I previously worked in the finance-tech industry, where the speed of getting a solution was often the most important thing. Now I work in the supply chain industry where the speed of finding a solution is important but not quite as important as getting the correct and best solution. While the technology we have today is advanced, we are still slow to fully integrate to its optimal use. Most problems can be solved with the right information. Problems and solutions come in many forms, and there is rarely only one solution to any given problem. Finding a solution is usually easy, but finding the optimal solution isn’t. Everyone wants the “best” answer ASAP; however, most people don’t bother to take the time to ask questions, and how can you get an answer to any problem without the right information?
Growing up, my parents never focused on my grades or test scores. Instead, they always asked: “did you ask a good question today?” I was taught that the process of getting to an answer, through questions, was just as important if not more important as the answer itself. Our society has become obsessed with getting answers immediately. The last industry I worked in, the speed of getting the answer mattered more than if the information was completely correct. At Profit Point, the focus is on helping clients get to solutions faster by taking the time to ask the questions to find the best answer. This approach may make our process seem slow at times because we aren’t immediately delivering a solution, but what good is a solution using bad information. Our solutions and approaches change throughout each project because, in every step of the process, we gain more information. The ultimate goal is to take the time to understand each problem, ask questions, listen to answers, and together find not just any solution but the optimal one.
Patience, young grasshopper, in the company of Q&A, you will find the optimal solution.