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- Avoiding Career Limiting Mistakes
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- Office Etiquette
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- Critical Success Factors
- Reducing Employee Turnover
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- Reducing Job Stress
- Managing Poor Performers
- Getting the Job You Want
- Career Limiting Mistakes
- Improving Interactions with Your Sales Department
- Effective Delegation
- Ideas to Ignore
- Problem Solving
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Problem Solving
The use of a systematic approach to problem-solving in the credit and collections function can help you to become more proficient at problem solving while avoiding the pitfalls of ineffective problem solving techniques. Here are some of the more common problems in the problem solving process include:
- Failing to gather critical data,
- Failing to involve people that would be critical to a successful outcome - either because they refused to participate in the process, or because you neglected to invite them,
- Failing to plan how to implement the solution [or solutions] once a solution has been identified and validated,
- Jumping to conclusions before analyzing all aspects of the problem,
- Not having the authority necessary to mandate that other departments make the changes necessary to reduce the number of deductions taken each month,
- Not getting access to all the information you need to understand the scope of the problem, its historical context, and the root causes of the problem which often have already been identified - but set aside for fear on stepping on the toes of an influential department manager or an important job function,
- Trying to resolve problems that are beyond your influence and control,
- Working on problems that are either too general, too big, or are not well-defined.
Your effectiveness as a problem solver based in part on:
- Attention to detail,
- Enthusiasm for the assignment,
- The support of your manager,
- The support of senior management for completing the assignment,
- Your ability to build consensus,
- Your ability to influence others within the company to accept your ideas or recommendations,
- Your ability not to be seen as a threat to the authority or the autonomy of other departments in the company.
© 2009 by Michael C. Dennis. All Rights Reserved.