Complex Problem Solving – The Most Desired Skill for 2020 – Ask The Expert Series 1-3

Topping the list as the most desired skill to have by 2020 is complex problem-solving ability — defined by the report1 as the capacity ‘to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.’

We’re into the last few days of the decade and as stated by the World Economic Forum (WEF), we are living in a world filled with ill-defined problems with ever-increasing complexities.   At times, these problems are near-impossible to solve due to incomplete, contradictory or ever-evolving circumstances or requirements.  To succeed, we need to up our ability to solve complex and ambiguous problems.  It is no wonder that WEF named this as the most critical skill set to be developed by 2020.

The CorporateTrainerConnect platform interviewed, Mr. Jeffrey Yung, an experienced leader in the education industry who is an award winner of the prestigious Promising SME 500 in 2015.  A firm believer in lifelong learning, Jeffrey has delivered at international platforms from Europe to APAC regions at public universities and seminars.  Here are his answers to our questions on Complex Problem Solving and Social Media Marketing:

How should one approach and solve a problem when confronted with a complex situation that we have not encountered previously?

Focus and communication will be the key to success!  When dealing with a complex situation, it is very important to break it down into smaller parts and deal with these in bite-sizes.

When I first took over my current company, financially it was in the red, overstaffed, the systems and processes were outdated and many more…on top of all these, I was going through a divorce at the same time!

To deal with all these challenges all at once would have been overwhelming and stressful.  Thus, I prioritize those tasks that needed immediate attention.

• First, from a business perspective, it is crucial to speak to your staff, understand the situation and them better.  This will help you to identify who can assist you, especially in the areas that they are good at.
• Next, it is good to start talking to people from the same industry, seeking their opinion while staying humble will be helpful too.

Slowly and surely as a team, we managed to turn the company around into one that performs consistently while we constantly seek to improve and learn from our mistakes during this journey.

Similarly, when I was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year, I utilized the same principles and brought my hba1c (an important measurement for blood sugar level for Diabetes) back to an acceptable level of 5.6 from 16.9.   It took 5 months to get back on track and it is all about focus.

I will be lying if I were to say I managed all these alone, without family’s and friends’ support.  Without their support and understanding, it wouldn’t have been possible.

When I was first diagnosed with Diabetes, I was devastated! I exercise and workout on a weekly basis, yet I became a diabetic.  Upon reflection, it was down to my poor eating habits as I love fried food.  Upon diagnosis, due to the extremely high blood sugar level in my body, doctors immediately prescribed me with daily insulin injections.  From the 2nd month of diagnosis, I had to take oral medication, in addition to the daily insulin injections.

“The agonizing and excruciating pain of injecting insulin cannot be understood without one going thru it personally. After 3 months of insulin-injection, I gave up.  I told myself that there must be a better way and I will not inject insulin and inflict pain on myself anymore. “

That’s when my partner who is in the healthcare and wellness industry, sat down with me to work out a plan to get my health back on track.  Taking into consideration my lifestyle and the various options that I have, we worked out daily meal plans, with guidelines on how I can eat healthily to avoid the consequences of poor eating habits.   Within 3 months, I managed to reduce my weight and BMI to an acceptable level and kept my blood sugar level within a healthy range. And today, while I still get to enjoy my favourite cuisines, I do so in a more controlled manner and frequency.

“You see, the key is not to only aim for the positive end result of solving any complex situation. It’s about enjoying the process and the challenge of having to go through it.  It is key to remember that we should not just aim for just an end to the problem.”

It takes Focus and Constant Communication to consistently improve to meet our goals and objectives.  It is therefore crucial to enjoy the process in overcoming the challenging dynamism of today’s world of work, business and even personal matters.  In addition, breaking big complex situations and/or tasks into bite-size portions simply makes these challenges manageable without having them overwhelm us, causing undue stress as we may feel that the end of the tunnel is just too far away.

Also,  celebrate every little step forward, giving due recognition to people who deserve them.  This goes a long way in gaining trust, respect and satisfaction with your team members and other stakeholders.

With so much changes and gloom hanging over the economy, what must one do to prepare for the uncertain future?

This is a tough one, I really wish I could predict the future!  I am sure many other successful professionals and individuals will have their approach.

In my humble opinion: The key is to learn, to have fun and be simple.

Economic growth and stock cycles are getting shorter.  And as mentioned above, the dynamism of our current world is changing so fast that keeping pace with these changes is a challenge on its own.  One mistake that I made previously is overthinking.  Similar to handling complex situations, the moment we look too far ahead, mash things up and over-analyze, we tend to lose focus and will often get derailed from our goals.

Keep things simple, anticipate within a foreseeable timeframe while taking note of long term goals.  Make plans simple in order to be able to adjust it when necessary.

Make it fun! Challenge or set simple tasks or competition for yourself or colleagues when changes need to be made. Celebrate with a simple coffee break when it’s accomplished, all these make dealing with uncertainties just that bit more enjoyable. It’s already gloomy, why continue the negativity in dealing with these uncertainties? Keeping it fun brings about the positivity that’s necessary to ride these cycles that will just keep coming.  We live in the present, don’t we? Hence, why fret over situations that we cannot control and still try to control it. Enjoy the ride and enjoy the journey!

Why is Social Media Marketing important for a company’s brand?

Presence without boundaries is the key.

Traditional brand building takes time and it is costly and more often than not it’s limited to a specific city, country or region. The wider the area of coverage the more expensive and time consuming it will be. Social media is a platform where outreach is the least of your concerns when planning any brand-building campaign.  Thus, social media marketing allows us to reach our specified target group of consumers anywhere in the world as long as they have access to the Internet and the targeted social media platform; it does so almost instantly and cost-effectively.

Traditional marketing platforms are still required but they often take longer to plan, schedule and launch.  A normal campaign usually involves the approval of many levels of stakeholders.  It is usually quite costly to produce a simple 30 seconds TV advertisement or a full-page print media. Moreover, if there is a need to change, the whole approval and preparation process may have to start all over again.

In today’s dynamic and competitive world, time and resources efficacy is important to keep pace with the changing consumer needs.  Thus, with the introduction of big data and blockchain, the effectiveness of any marketing campaign that is pertinent to the success of any brand building/awareness campaign can be measured even more effectively.  The ability to select, track and classify consumer behaviours and preferences makes it possible for social media marketing campaigns to target a specific group of consumers who have shown interest in your company’s or similar products/brands.  This is definitely more effective than the traditional “seeking for a needle in the haystack” approach.

Social media marketing, depending on your company’s needs and industry, caters for organisations of all sizes.  Even if you are a new start-up or an SME, you can manage your budget quite effectively if you engage in your own social media marketing efforts.  This is quite evident in the number of advertisements that we see from the various social media platforms where companies, including new start-ups and SMEs, utilize social media platforms to promote their products and build their company’s brand names.

We can also utilize Search Engine Marketing in driving traffic to our website or business.  While this method is effective, it can often be higher in cost especially when the keywords used are highly sort-after.  Depending on the industry and competition, the costs involved can be significant.  Search Engine Optimisation is yet another effective method to drive awareness and traffic to your business or website but requires time and content building.

References:

1. The Future of Jobs Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, World Economic Forum, January 2016.