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What My Plumber Taught Me About Creative Problem Solving in Business
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Three months ago, I'm standing in ankle-deep water in my Melbourne office at 6 AM, watching my "waterproof" filing cabinet leak confidential client documents like a broken tap. The plumber arrives, takes one look at the burst pipe behind the wall, and says, "Mate, whoever installed this was thinking like an accountant, not a tradesman."
That comment stuck with me harder than the $3,000 repair bill.
See, most business folk approach creative problem solving like they're balancing a spreadsheet – methodical, linear, risk-averse. But the best solutions often come from thinking like someone who gets their hands dirty for a living. Someone who knows that sometimes you need to break a few tiles to fix the real problem underneath.
The Dirty Truth About Workplace Problem Solving
After 18 years consulting for everyone from tiny startups in Darwin to mining giants in Perth, I've noticed something that'll make your HR department uncomfortable: the best problem solvers in any organisation are rarely the ones with "Strategic Thinking" on their LinkedIn profiles.
They're usually the receptionist who figured out how to reduce customer complaints by 40% with a simple phone script change. Or the warehouse supervisor who eliminated shipping errors by redesigning the packing stations with pool noodles and cable ties.
These people don't follow the traditional 7-step problem solving framework they teach in business schools. They see a problem, they fix it, they move on. No PowerPoint presentations required.
Why Your Problem Solving Training Isn't Working
Here's where I'm going to lose some of you corporate trainers reading this – most problem solving workshops are absolutely useless.
I've sat through dozens of them. They're all the same: some consultant with perfectly pressed shirts draws circles on a whiteboard, talks about "thinking outside the box" (while ironically following the exact same curriculum template), and sends everyone home with a workbook they'll never open again.
The real issue? They treat creative thinking like it's some mystical art that requires special techniques and frameworks. Rubbish.
Creative problem solving is just normal thinking without the corporate fear of looking stupid.
Remember when Qantas figured out that passengers were complaining about long waits for baggage? Instead of hiring more baggage handlers or buying faster conveyor belts, they simply moved the baggage claim further from the gates. Same wait time, but people spent it walking instead of standing around getting frustrated. Brilliant? No. Just thinking like a human instead of a process manual.
The Three Things Nobody Tells You About Business Problems
First: Most workplace problems aren't actually problems – they're symptoms. That high staff turnover you're worried about? It's probably not about money or workload. It's likely because your middle management treats people like spreadsheet entries instead of humans.
I learned this the hard way when I lost my three best consultants in two months. Spent weeks analysing exit interviews, reviewing salary structures, even brought in a workplace wellness expert. Turned out they were all leaving because our office kitchen only had instant coffee, and they felt the company didn't care about quality in the small things. Fixed that for $200 and a decent espresso machine.
Second: The best solutions often break existing rules. If your customer service team can't solve issues because "policy doesn't allow it," then your policy is the problem, not your staff. I once watched a Bunnings employee spend 20 minutes helping a customer fix a door hinge in the car park because the customer couldn't figure it out at home. That's not in any training manual, but it's exactly why people love shopping there.
Third: Speed matters more than perfection. While you're having your fourth meeting about the "optimal solution," your competition is already implementing their good-enough solution and learning from real feedback.
Why Plumbers Beat MBAs at Problem Solving
Back to my flooded office story. The plumber didn't start by analysing water flow rates or researching pipe specifications. He looked at the problem, considered three possible approaches, picked the one that would work fastest, and got on with it.
When I asked him how he knew it would work, he shrugged and said, "Twenty years of fixing other people's mistakes. You learn to spot the real problem pretty quick."
That's the secret sauce right there. Experience trumps theory every single time.
But here's what's interesting – you don't need twenty years of plumbing to think like this. You just need to stop overthinking and start trying things.
The Real Problem Solving Skills They Don't Teach
Forget your Six Sigma methodologies and design thinking workshops. The most valuable problem solving skills are surprisingly simple:
Admitting when you don't know something. Revolutionary concept, I know. But most business problems persist because everyone's too proud to say "I have no idea why this keeps happening."
Talking to the people actually doing the work. Your solution to improve productivity might look great in a boardroom presentation, but if it makes life harder for the people on the factory floor, it's not a solution – it's just expensive stupidity.
Testing small before going big. Instead of rolling out your brilliant new system across all 47 locations, try it in one store for a month. See what breaks. Fix it. Then expand.
Knowing when to stop. Sometimes the problem isn't worth solving. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Sometimes "good enough" really is good enough.
I once spent six months and $50,000 optimising a client's inventory management system. Reduced processing time by 3.2 minutes per order. Sounds impressive until you realise they only process 12 orders per day. That's 38 minutes saved daily, costing them about $130 per saved minute. Not my finest moment.
What Actually Works (From Someone Who's Made Every Mistake)
Stop looking for the perfect framework. Start looking for the simplest solution that might work.
When Coles wanted to reduce checkout queues, they didn't redesign their entire store layout or install fancy new technology. They put up mirrors near the registers so people could check their appearance while waiting. Suddenly, waiting didn't feel as long.
When Toyota's manufacturing team needed to reduce defects, they didn't hire consultants or buy expensive testing equipment. They gave every worker a cord to pull that would stop the entire production line if they spotted a problem. Defects dropped dramatically because problems got fixed immediately instead of being passed down the line.
These aren't revolutionary insights. They're just examples of people thinking clearly instead of thinking cleverly.
The Part Where I Admit I Got It Wrong
For years, I preached the importance of "structured problem solving approaches." I had frameworks for everything. Five-step processes, decision trees, root cause analysis templates.
Then I started actually watching how the most effective people solve problems.
They don't follow frameworks. They ask good questions, try simple solutions first, and aren't afraid to change direction when something isn't working.
The structured approaches aren't wrong, but they're tools, not rules. And like any tool, they're only useful when they're the right tool for the job.
Why This Matters More Now Than Ever
We're living through the most complex business environment in decades. Supply chain disruptions, remote work challenges, changing customer expectations, economic uncertainty.
The companies thriving right now aren't the ones with the most sophisticated problem solving methodologies. They're the ones that can adapt quickly, try new approaches without getting paralysed by analysis, and treat problems as opportunities to improve rather than crises to survive.
Remember: every problem in your business exists because the current system allows it to exist. Fix the system, not just the symptom.
Looking to improve your problem solving skills? Check out these professional training programs designed for Australian businesses.