Risk & Business Magazine JGS Insurance Spring 2020 | Page 28

HOW TO FIX ANYTHING
HOW TO FIX ANYTHING:
Part 4—Final Edition
R
EALITY CHECK
It may seem cavalier to propose
a method to “fix anything”—
and it is. What we have
actually been discussing in the
last three segments is problem solving.
There are many published theories and
systems for problem solving employed by
companies all over the world. Some are
very specific to an industry, and some are
very generic. A simple internet search will
reveal countless methods, usually paired
with acronyms designed to help people
remember an order of operations for each
method. It’s not a new topic, yet, it often
gets lost or clouded by mundane details or
perceived hurdles that seem just too high
to jump over. This short series was written
to show that you don’t need a psychology
degree to apply some simple principles to
help solve even some very complex issues.
Furthermore, it was designed to illustrate
that things you may have thought couldn’t
be changed or improved, in fact, can be—
by You.
RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
Along the way, we have identified our
issue, adjusted our attitude, modified
our perspective, and assigned value
to the problem. Next, we took it all
apart and analyzed each piece. Then
we organized our parts, forecasted
outcomes, experimented with the order
of operations, modified that order, and
developed a plan. By carefully examining
each piece of our process, we were able to
better understand its role in that process.
In certain cases, parts may need to be
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replaced. Perhaps we found a supplier that
is willing to meet our demands because
they see the benefit and have a similar
progressive outlook.
Putting it all back together should be
fairly simple, especially using our newly
minted timeline. You probably wouldn’t
fix a wristwatch with a sledgehammer.
And you probably wouldn’t fix an airplane
with Krazy Glue. Knowing what tool to
use in order to fix a particular problem is
key to overcoming whatever issue you may
be having. In this case, our timeline was
that tool.
THAT WAS EASY…
Possibly the most important aspect is
producing a reasonable outcome with
our recently fixed product or process.
If you start with a broken dishwasher,
don’t expect a refrigerator when you are
finished. It’s still a dishwasher, just better.
If your current process takes 180 days
from inception to completion, deriving
a 45-day process may be unreasonable.
Managing our clientele’s expectations
is absolutely critical to be sure that they
will be happy in the end. Communication
here is paramount. What do think will
happen next? Well, if we look at our
timeline, we can accurately illustrate what
the next steps are. We can also predict
what will happen if one or more of those
steps are delayed for some reason. The
chain reaction moves down the line. The
visual representation of our process gives
an almost tangible feel to it; almost a
physical attribute. The Pauli Exclusion
Principle basically states that two objects
cannot occupy the same space at the same
time. The same is true on our timeline.
It’s up to us to communicate throughout
the process. There are 24 hours each day,
seven days per week, roughly 4.3 weeks
per month, and so on. The only way to
guarantee our client’s happiness is to find
out what they really want. This one can
be tricky, because they don’t always know
what they want. Another way to look at
it is that they don’t know what they can
have. Personally, I love when a client asks
“Really? That’s possible? That would be
great!!” And ultimately, that must be our
highest priority. Without them, we might
as well close the doors. +
BY: STEVE RODERICK, CLCS
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT
JGS INSURANCE
Steve Roderick has recently entered the
Insurance Industry and brings with
him a completely new perspective. With
over 20 years in the Marine Industry, it
was evident that Steve was destined
to fix things, whether it be procedures,
operations, or anything else that crosses
his desk. He works closely alongside
business owners and property managers
to solve their issues through exceptional
customer service.