I recently reconnected with an old group of online friends.  One of our stalwart band was struggling to solve a problem, and several folks chimed in with advice.  I wanted to share this collaborative problem solving tale with you because it’s a really powerful tool when it’s done the right way.

Knowing your collaborators

I was particularly struck with how well one particular friend and I complemented each other in responding to our mutual friend’s problem. My “collaborator” friend is an enneagram 5, so she’s very logical, sequential and detached in her approach.  I’m an enneagram 4, so my approach is more empathetic, emotional and gestalt.

Because we’re old friends, our differences helped us cover our respective blindspots, instead of being a source of friction.

It got me thinking of all the various projects and roles that just work better when you approach them with a collaborative team, rather than tackling them on your own.

When is it time to tag-team?

• Marriage and parenting springs to mind as “projects” that can benefit from collaborative problem solving.
• Unless you’re a freelance hermit, your career probably requires teamwork and collaboration, at least some of the time.
• Even some recreational activities require collaborative problem solving (rock climbing, anyone?)

How do you find a good partner?

Don’t discount the importance of simply finding someone you like being around.  A little fun and friendship goes a long way in smoothing out the rough joints in a partnership.  So try to find someone with whom you have some common ground–shared interests, background or opinions.

Remember, though, that hooking up with your personal clone is only going to help you duplicate effort.  Partnering with someone who has a different personality, approach, skillset or background enables you to look at problems from many more angles, as opposed to having two people looking at the same problem from essentially the same perspective.  Collaborative problem solving works well when you bring a variety of capabilities to the table.

If you’re a rational, no-nonsense type, partnering with someone a little more imaginative might take your brainstorming to a new level.

If you’re a freeform thinker, then a more pragmatic perspective can help move your high-flying ideas into the real world.

What if it all goes wrong?

One reason that people hesitate to call in reinforcements is the fear of what might happen if it doesn’t work out.  There’s always the possibility that even when you pick a collaborator who seems perfect, you just won’t gel right.  Collaborative problem solving can be tricky.

Here are some tips to make even a failed partnership work out better.

• Be clear about expectations and responsibilities from the outset.

• Have a plan B.

• No matter what happens, treat each other with R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

• If there is a financial element to the partnership, be absolutely transparent about every transaction.  Also, make sure you have a contract in place that covers what happens to the assets should the partnership dissolve.

• Try not to take it personally.  Sometimes things just don’t work out.

What about you?

Got any good “partnership nirvana” stories to share?  Or tales of epic nightmare collaboration efforts?  If you learned something from your collaborative problem solving experiences, so can we.  Share!

img courtesy GERAS on sxc

A few months ago, I saw this interesting infographic on the rising unemployment rate. Aside from being depressing, what does this have to do with thoughtwrestling?

As jobs are downsized and eliminated, fewer people are managing more responsibilities among those still employed. If you haven’t lost your job over the last six months, you might feel like your previously-heavy workload has moved from “busy” into “basically unmanageable.”

When this happens, people quickly move from their regular work habits and routines into “putting out fires” mode. Any time in your workday that was previously dedicated to proactive innovation disappears, as you become more and more reactive.

When you don’t feel like you can keep up with the urgent things that are being tossed onto your plate willy-nilly, it’s hard to justify spending time on things that aren’t urgent.

The problem then becomes that important things left unaddressed long enough often become urgent problems.

If you’re familiar with the work of Stephen Covey (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), you’re aware of the whole 2×2 matrix.

The creative brainstorming and ideation phase of your next big thing probably lives in quadrant 2: Not Urgent But Important.

The problem is, you have taken up seemingly-permanent residence in quadrants 1 and 3, which require a whole different mindset and approach.  In the midst of reactively fighting fires, it’s incredibly difficult to do proactive problem-solving or brainstorm great new ideas and innovation.

So what do you do? How do you break out of the thoughtwrestling hold of “stuck in reactive mode”?

Here are a few thoughts. I’d love to hear yours in the comments.

1. First, accept that things are going to have to get a little worse before they get better. I know. That sucks. Feel the suckyness and move on. Stop waiting for the magical day when you have nothing else on your plate crying for your attention. Unless you’re okay with waiting out a global economic turnaround, or you figure you can get your idea from ideation to execution in some brief window between “way too busy” and “unemployed due to lack of business.”
2. Look really critically at the tasks in quadrant 3 that are screaming for your attention. If making time for innovative brainstorming pushes one or two of those items back an additional day or two, what is the real impact? Is it worth it?
3. Be aware of the relative value of innovative ideas as compared to putting out fires. In three months, are your managers or clients more likely to remember ten quadrant 3 fires you put out, or one really amazing creative contribution?
4. If you work for someone else, get the green light from your higher-ups. Maybe you’re afraid that if you stop putting out fires an hour or two a day, you’ll be perceived as “unproductive” and be the next to be let go. If you communicate with your managers and know that they recognize the value of this different aspect of your work, you won’t be distracted by worry.
5. Change your setting to exchange your  ”Fire Fighter” hat (or helmet, I guess) for a “Brainstorm Trooper” one.  Changing your environment can change your mindset. If you can leave the office and work in a more creative-conducive spot, try that. If you can’t, clean up your desk. Yes, I know it looks like busywork to others. But you’d be surprised how helpful it can be to give yourself the gift of a visual tabula rasa. The clutter on your desk reminds you of those niggling urgent fires. Get them out of sight and out of mind.

So what about you? Have you felt too overwhelmed with the present to get into futurist mode? What helps you mentally switch gears from reactive to proactive?

KatFrench is a blogger, award-winning copywriter and social media manager for an advertising agency.  She lives near Louisville, KY with her husband of 18 years(!), two obnoxiously cute kids, and a pug puppy named after Rocky Balboa (despite being more of a cat person, really).  She loves coffee, hammocks, LOST and Jesus.