Responders face problems on a daily basis. It’s how we deal with these problems and move on regardless of their size or complexity, that shapes our success. Unfortunately there isn’t any one size fits all approach to problem solving as circumstances will always vary.
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I have however put together a few tips that have helped me in the past.
1. Accept the problem. It could be a training session going wrong or equipment malfunctioning regardless acceptance is the first step responders must go through when running into problems. When you accept the problem exists, you can direct your energy fully to solving the problem and stop putting energy into “feeding it”. Now “it” simply exists you can start applying the cure.
2. Ask yourself: What’s the worst that can happen? If you over think or make a snap judgement you will blow the problem out of proportion doubling it in size. A panic judgment can cause unnecessary resources to be used or even the public to be unnecessarily frightened. By asking the question what’s the worst that can happen? with an optimistic frame of mind a responder can restore the problem to it’s original size.
3. Study up. Information about your problem can not only aid you in your recovery but will often decrease the anxiety we face when we are challenged. Knowledge wipes away the clouds of fear around a problem. When dealing with a large incident, the more knowledge you have the more confident you will be to give instruction to fellow responders.
4. Ask for help. Responders often feel asking for help shows a lack of knowledge or competency. However you don't have to solve every problem on your own. You can ask people for advice on what to do and what they did in similar situations, you can also ask for more practical help.
5. Break down the problem. Solving a problem can seem overwhelming when looking at it from a distance. To decrease your anxiety break the problem down into digestible pieces. Then figure out a practical solution to take for each of those little pieces. This approach may not solve the whole problem immediately. But it will reduce the size of the overall issue.
6. Use Parkinson’s Law. This law says that a task will expand in time and complexity depending on the time you set aside for it. For example, if you say to yourself that you’ll come up with a new training exercise within a week then the task or problem will seem to grow to fill that space. Focus your time when finding solutions, then for example give yourself a day instead of that whole week you were thinking of. This will force your mind to focus on solutions and action.
Managing your response team is the reason we developed Decisions [D4H]. To learn more about Decisions [D4H] download an information pack click here.
Marc Healy - [D4H] Emergency Response Team Software Crew
