How I Plan to Kill This Final Report
like a Boss.
I'm not going to lie to you, starting is always the hardest part for me. Call it what you will; lack of
motivation, or abnormally cold weather - this final report is very daunting. Like always, Mum senses
my desperation and gives me a good piece of advice. "Work at it even just a little bit, every day and
you'll see that it will be done in no time." So after receiving this momentarily inspiring advice, I
calculated that if I contributed 200 words each day, then I would have the report done in 3 weeks.
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| That old chestnut. |
Of course, that didn't happen and more time passed. There was no sudden, brilliant epiphany and
certainly no progress. Why? because the bulk of my report would come from my PR plan, which was
still pending. The obstacle was, that I just couldn't find a way to narrow down my ideas, in a way that
would holistically achieve the organisational strategy. Finally, I asked myself this simple question:
"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"
My first answer was, "because I want to graduate - obviously." I then pushed myself to answer
more objectively and reworded the question. Michelle, what exactly are you trying to achieve? So I
answered, "A solution."
That's when it hit me. All PR plans, start with a problem. Some people are scared of that
word... 'Problem'. But they shouldn't be because if there is a problem, then there is also a solution to
counteract it. Problems might seem intimidating, but take courage. There are ways to approach
problems, so that they don't seem so unbeatable.
Without further ado, here is the best problem solving tip I ever learnt. When faced with a problem,
consider what you can do about it.
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| Courtesy of my first year unit, Business Information Systems - 2014. Thanks goes to that amazing Unit Coordinator. |
THE COGS IN THE BRAIN GO ROUND AND ROUND
round and round, round and round.
I sat and thought about the problem that the business was facing, which wasn't difficult; because my
boss already told me exactly what the problem was. Coming up with the solution was also a self-
explanatory process. Logically, I want exactly the opposite of the current problem, to happen instead.
The difficult part now, is how to make the opposite happen. That's when I started analysing and
thinking critically. What are we doing now and what or how does it need to change? I used the
problem-solving approach above and now I can gladly tell you that my PR plan and final report is all
planned out and a promising work-in-progress.
WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BLOG?
Super Simple Steps: how to solve a problem
1. Establish the problem exactly
2. Establish the ideal solution
3. Establish what can be done about the problem
using a problem-solving approach like the one above.
I wish you all the best, killing your reports like bosses, also.
Until soon. Always like a boss,
- Mivalaa
