Successful Problem Solving for Attorneys – 1.5 hrs. CLE – TRTCLE
Program Agenda, Notes & Resources
Tracy Work
Website: https://tsworklaw.com
Email: tracy@tsworklaw.com
Materials: https://tsworklaw.com/success
Priming the Problem-Solving Pump – Reframing in Action
"Your brain is lying to you—and that’s a problem."
Studies show that over 90% of decisions are made subconsciously, influenced by biases we’re not even aware of.
Source: Harvard Business School / Daniel Kahneman’s work on cognitive biases"The CIA, a firefighter, and a chess master walk into a crisis..."
They all solve problems—but in completely different ways.
Take away: What can we steal from elite problem-solvers in high-stakes fields?"Most meetings aren’t problem-solving—they’re problem-deferring."
According to McKinsey, only 11% of executives believe their organization's problem-solving is effective.
Source: McKinsey & Company, “How good is your problem solving?”"Good problem-solvers aren’t smarter—they just think differently."
Top problem-solvers tend to reframe problems rather than attack the obvious solution first."NASA once solved a billion-dollar problem with a pen cap."
A minor redesign saved critical oxygen flow on a space mission.
Source: NASA engineering case studies (e.g., Apollo 13 CO2 scrubber solution)"The FBI has a checklist. What’s yours?"
From hostage negotiation to fraud detection, elite organizations rely on structured thinking—not guesswork."Einstein was asked how he’d solve a tough problem."
He said: “I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem, and 5 minutes on the solution.”
Anecdotally attributed to Albert Einstein"Most people don’t solve problems. They solve symptoms."
And then they wonder why the issue keeps coming back.
Take away: Real problem-solvers aim at the root."The average person makes 35,000 decisions a day."
Most are automatic. Some are bad.
Source: Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, Brian Wansink (2007)"Pilots don’t panic when an engine fails. They reach for a checklist."
Take away: Do you have a checklist—or just chaos?"Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times to invent the lightbulb."
He called it 1,000 steps to success."The biggest mistake in problem solving? Solving the wrong problem brilliantly."
"The U.S. military trains soldiers to solve problems under fire."
They use OODA loops: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
Source: U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd"Want to be a better problem-solver? Get more wrong answers first."
Divergent thinking—generating bad ideas on purpose—makes your good ones better.
Source: Guilford’s Alternative Uses Task, creativity studies"In medicine, the wrong diagnosis kills. In business, it just takes longer."
Take away: Do you diagnose before you prescribe?
Program Agenda
Part I – Fundamentals of Problem Solving
Part II – Framework for Successful Problem Solving
Elements of the Framework
Know thy self
What can we steal from great problem solvers?
Part III – Practical Application in Legal Practice
Steps I take when I approach/intake new legal matters
Actionable ways to get better results & happier clients
The role or intuition & how to improve results
Things Great Problems Solvers Have in Common – Things Great Problem Solvers Do
Understanding context, defining (or reframing) the problem
Structured thinking & systematic problem-solving
Risk assessment process and process management
Curiosity & questions
Interdisciplinary Approach with good team dynamics & collaboration
Creativity & constraints
Adaptable to uncertainty & change
Big-picture thinking & anticipation
Decision quality: rapid, informed and non-biased
Crisis & high-stakes thinking
Ethical considerations
Prevention and Proactivity
Articles on Related Topics
The Power of Intuition: How to Recognize and Strengthen a Tool We Often Ignore
Borrowing Brilliance: Systematic Problem-Solving Techniques from Other Professions
When the Legal Question Isn’t Really the Problem: How to Reframe and Rethink