What is the most complex problem…?
“What is the most complex problem you have had to solve in your work?”
Most of us are familiar with this question. Either we have asked someone during an interview or sometimes the other way around. In this post, I would like to answer this question by combining several experiences of mine as a first-time Tech Lead.
The Problem
I was asked to work on a discovery story and come up with a POC (Proof of Concept) which will save a few thousand dollars. Sounds interesting right? It’s a trap for people who like exploring new things and also for those who can’t say NO to their superiors. I was all excited, spent a couple of extra hours after work and completed the POC.
The Big Day
Finally, the day has arrived, I have showcased it to my superiors and, as expected they all liked it. But my next step is to present it to my peers and ask them to implement it. That’s when I started seeing some resistance. Yes, things are always not smooth in an organization. I felt offended and lost my cool for the first time. I had to take a step back and analyze the situation.
The Analysis
After a while, I have realized that the team resisted because the process change seemed to be a burden for them. And, I felt offended because the team was not looking at the bigger picture. But, the team was right, it was my mistake. My approach was wrong.
The Answer
Introducing a new business process is a complex task. It’s not easy to tweak an existing process which is going on smooth. Most of the people will not look at the bigger picture in the first shot. It’s a Lead’s responsibility to present the change in a convincing fashion. Most of the times POC can only impress our superiors but, the rest of the team will look for actual pros and cons. If you believe in the change, present it to the peers and get their feedback. People like when you give importance to their feedback. This approach not only helped me in convincing the team but also improved the outcome. Long story short, I have learned that
“A change should be induced, not enforced.”
Pro-Tip: Don’t fall for traps, at times it’s okay to say NO. I’ll explain it in another post.
If you would like to add your inputs, please feel free to post it as a comment. Happy reading :)
