Creative Problem Solving White Paper - The STOP Model

When you come to a crossroads in life or business and have to make a decision, how do you STOP, take inventory, and determine how to best solve the challenge facing you?

1. STOP Model | Page 1
W
hen you come to a crossroads in life or business and
have to make a decision, how do you STOP, take
inventory, and determine how to best solve the challenge
facing you?
The STOP Model provides you with a model
to follow to move you through creative
problem solving.
The following case study will walk you through a business
situation and how the STOP Model was applied to help
this organization work through to a solution.
Case Study
Our client came to us with the following challenge: We
have no sales growth halfway through the year!
LET’S PUT THE MODEL TO THE TEST!
STOP Model Step 1 is S = Simplify to
scrutinize and spot the challenge(s) you
want to solve.
Being that the first step in the STOP Model is: S = Simplify
to scrutinize and spot the challenges you want to solve.
How do you uncover what’s the real challenge? So often
the top-of-mind problem that is weighing on your
STOP MODEL
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shoulders isn’t even the real problem. Our prescription is
for you to drill down, ask the 5 whys?
THE 5 WHY PROCESS
You have no sales growth halfway through the year.
1. Why is that?
Our sales representatives aren’t hitting their numbers.
2. Why is that?
We added a few new products this year and we thought that
would provide us a boost to sales and re-energize our sales team
– but it’s not working.
3. Why is that?
Our new product demonstrations and launch of marketing
materials are taking longer than expected.
4. Why is that?
Our sales and marketing teams aren’t on the same page with
priorities on our take-to-market strategy.
5. Why is that?
Our marketing team has been so focused and consumed by the
new product launch that all other marketing efforts have gone
on the back burner.
So, after asking the 5 whys to drill down, the original
broad challenge was thrown out. We learned that the
real reason that sales are flat might be due to the new
product launch and the sales and marketing teams have
not exchanged the information they need to do their jobs
well, be in sync with each other and make sales.
What could the value be to this company to solve this real
challenge versus reacting to the first challenge/problem
that was mentioned? A reaction to sales are down and
our reps aren’t hitting their numbers, could be to make
staffing changes. With the drill down of the 5 whys, a
more strategic problem came to the top to solve.
This company can now focus on how to help the organization
as a whole experience sales growth this year. They will
focus on all of the complexities of the new product launch
and get the sales and marketing teams working together.
How do you bridge these two important groups working
together for the growth of the company?

2. STOP Model | Page 2
STOP Model Step 2 is T = Identify the unique
talents you bring to the table.
In Step 1 of the STOP Model, we simplified our challenge:
we need to bring the sales and marketing teams together
to provide a strong, new product take-to-market strategy
that both groups are excited about and move the dial on
sales growth.
Step 2 in the STOP Model is T = Talents at the Table: what
unique talents does the team bring to the table to solve
the challenge? This process requires personal reflection
in a team setting where each individual team member
needs to be open and honest throughout the process. This
conversation is an exploration of talents in general – but
also talents that connect directly to the challenge that
needs to be solved.
FOR THIS TEAM SITUATION, IT IS AN
EVALUATION OF EACH INDIVIDUAL
TEAM MEMBER.
What talents have these team members demonstrated in
working through something similar before? Have there
been positive examples to reflect back on to pull best
practices from? Each individual team member has talents
that he/she brings to the table - how do we identify their
core competencies and build a unified team? So in this
case, the talents needed are stepping up to lead and the
ability to communicate effectively to break down silos
between two departments. Who has the bigger picture in
mind with growth and sales goals? Who represents the
voice of the customers and clients purchasing the current
product line and those that will purchase the new lines?
Who is willing and open to new ideas and can work as a
team? Through this exploration you determine who on
the teams has talents like these that rise to the top.
There are plenty of evaluations out there to assess talents
and team strengths. You can get really detailed and spend a
lot of time on this area if you choose to, but the real magic
is everyone being authentic in their skills and talents they
bring to the table as it pertains to the challenge.
NEXT, EXPLORE THE TALENTS MISSING
FROM THE TEAM.
How do we start to evaluate the talent gaps that we have
at the table? Who else do we need to ask to help us?
During this think tank session - ask the team who they
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would benefit from having on the team – allow the team
to think big. They can always cut the list down later! (It’s
not a lesson in adding so many people to the table that
you move to having to make decisions by committee – it’s
a lesson on having the right talents at the table to allow
something to move forward as fast as possible.)
For this team, it might be a senior leader who can remove
roadblocks to accomplish things in a quicker turnaround
than the company normally experiences. It could be a client
and prospect focus group to bring the voice of the customer
to the table. It might be a product engineer who could
provide hands on training and information to support the
frontline sales team with the skills to sell the new products.
There’s no magic to the number of people that are sitting
around the table, the magic is in having the needed talent
to move forward. Be real about what might be missing
and bring the Talent to the Table!
Step 3 in the STOP Model is O = Others –
Build relationships with the people who can
help you.
What outside relationships does the team have with
people who can help? What other people do you need to
bring to the table?
WE CONSIDER THE OTHERS PROBABLY
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE
MODEL – MAYBE EVEN THE SECRET
SAUCE!
Why walk alone when you can have a tribe of people to
walk the journey with you? This part of the model is ever
more meaningful when it’s a personal challenge that you
are looking to solve! Allow others to help you soar! The
saying two heads are better than one applies here. Or,
it takes a village to raise a child. Well, as an adult it can
take a village of supporters to help you move something
important forward too – what’s wrong with that?!
When you overlay the “gap talents” of what needs to be
in place to accomplish your challenge, you have to go
recruit the needed and missing talent. This is where the
real fun can begin. Often when we work with individuals
or clients through the STOP Model this is where the magic
happens. Everyone realizes that they have someone they
can bring to the table that would immediately provide
value and welcome getting involved.
“I applied Dina Simon's STOP model to a new business venture. I was amazed at how simple it made the process,
yet how clearly it laid out the strategic overview and action steps needed. I'd highly recommend the approach to
any challenge or opportunity someone wants to conquer.” — Kevin Ehlinger, CEO of Think Creative Digital Marketing

