Since I started the MBA journey, I’ve been prepping case interviews lately. It all comes down to the ability to break down and structure the problem in a way that can be solved more easily than the original problem on its own.
After going through Victor Cheng Case Interview Secrets and the CaseCoach cases, I feel more natural at breaking it down.
Just today at work, I encountered two occasions (one internal issue one external issue) that I used the newly found break-it-down skill to help unblock the issue and help the team move forward.
- External Client Churn Situation — break down client call planning blocker
In discussing a followup planning for an at-risk client, both the sales manager and CSM manager want the other party to lead the call and the planning session was temporarily blocked. I jumped in and redirected the team’s focus from discussing who should lead the call
2. Internal Product — break down internal product initiative blocker
Product Design has concerns about the potential consequence of updating a product core backbone structure. However, it’s been difficult to pinpoint the exact consequences of changing the certain feature and they cannot proceed with the decision.
I suggested laying out all the potential impact areas and collaborate with service team and customers to assess the actual consequence. This seems to make sense and provides a way to “get unstuck” and help us find a way to move forward.
Even though it sounds simple, however, it’s may not be intuitive to everyone on how to break down a thorny question properly into solvable bits. I’m really glad that I invested in myself in upgrading my skills and be able to add value to my team.
