6 Ways for CxOs to Find Solutions to Hard Challenges When Expert Opinions Differ

When I am working with CxO, and other Senior Leaders, the majority of the work they do are hard challenges with uncertain outcomes. This is because these challenges are in what we call the complex domain.

A sign that something is complex is when the experts don’t agree and, sometimes, they even keep changing their own opinion.

A joke I make as a consultant is that you know that you are facing a complex problem when you talk to 10 people and they give you 15 different opinions :-)

It can be frustrating to hear so many opinions, but gathering a whole range of potential answers is essential to discover a solution that works.

To be able to successfully resolve these situations, we have to remember these 6 things:

• Don’t dismiss what people have suggested. You’ll find some gems in that feedback!
• Assume that you don’t have all the information.
• Adopt a very experimental approach to work on the situation.
• Be prepared to get things wrong, because that will happen.
• Adapt your ideas as new knowledge becomes available.
• Remain curious and reflective throughout the process.

I love how Klaus Leopold talks about doing things based on “our current state of misunderstanding”. Being adaptable will deliver better results and help you build a track record of success.