Where to buy
Carried by Amazon in every market, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Waterstones, Booktopia, Kinokuniya, Flipkart, Google Books, Apple Books and Kobo. Printed on demand close to wherever it is ordered.
Listed with the worldwide trade network, so any bookstore or library can order it. Ask for it by ISBN: 978-1732328785 (paperback).
What is inside
SOLVE© by Sunil George presents a practical five-step framework for handling people and performance challenges in one-to-one conversations. Designed as a simple model that can be applied across consulting, coaching, problem resolution, leadership, and everyday professional interactions, it provides a structured way to guide another person without immediately jumping to advice.
The framework begins with Seek, which focuses on gathering information and preparing for the conversation. Observe helps define the desired outcome and clarify what needs to change. Listen emphasises reflective listening so that the person feels heard and the real issue becomes clearer.
Value-add focuses on creating insights, asking useful questions, and encouraging the individual to think of new possibilities rather than simply being given an answer. Finally, Evaluate looks at the actions agreed upon and whether they are producing the intended results. At its core, the model encourages helpers to combine structure with empathy, reflection, and accountability. It is intended to make one-to-one conversations more purposeful while preserving trust and professional relationships.
SOLVE© is for CEOs, managers, consultants, coaches, functional leaders, subject-matter experts, mentors, and professionals who regularly help others address problems or improve performance. It is also useful for anyone who wants a straightforward framework for better one-to-one conversations without needing formal coaching or consulting credentials.
Excerpt
From “Title Page”
SOLVE© is a model that can be used at home or work. It can be used effectively in coaching, and it can also be used in a consulting situation. Anytime there is a need for one on one problem resolution, SOLVE© is a great model. For this reason, I choose to use the term ‘Helper’, which can be inter-operably used to denote a coach or a consultant.
S - Seek
O - Observe & Outcome
L - Listen
V - Value-add
E - Evaluate
Nikhil Sharma ponders on his past experiences as a first-time manager, 27 years ago. I will walk you through that painful memory. He remembered the time when he had an indisciplined team member. His efforts to discipline her completely went awry. He told her things she already knew. He never listened to her perspective. Looking back, he wished he had a more calibrated approach that was more consultative.
As a Manager, historically he had been responsible for results and the bottom line. However, his approach has changed now. Nikhil’s experience has taught him many things, and you as a reader can leverage on all of Nikhil’s learning over that period. His learnings and techniques are incorporated into an approach called SOLVE©. This is an approach for all of us who influence other people and their behaviour or performance.
The year was 1992 Nikhil just got promoted as a first-time manager. He wanted to make a good impression on the team that he inherited. He had a team meeting at 0700 am with the morning shift folks. One senior team member Sarah came in only at 0730 am. He was upset and angry! His opening statement to her was ‘Sarah, when is your birthday?’ When she asked why he told her that he wanted to buy her an alarm clock for her birthday. He continued to play the role of being her manager. He told her “every day at 7 o'clock if you are alive or dead, I don't care. I want you here at work, and I don't see this as negotiable”. He said this in front of the team which was junior to her. Everyone except Nikhil knew that she had an ailing mother at home and she was the only caregiver.
Nikhil did not try to understand what she was going through. He did not let her speak when she came in. He did not listen to her. Never asked her engaging questions. Did not get her to realize the importance of being a role model. He disciplined her in front of her junior colleagues. He closed without any action plan between them. The next day morning, he got Sarah walking in with her resignation letter.
You may all have faced a Sarah or have been in Nikhil’s shoes, demonstrating his kind of behaviour sometimes in life. SOLVE© is a model which will help in times like these. SOLVE© is a tested and proven model, to aid the leader (helper) during such crucial OR challenging times.
About the author
Founder & Director, Stimulus Consulting · Bangalore, India
Sunil George is Founder Director of Stimulus Consulting with 26+ years of experience in consulting, leadership development, behavioural analysis, executive coaching, and organizational development across Asia-Pacific.
Published by Stardom Books — written from the author’s own words, in the author’s name. Browse the catalogue
Start here
The Authority Quotient is a thirty-minute evaluation that measures your authority two ways — how you rate yourself, and what a stranger can verify — and ends with one specific recommendation, including which type of book is yours.
Find your Authority QuotientNo cost. Get detailed report. Includes specific recommendations.
