Einstein’s Secret to Amazing Problem Solving

and 10 specific ways you can use it

clipped from litemind.com by uciano Passuello The Problem Is To Know What the Problem Is Problem Definition Tools and Strategies 1. Rephrase the Problem When a Toyota executive asked employees to brainstorm “ways to increase their productivity”, all he got back were blank stares. When he rephrased his request as “ways to make their jobs easier”, he could barely keep up with the amount of suggestions. 2. Expose and Challenge Assumptions Every problem — no matter how apparently simple it may be — comes with a long list of assumptions attached. Many of these assumptions may be inaccurate and could make your problem statement inadequate or even misguided. 5. Find Multiple Perspectives 6. Use Effective Language Constructs 7. Make It Engaging 8. Reverse the Problem 9. Gather Facts 10. Problem-Solve Your Problem Statement You may want to give yourself an Idea Quota of problem statements. Or write a List of 100 problems to solve. SCAMPER your problem definition. These are just some of dozen techniques you can try.