Find Problem, Solve Problem | Ariana Glantz | TEDxMemphis

[Music] let me tell you about something that I love I love checklists I love how to do things I love learning a process I love step by step instructions do not get me started on laminated sheets or those little like Tia manuals that you get with furniture you know I keep those in my desk drawer to look at from time to time I love these things because they make problems less scary they give you a framework they give you a road map to a problem solutions are difficult to come by and they're really hard to

make so I gladly use whatever footsteps someone puts in front of me but problems shouldn't always be scary they're scary when we don't have the tools to solve them they're scary when we don't believe in ourselves that we know what we're doing they're scary when they are simply unknown so when we don't have the tools to solve problems when we don't have the frameworks in mind it makes the barriers to success really high somehow have been either the luckiest person I know or the unluckiest person I know that in my last three jobs I've been

the first person to actually have that job in the organization that means that there were no metal ice laminated sheets of paper there were no frameworks there were no designs and said there was just a wide-open Vista opportunity and by opportunity I mean challenges so many challenges so many problems to solve and really no guidance put in my place so looking at those problems I said well I have a linear brain I want some structure I want some framework how do I when I see a problem then solve that problem and to me that answer

was being solution minded and solution minded is very buzzy it's something that you like it's something that you list on your LinkedIn profile but it's also a mindset it's a mindset that there is a solution to every problem and we have a way to get there it doesn't matter where you come from it doesn't matter who you are everyone has the opportunity for that success for me being socially minded has five components the first being mindset the second being structure the third being questions the fourth being practice and the fifth being patience so mindset you

have to think that your solution mind it you have to know that there is a solution out there you have to know that you have the opportunity for that success you have to believe in yourself that you can lower those barriers and that you have the tools in your toolbox at your disposal the second part is structure for me that means being really linear I love a start and an end I love putting every step in between I love writing notes but for some people they want to flow organically and that's awesome find what works

for you and then tweak it along the way that way when you inevitably come up with a No or how are what are you talking about how do we do this you can show somebody your structure and your framework and you can help answer those questions and then pivot where you need to problems will come up within your structure but that's okay pivot where you can move on do what you need to move forward the third is questions questions are great questions clarify what you're actually solving for if you don't understand the question or the

problem then your solution won't match you need to ask all of the questions so that you can get all of the answers one of my least favorite things to do is to ask for help so I make it a part of my process that when I first start working on a question or a problem that I actually ask questions and ask for help I asked my colleagues I asked other experts in the field and you know I also asked the Internet the fourth thing is practice this is a skill being solution minded isn't just something

that you're born with it isn't something that you inherit it is a skill but you work on everyone has the capacity to be a solution minded so that means that you need to to practice that skill so whenever you're coming to a problem or a challenge implement your process work through it make sure that you're using it and you can always change it along the way make it work for what for whatever industry or job that you're in the last thing is patience and this is patience both for yourself and for everybody else when I'm

working through something new I need to make sure that I'm aware and I'm patient with myself and give myself the gravity to work through it that also means being patient with your co-workers your boss anybody else in your industry that you're working with because you're working through a new structure and you're working through a new idea and they usually are - so be patient with yourself and with everybody else being solution minded is a skill that as I've said we can all have and I truly believe that if we think about problems as less as

scary things but more as opportunities for success we're really going to be able to flex our creative and innovative muscles and really showcase what we have to offer problems and solutions are awash in our world but we all have the opportunity to solve them and everyone that's been here that's here today has certainly solved their share of problems so I'm already probably pretty convinced that you have a solution minded framework that you're working with already you just maybe not calling it that so I hope your takeaway today is that with a little bit more solution

minded pep in your step you can start to greet challenges as old friends and see them as opportunities for success Thanks [Applause]