3. 3440 Federal Drive, Suite 230 | Eagan, MN 55122
612.470.STOP | [email protected] | SimonSaysLead.com
©2015 Simon Says Lead
®
. All rights reserved. As we talked about this team and their challenge we
identified people who weren’t typically included in the
sales or marketing teams. We suggested the idea of
having an engineer at the table that helped develop the
new products to allow their input on training the sales
team. We suggested having a focus group with clients and
prospects. It isn’t rocket science to think bigger picture
and involve others, but how often do these people get
invited to the table to help a company grow sales and hit
their targets as a team?
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THERE ARE
TALENTS THAT THE TEAM STILL NEEDS
TO BRING TO THE TABLE AND THEY DO
NOT HAVE ANYONE IN THEIR NETWORK
THAT FITS THE PROFILE?
Develop a clear message of what goals and action items
are in place and what skills the team is looking for – and
go ask for help! People love to help other people when the
problem/situation has been clearly stated and a specific
request has been made! Those other people might even
have the expertise to suggest additional gap talents that
are needed. Or, find a consultant that specializes in the
talent you need and bring him/her to the team – hire
them fast and you will move forward quickly.
STOP Model Step 4 is P = Plan – Build a solid plan
that will actively move you toward your goal.
We come to our final stage of the 4 step process in the
STOP Model and that is P = Plan: Build a solid plan that
will actively move you toward your goal and then execute
the plan.
With our case study, you know that we simplified
the challenge of the sales and marketing team of an
organization that has new products that have launched
and sales are down. They have evaluated the talents they
have as a team and what other people and resources they
need to help them move forward. Now they need to build
their plan! So often this is the missing or weakest link.
We do a lot of planning to plan in our lives and business,
but the execution of a plan is often hard.
During the planning process, the person who raises
his/her hand to be responsibl line item takes the
responsibility not to solve that particular issue – but to
ensure that this line item has milestones and timelines
and resources to move what needs to be moved forward.
WHEN DEVELOPING A PLAN ON
HOW TO MOVE A TEAM FORWARD ON
SOMETHING, LOOK BACK TO THE
TALENTS ON THE TEAM.
Does someone on the team have strategic planning or
project management skills that would aide this team in
putting a solid game plan into place? If not, allow them
to have someone outside the team facilitate this part for
them. The power of having someone outside facilitate the
planning process allows all participants to participate –
no one person is worried about the facilitation process
and how smoothly it goes.
We do this within our own company. Simon Says Lead
uses a model called EOS – Entrepreneurial Operating
System. The facilitated process and the specific tools
allow us to have a framework for how to move forward on
key business initiatives. At the end of the day it doesn’t
matter what you use … but use some framework or
method to allow a solid plan to be formed.
Once the plan is developed, what are the weekly,
monthly, and quarterly check-in dates and deliverables?
How is senior leadership receiving information? If this
was a critical challenge the company faced and it was put
it in the hands of those that could effect the change, allow
them to share their process and plan with senior leaders
to gain buy-in.
Thank you for allowing us to give you an example of the STOP
Model through this case study. We hope it provides you with an
understanding on how effectively it can be applied to challenges
you might be facing in life and in business.
WHITE PAPER
Dina B Simon
Executive Coach | Author | Speaker
There are some simple ways to navigate and
find solutions to move you forward in times
when you think moving forward is not an
option. Join us as we teach you how to be
Unstoppable!
To learn more about the STOP Model
and how to Make Unstoppable Simple,
purchase her book, “Make Unstoppable
Simple, Creative Problem Solving in Life
and Leadership” at simonsayslead.com,
amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.