Solving Problems
Code School Book — Morgan Lopes and Tim Whitacre (19/30)
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How many team members does it take to change a light bulb?
A few years after starting our first business, our growing team moved to a new office. We built out the space with beautiful accents, stylish furniture, and unique artwork. For the first time, it was a place of our own. Accompanying the excitement, we realized how much work went into keeping a space maintained. Things seemed to be in constant need of repair.
After returning from an off-site meeting one afternoon, a team member pulled me aside. They proceeded to explain that our conference room light had not been working all day. I waited for further clarification but none came. There was a single conference room for the entire team. Six hours after identifying a problem and “the light won’t come on” was the extent of their investigation. During this time, other meetings occurred and a number of people chose to tolerate the same inconvenience.
Choking back frustration, I walked into the conference room and flipped the light switch. Sure enough, the room remained in darkness. I turned on the flashlight from my phone and inspected the lightbulb a few inches overhead. The bulb was busted.
Walking eight feet to our storage cabinet, I pulled out a new light bulb, stood on a chair, removed the expired bulb, and attached the replacement. In less time than it took for the team member to relay the problem, it was diagnosed and solved. A burnt-out lightbulb.
People are skilled at recognizing problems. We see them, talk about them, and debate them. It’s easy and requires little effort. Most people stop at problem identification.
Great technologists are solution-oriented. Solution-oriented individuals push to understand the underlying problem and craft thoughtful solutions. Regardless of the size of a problem, making an effort to diagnose and propose solutions goes a long way. The practice improves our personal problem-solving abilities and makes team members invaluable in the workplace.
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