Prosper News: November 2006
The Prosper Newsletter is back. Due to technical updates and reorganization, the newsletter was not released in September or October. The new Prosper Newsletter features more content than before. Included within the course of study sections you will find an article on topics related to that course of study. Take the time to read the article and apply it in your financial goals.
Dear Student,
Fall is in full swing; the leaves have changed and are beginning to fall to the ground. There is a chill in the air. Change is all around us. During this month, in the United States, we have the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving. This wonderful time of year affords many of us the opportunity to gather with friends and family and identify the things that we are most grateful for.
Prosper encourages you to take the time to think about what you have. Enjoy the blessings that you have. Enjoy the company of your friends and family. Think about what is most important to you. Thank you for being part of the Prosper family.
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Prosper, Inc.
Critical Thinking
Think Your Way Through Problems
It has probably happened to you. A problem has been brought to your attention that requires immediate attention. You spring into action and begin trying everything under the sun to put the fires out. Often things seem to worsen before you are able to control and overcome the situation.
Many times rushing into attempted solutions to problems can cause more harm than good. Even though you may be an excellent problem-solver, you can increase your effectiveness by taking time out to think through your problems. Make it a habit to think through problems and you will find they are often much simpler than previously expected.
It is human nature to expect the worst of any situation. You hear about the problem and your mind immediately begins to plan meetings and brainstorming sessions to come up with solutions to these catastrophic events. You begin sending emails to everyone that you think may be able to help with the problem. Often the end result is a problem that has become cloudy and undefined. Sometimes you even find that you are focusing on symptoms rather than the real problem.
By rushing into problem solving mode before taking the time to gather and process all the information available, you may miss the opportunity to solve a problem in the most efficient way. You may waste precious time and resources on something that really doesn't do anything to improve the situation.
Although different problems will require different strategies to overcome, there are some basic steps that you should take when beginning to solve a problem. We will cover some of the basic steps in this article.
Do Not Panic
Regardless of the news that you receive, it is probably not the end of the world. Keep calm and make sure that you stay in control of the situation. You are likely hearing the worst part of the situation so it will do no good to imagine the extent of the problem.
Identify the Problem
Many times when a problem is presented, you really only hear some of the symptoms of the problem. You cannot solve the symptoms. You need to identify what is causing the symptoms.
For example, assume that someone comes to you and tells you that morale is low in the department you manage. Low morale is often a symptom of a problem. You need to find out what is really causing the low morale and solve that, and then the symptoms will disappear.
Accurate identification of the problem at the beginning of the process will go a long way towards solving the problem in a timely manner.
Take Time to Think
Taking time to think is one of the most important parts of problem solving. You will be amazed the headway that you can make by just thinking about the problem facing you. As you think, take notes of ideas that come to you, these ideas may lead to a solution.
Look at the problem from different angles. Make sure that you do not get fixated on one potential solution. Identify as many possible solutions as possible. Think of the pros and cons of each solution and add them to your list. Once you have a few possible solutions number them from the easiest to hardest.
Take Action
Once you have taken the time to identify the problem and thought out the solutions it is time to take action. You will find that the time that you spent in the initial stages will be more than saved when you work on solving the problem that you encountered.
The best thing you can do when solving a problem is to use your mind to solve it. In almost all cases you will find that you can figure out the solution much faster by concentrating on it than you can by starting to work on it without the initial steps of this process.
