This article is part one of our problem-solving series. Click here to read part two on decision-making and analytical thinking.
It’s 3 PM on a Thursday when your team’s quarterly project hits a major roadblock. The data you need is incomplete; a key stakeholder just went on vacation, and your deadline is immovable. We’ve all been there—that moment when a challenge seems insurmountable, and the path forward is anything but clear.
It’s time for Problem-solving 101.
It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many teams and companies don’t have strategies in place to deal with this kind of issue. Teams are left to fend for themselves, and without a formal or agreed-upon workflow, many are left hoping that everyone’s on the same page and not causing more problems.
In today’s modern, fast-moving, complex work environments, the ability to navigate obstacles isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential.
Yet effective problem-solving isn’t a mystical talent granted to a lucky few. According to TaskHuman Coach Pam Louie, it’s a set of learnable skills that transform how to approach challenges.
In this article, Coach Pam outlines two foundational skills of the modern problem solver’s toolkit: resourcefulness and creativity. Head here to learn about decision-making and analytical thinking.
Dive in for a practical roadmap for tackling even the most daunting workplace challenges.
Modern workplace problems rarely have textbook solutions.
And if they do, the chances are those textbooks will become outdated within a year or two. Organizations are becoming more interconnected and varied:
Some people work from home or on the other side of the world.
Public, societal, and shareholder expectations continuously ramp up.
These factors cause individual contributors to face increasingly complex challenges that cross functional boundaries and require adaptable thinking.
This shift demands a more holistic approach—one that combines rigorous analysis with creative thinking, decisive action, and resourceful implementation.
Explore each essential skill below and learn how to strengthen it.
Resourcefulness is the ability to blend personal knowledge with external research to create practical solutions, especially when faced with constraints.
As Coach Pam explains, “Resourcefulness is collating your personal experiences plus what you might research on…and bringing it together to contribute to a solution.”
Yet time pressure and information overload often hamper our resourcefulness.
When facing tight deadlines, it’s common to reach for familiar solutions rather than explore new possibilities. Similarly, when bombarded with information, we struggle to filter what’s truly relevant.
For Coach Pam, resourcefulness is critical for problem-solving:
“You don’t want to just come up with a recommendation or an answer based on one thing. You need to be able to understand your environment, your personal experiences, and the experiences of others, understanding what the problem is, what the constraints are around that, and maybe what’s been tried before. This research, together with creative solutions that others have applied before, may give you your unique solution.”
To cultivate this vital skill:
Build a diverse knowledge portfolio. Expand your interests beyond your immediate field. The marketing professional who understands basic coding or the engineer who studies psychology brings a unique perspective to problem-solving.
Practice cross-functional networking. Louie suggests having “an interest in broadening your interests” and recommends networking: “I go to different events on different topics. I might not know anything about it, but I’m learning.”
Adopt a question-first approach. When stuck, ask: “Who might have solved something similar before?” or “What resources am I overlooking?” These questions expand your solution space beyond the obvious.
One of the common challenges Louie identifies is time constraints: “Your resourcefulness is going to be limited by the amount of time you have to come up with a solution.”
She also notes that “biases are going to come into play because you may only research or look at something… if you have a personal bias or some other emotional blockage that stops you from looking there, you could be missing something. So open-mindedness, I think, really will play a huge part here.”
Misconceptions around creativity
Contrary to popular belief, creativity isn’t about artistic talent or sudden inspiration. It’s the process of generating novel and meaningful ideas by connecting seemingly unrelated concepts.
“It is thinking of a way to do something that may not be the usual or the expected approach,” Coach Pam explains.
Of course, fear of judgment often stifles workplace creativity. This could mean worrying about proposing “wild” ideas that might fail or look unprofessional. Additionally, rigid thinking patterns—approaching every problem the same way—limit our creative potential.
When asked about common challenges to creativity, Louie notes: “I think people get in their own way. They think that they aren’t creative and lack imagination. Often it’s more a concern that whatever they’re going to put out there is wrong.
This prevents us from accessing more creative ways of finding and implementing solutions and, thus, holds everything back.
To unlock greater creativity:
Engage in creative cross-training. Louie recommends activities like building with Legos or playing games: “Games I think are really interesting… let’s say you play an online game such as Sims where you build a new world in some way, shape or form. By doing this, you’re building your creative muscle.”
Create a permission practice. Before brainstorming, explicitly give yourself permission to generate ideas without immediate judgment. Say: “I’m going to consider all possibilities before evaluating any.”
Build systems to capture fleeting insights. Having a reliable capture system ensures that moments of inspiration aren’t lost.
Leverage creativity for differentiation
Louie emphasizes the importance of finding your creative edge: “How do you stand out in a sea of X number of people at X number of companies as an individual? If you’re not, if everyone’s coming up with the same answer, what makes you unique?”
By embracing these creativity-enhancing practices, team members can break free from conventional thinking patterns and contribute more innovative solutions.
When organizations deliberately cultivate environments where creative thinking is valued and protected, they don’t just solve today’s challenges—they anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities.
Related Reading: Unleashing Workplace Creativity: Insights From Elaine Jacob
Like any worthwhile skill, these capabilities develop through intentional practice. Start with one skill this week:
For resourcefulness: Identify a challenge and list all available resources—including people, tools, and information—before determining what’s missing.
For creativity: Spend 10 minutes brainstorming solutions to a current problem without judging any ideas.
In today’s rapidly changing workplace, your ability to navigate challenges effectively sets you apart. By strengthening these essential skills, you transform obstacles from sources of stress to opportunities for impact and growth.
What problem will you solve differently tomorrow?
This article is based on insights from problem-solving expert and TaskHuman Coach Pam Louie, as part of TaskHuman’s ongoing commitment to helping professionals develop the essential skills that drive both well-being and performance in today’s workplace.
Continue exploring the problem-solving toolkit in part two of this series, where we cover decision-making and analytical thinking.