.
Research allows you to identify what works, what could work better, and what doesn’t work at all.
The ability to research allows an employee to diagnose the actual problem, not just the symptoms. For example, a missed deadline might seem to be the problem. In actuality, it may be that poor communication or work overload is the actual problem.
Next time you think you have identified a problem, ask yourself: Is this really the problem or a symptom of a bigger ailment?
Communication Skills
So, you’ve listened and learned. You've identified a huge problem. You even devised a creative and thoughtful plan of action. You are a soft skill triple threat already. Let’s become a quadruple threat by enacting some communication skills.
Once you have your plan of action in place, you'll need to communicate it to the team effectively. Communication skills are of the highest importance when detailing processes to others. Think about how to communicate a solution to your coworkers:
- Is there negative feedback that can be reframed as a positive opportunity to change?
- Are there hard-to-swallow items in your presentation that require a gentle presentation?
- Have things gone so haywire that you need to communicate in a stern, unrelenting manner?
How you communicate the solution is almost as important as the solution itself, especially when you need sign-off from others to get the job done. Make sure to consider the best way to communicate, delegate, and solve problems.
Dependability
In order to be a trusted problem-solver in the office, you cannot be a flake.
Dependability is extremely important in the modern workplace. Someone who is dependable can usually be counted on to deliver through to the end. When a problem arises, there might be a few heroes at the front line waiting to fix it. As time goes by and things calm down, the heroes dwindle in number.
Someone who is a truly excellent problem-solver is basically wearing the cape at all times. She can be counted on to pay attention to details, identify problems, research solutions, and present an actionable guide to fix them. If that wasn’t enough, a truly dependable problem-solver will see the solution through to the very end.
Dependability, as it relates to problem-solving, is not found in the person who runs in, applies a bandage, and runs back out. A dependable person will take the time to seek long-term solutions and follow through on them.
Teamwork Skills
Ultimately, it takes a team to fix a large problem in the workplace. Whether the problem is organizational or personal, it likely will take more than one person to implement a long-term solution. This is where teamwork comes into play.
A good problem-solver at work will also be a team player. Great teamwork requires just about every other element we have listed above. Good teamwork absolutely requires an open mind and apt listening skills. To work as a part of a team, you must be able to communicate effectively and follow directions.
In addition, a great team member will be able to motivate others without being overbearing or domineering. She will be adept at both giving and receiving feedback throughout any process. She will also know when to praise and to point out forward areas of progress.
How to Highlight Your Problem-Solving Skills
Now that you know all about problem-solving areas of expertise, show yours. If you're looking to explain your problem-solving process in a resume or a cover letter, we have you covered.
In an interview process, we can almost guarantee that you'll be asked some version of "Tell me an example of a time you used your effective problem-solving," so be prepared to dazzle with your best implementation of long-term solutions.
In addition, be prepared to showcase your logic and understanding of the job at hand by considering possible problems and possible solutions that could arise.
