Survival of the fast learner

Barring a few, most of us are good at applying what we have done and seen in the past. We are at ease, if we have to ‘re-apply’ the solutions that have worked for us in the past and the same stands true if we have to solve a problem, which we have encountered before. The real challenge comes when we have to do things for the first time and solve problems that we have never dealt with before. In the new interconnected world with increasing pace of change and disruption, the ability to learn quickly is a key survival skill. If you don’t have this skill, then there are chances that you will be extinct in a few years’ time.

So what can you do to become an expert in learning quickly to solve a problem?

Dig deeper and get to the root cause

Our brain is an expert at making logical connections when it encounters an issue. Now this may work if you have previously encountered and tackled a similar situation. When you hit a roadblock with a new issue, a good starting point is to ask “why” five times and see how many causes you can come up with. This increases the odds of a better solution because you can see more connections. Look for a pattern in the data you would unearth, resist the urge to collect information. Thereafter, group the causes in common buckets for finding a solution.

First time success may be a myth

Quickly jumping to a solution for a new problem may not be the best solution. Researchers tend to say that, it is only in the second or third try that we get to understand the real problem. To sharpen the learning curve, shorten your act and build feedback into the solution as an iterative process. The idea is to keep refining the first cut solution with three- four rounds of the feedback cycle. The more frequent the cycles; the sharper will be your learning curve.

Contrarian thinking helps

When encountered with a new problem, turn it upside down. Ask yourself what is the least likely thing it could be, what does not constitute or build up to the problem. Contrarian thinking helps you build perspective and allows you to look at the problem holistically. As Albert Einstein said, “The world we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems we cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them.”

Use your network

Don’t be a superman, unless you are from krypton. Take help from friends, sound them off on what you are thinking, and take feedback on your line of thought. Talking to others will help you overcome your bias and blind spots, the sooner you do this, better it will be. You don’t want to get back to drawing board once the prototype or your idea is presented to your manager or the team. While selecting people from your network to garner feedback, keep in mind that, research shows that teams with the widest diversity of backgrounds produce the most innovative solutions to the problems.

Do quick & real experimentation

Once you drill down to alternatives, subject it to all the logical tests and criticism that any other alternative is treated to, don’t spare it the rigor of testing because you found it. Remember, freedom and openness to ideas fosters creativity and innovation in problem solving, thereafter you need to follow a structure to test the idea.

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