It’s true. And similar to All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, everything I learned applies to business success!
I love puzzles, brain teasers, and riddles; and right now, I am in my sudoku era. In the last year, I have completed 4 sudoku puzzle books. I know I am not setting any type of world record with that but I have enjoyed it. Sudoku is quick, finite, and always has a solution (I’m looking at you Solitaire, with only an 80% winnable rate).
When I started playing, without even realizing it, I wrote down what I learned from each puzzle. How can I get better? What should I do differently next time? What did I do this time that helped me win? After a while, I realized that everything I wrote down applies to my profession. So here I am…sharing my learnings with you!
3 Key Learnings
- I’ll start with an obvious one. I had to remind myself that it is ok to take a hint, to get help. At first, I was hell-bent on only completing the puzzle if I could do it without looking at the solution for a hint. I had some strange thought in my head that it didn’t count if I couldn’t do it on my own. Seriously…how dumb is that?? Why would I think it is better to lose than to get help? And even when I refused to lose…I would sit in that puzzle trying different moves over and over and over until I solved the puzzle, frustrating myself the entire time. That isn’t smart either. Ultimately, the learning here is to focus on the outcome. How you get there doesn’t matter so ask for help and use your resources. I still try to solve it on my own, but I definitely don’t wait to get help when I know I am stuck.
- This one is so critical that I wrote it down repeatedly…until I got it through my head. Try different options, if nothing else, just to see what doesn’t work…to eliminate the wrong moves. In other words, try something! You can’t wait until the correct solution magically presents itself. This is absolutely true in business – lead a trial or a pilot. Do a few of them…simultaneously. We can hypothesize and strategize all we want…but until we put something into action, we don’t know how it will turn out. And the greater the complexity, the stronger the need for trials.
- Puzzle 212 on the right gave me some trouble, i.e., it taught me a lot. You can see how much I scratched out and erased. Another learning is to assume something will go wrong. Because it will and the more complex the initiative, the higher the likelihood of something going wrong. Therefore, always identify risks and create mitigation plans. I’d also encourage you to communicate those risks and mitigation plans. Demonstrating that thoughtfulness increases your credibility with leaders. And sharing the mitigation plans reduces anxiety within the team as it lets them know you have a plan and are ready for whatever is thrown at you.
More Gems
- Sometimes you have to start over. It’s frustrating to throw away work and start over but you can’t get caught on the sunk cost fallacy.
- When you are stuck, take a break. Get fresh eyes – your own or someone else’s.
- Define the definites, it will help you identify your options and risks. “What do we know for sure?”
- Along the same lines, eliminate the impossible – the non-viable options. Don’t waste your time on truly impossible options. Note that does not mean eliminate options you’ve tried before that didn’t work…learn from those and adjust.
- Follow your process, even on easy initiatives. Those processes will ensure you don’t skip a step and make a mistake.
- Don’t dwell on it when you get your ass kicked – learn and move on.
- Celebrate your successes – it will help you keep going when you hit a bump in the road.
And finally…always complete a post-mortem analysis. How else are you going to learn?
You had to know I was going to include that one, right?
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