How to Solve Problems Easier: The Aussie Business Owner's Guide to Actually Getting Things Done

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The bloke in the office next to mine spent three hours yesterday trying to figure out why the printer wasn't working, called IT twice, and even had a go at rearranging the entire server room setup. Turns out it wasn't plugged in.

This isn't just about printers, mate. This is about how we've completely lost the plot when it comes to solving problems in Australian workplaces. After 17 years of training businesses from Perth to Brisbane, I've watched smart people turn simple issues into corporate disasters because nobody taught them how to actually think through a problem properly.

The Real Problem with Problem-Solving

Most businesses treat problem-solving like it's some mystical art form that only consultants with fancy degrees can master. Rubbish. The best problem-solvers I know are tradies who learned to diagnose faulty wiring or mechanics who can hear what's wrong with an engine from across the workshop.

The difference? They follow a process. Every time.

But in corporate Australia, we've replaced systematic thinking with panic meetings and urgent emails marked "ASAP." I've seen marketing teams spend $50,000 on campaigns to solve customer retention problems without ever actually asking why customers were leaving in the first place. Mental.

Start with the Bloody Obvious

Here's what drives me mental about watching office workers tackle problems: they start with the most complicated possible explanation. Your computer's running slow? Must be a virus, malware, network configuration issues, or server problems.

Meanwhile, it's got 47 browser tabs open and hasn't been restarted in three weeks.

The Japanese have this concept called "5 Whys" - you ask "why" five times to get to the root cause. Brilliant in theory. In practice, most Aussie businesses can't even get past the first "why" because they're too busy implementing solutions to problems they haven't properly identified.

I worked with a Brisbane manufacturing company last year where production was constantly behind schedule. Management was ready to invest in new machinery, hire more staff, implement lean manufacturing principles - the works. Took them through a proper root cause analysis process and discovered the real issue: their morning safety briefings were running 20 minutes over every single day because the supervisor was using them to catch up on weekend football results.

Twenty minutes. That's it. Cost them tens of thousands in overtime and delayed shipments because nobody bothered to actually observe what was happening on the floor.

The Problem-Solving Framework That Actually Works

Forget the academic nonsense. Here's how you solve problems like someone who's actually run a business:

Step 1: Define the Problem Properly

Most people skip this entirely. They say "sales are down" when the real problem might be "repeat customers aren't buying as frequently" or "new customer acquisition has dropped 30% since March." Be specific. Write it down. If you can't explain the problem in one sentence, you don't understand it yet.

Step 2: Gather Information (Not Opinions)

This is where Australian businesses consistently stuff up. Instead of looking at data, observing processes, or talking to the people actually doing the work, we hold brainstorming sessions where the loudest voice wins.

Your accounts team knows why invoice processing is slow. Your reception staff know why customers get frustrated. Your warehouse team know why deliveries are delayed. Ask them. Then shut up and listen.

Step 3: Generate Multiple Solutions

Here's the bit where creativity actually matters. But not the kind of creativity where someone suggests "thinking outside the box" or "leveraging synergies." Real creativity means considering solutions you wouldn't normally try.

Sometimes the best solution is completely mundane. Sometimes it's expensive. Sometimes it requires admitting you were wrong about something. The key is having options before you commit to a course of action.

Why Most Solutions Fail

I've watched businesses implement perfect solutions to completely wrong problems more times than I can count. Usually happens because someone senior had a pet theory about what was wrong and everyone else was too polite to challenge it.

Classic example: retail store in Melbourne was losing customers to online competitors. Management decided the solution was better staff training and upgraded point-of-sale systems. Spent six months and $40,000 on comprehensive customer service programs.

Problem was, their customers weren't leaving because of poor service. They were leaving because the store's opening hours were rubbish and parking was a nightmare. No amount of training was going to fix that.

The solution failed because they solved the wrong problem.

The Aussie Advantage in Problem-Solving

We've got natural advantages as Australians that most other cultures don't. We're generally pretty good at cutting through nonsense and telling it like it is. We're not afraid to try unconventional approaches. And we understand that sometimes you need to get your hands dirty to understand what's really happening.

But we've let corporate culture water down these strengths. We've started talking about "stakeholder engagement" instead of just asking people what they think. We've replaced common sense with best practices imported from overseas consultants who've never actually run a business in regional Queensland or suburban Adelaide.

The most effective problem-solver I ever met was a publican in Townsville who diagnosed and fixed operational issues faster than any MBA I've worked with. His secret? He actually watched what happened in his business, talked to his customers and staff every day, and wasn't afraid to try simple solutions first.

Implementation: Where Good Ideas Go to Die

Having the right solution is only half the battle. The other half is getting people to actually do it. This is where most Australian businesses completely lose the plot.

They develop beautiful implementation plans with timelines, milestones, and accountability frameworks. Then nothing happens because they forgot to consider whether people actually want to change or have the capacity to change.

I watched a tech company in Sydney spend months developing a solution to improve project delivery times. The solution was sound: better project scoping, regular check-ins, clearer communication protocols. Should have worked perfectly.

Didn't work at all. Why? Because they implemented it during their busiest quarter when everyone was already working overtime just to keep existing projects on track. Nobody had bandwidth to learn new processes, no matter how good they were.

Timing matters. Context matters. People's capacity for change matters.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Problem-Solving

Most workplace problems aren't actually that complicated. They're just uncomfortable to address because the real solution requires changing something that powerful people don't want to change.

Your team's productivity problem might be because your open-plan office is a concentration nightmare, but nobody wants to admit the expensive renovation was a mistake. Your customer service issues might be because you're understaffed, but nobody wants to challenge the budget constraints. Your communication problems might be because one particular manager is terrible at their job, but nobody wants to have that conversation.

Effective communication training can help with some of these issues, but it won't fix fundamental structural problems or people who simply shouldn't be in leadership positions.

The hardest problems to solve aren't technical - they're political. And until Australian business leaders start being honest about that, we'll keep throwing money at symptoms while the real problems get worse.

Making Problem-Solving Stick

If you want your business to actually get better at solving problems, start measuring different things. Stop rewarding people for being busy and start rewarding them for identifying and fixing issues before they become crises.

Create systems where frontline staff can raise problems without being shot as messengers. Encourage experimentation with small, reversible changes rather than betting everything on major initiatives.

Most importantly, accept that good problem-solving is sometimes boring. It's asking obvious questions, checking simple things first, and having the patience to understand before jumping to solutions.

It's not glamorous. It won't impress anyone at networking events. But it works.

And in a business environment where 73% of workplace problems stem from poor communication or unclear processes, getting the basics right will put you ahead of most of your competition.

The printer next door is working fine now, by the way. Sometimes the simplest explanation really is the right one.