Author Archives: Tom Foster

About Tom Foster

Tom Foster spends most of his time talking with managers and business owners. The conversations are about business lives and personal lives, goals, objectives and measuring performance. In short, transforming groups of people into teams working together. Sometimes we make great strides understanding this management stuff, other times it’s measured in very short inches. But in all of this conversation, there are things that we learn. This blog is that part of the conversation I can share. Often, the names are changed to protect the guilty, but this is real life inside of real companies.

The Measure of Performance

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“I don’t know what happened,” Bella said out loud. “We met, we planned, everyone had their role, we all committed with the best of intentions.”

“And?” I asked.

“And, the project failed,” she replied. “I mean, I have to give the team an A for effort, but at the end of the day, the project fell short, the customer was disappointed and we lost the rest of the contract.”

“So, you learned a valuable lesson,” I nodded.

“Yeah, what’s that?” Bella pushed back.

“That, of all the things we do, all of our planning, all of our training, all of our meetings, the only thing that matters is performance,” I said. “The best measure of performance is not a spectacular plan, or lofty intentions. The only measure of performance is performance.”

Trouble

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“One, right after another,” Charlotte flatly stated.

“I’ll give, what?” I asked.

“We solve one problem, three more pop up. We solve one of those and three more pop up. It’s no wonder our department is so far behind goal, we’ll never catch up,” she said. “Trouble always seem to find us.”

“Trouble is mostly a mental state,” I replied. “If you are a victim of trouble, you are correct. It will always find you. Trouble either grabs you by the throat, or you grab trouble by the throat. It’s all in the way you see it.”

The Pain Inside the Problem

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“What do you mean?” Felipe wanted to know. “What do you mean, what is the problem trying to teach me?”

“Look, this is a problem that is difficult to solve. It is difficult, because what you are trying to do is difficult. You chose a difficult goal, you chose to aim high.”

“But, it is something that has to be done,” Felipe was firm.

“Yes, you determined this aim was necessary, something that must be accomplished. So, now there is a problem. If you had not set such a lofty aim, you would not have encountered such a difficult problem. People with small problems do not aim very high. Small problems are easy to solve, can even be dismissed without affecting the quest, because the quest is of little importance. But if your aim is high, and your quest is necessary, the problem will be extraordinary. The problem will come with pain.”

Felipe nodded. “Yes,” he said. “It’s painful.”

“What is the problem trying to teach you? You may not unlock the solution until you become a different person. What is the pain trying to teach you?”

The Purpose for Problems

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“I’m stumped,” Felipe groaned. “And, the worst part, I feel bad.”

“How so?” I asked.

“I’ve been struggling with this problem for more than two weeks, without resolution. And, it’s painful. I should be able to figure it out, but the problem persists. At first, I thought it was just a bump in the road, something we could fix. Then, I thought perhaps it was a fundamental assumption that we just got wrong.”

“And, now?” I prodded.

Felipe took a deep breath. “And, now? Now I feel like a failure. That maybe it’s me. That I am not cut out for this work. I was proud to get this promotion. I felt important. I barked instructions and people paid attention. Now, I just don’t know. Maybe I am an imposter?”

“We all encounter problems,” I replied. “Sometimes those problems are to be solved. Some problems can be eliminated. But, the real purpose for problems is to learn something new. What is this problem trying to teach you?”

But, We Solved It This Way Before

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“We thought we had run into this problem a hundred times,” Robin explained. “It is something we determined about a year ago, a recurrent problem. It took us awhile to figure it out, but we did.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And, now we have a new problem. We looked at it every which way from Sunday, we understand the problem, how it occurred, and thought we had the solution, but the solution doesn’t work.”

“The fatal flaw,” I said. “You understand the problem? You only think you understand the problem. But you understand the problem in the terms of a solution you have already developed. Your solution doesn’t work because you misunderstand the problem.”

The Solution Creates the Next Problem

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“I thought I was so smart,” Bianca said. “We had a problem with an ingenious solution. But, when we executed the solution, we created another problem.”

“As always,” I smiled. “The solutions we employ will always create the next set of problems. Indeed, I can always tell a team that is stuck. They are still working on the same problem from the last time I saw them. I can tell when a team is making progress, because they are always trading up one set of problems for another set.”

The Same Problems Follow the Same People

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“As I look at my team,” Logan began, “the problems I see and the problems individual team members see are sometimes different.”

“When that difference exists, it clearly demonstrates the difference in your aim, your goal, and the goals of the individual team members. The goals you have will dictate the problems you have.”

“You know I have always wondered. There was someone who, during the job interview constantly complained about their former boss. At some point, they came very close to calling him an asshole. I didn’t hire that person. For some reason, I was certain that I would be the next asshole in that person’s life.”

What To Do?

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“I have to name the problem?” Logan asked, knowing the answer to his own question.

“Yes,” I replied. “Your aim will cause you to notice the problem. Those without your aim, your goal, will not see the problem. What catches your attention, your focus, will depend on your aim. Then name it. The problem you solve will be the problem you name. And, the name you give to the problem will determine what you do about it.”

The Problem You Name

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“I create my own problems?” Logan asked.

“Not so much create, as notice. What catches your attention? What do you focus on? It’s not so much that you create your problems, but you identify them, based on your intention, your goal.”

“So, I have to identify the problem?” he said in the form of a question.

“Yes,” I nodded. “The problem will present itself in the midst of the circumstance, as part of your intention, your aim. You will notice the problem, as it is something in the way, something that must be dealt with, addressed. But, before you pay attention to the problem, you must reexamine your aim. Your goal must be based on something of value.  Is this a problem worth having?  Others, who don’t maintain that value, may not see the problem at all.”

“I see the problem,” Logan nodded. “I can clearly identify it.”

“Then name it. The problem you solve is the problem you name.”

The Source of Trouble

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“Why the long face?” I asked.

Logan’s face tightened. “I’m struggling with a problem,” he finally said.

“Something not going your way?” I wanted to know.

“I’m not as selfish as that,” he replied. “It’s just not going the way I thought it should go.”

“There’s a gap between where you are and where you would like to end up?” I smiled. “And, that’s a problem?”

“Yes,” he nodded, pensively.

“Please understand, Logan, the way you think things ought to be, your goal, will determine the problems you have. And, you will define your problems and struggles in the same way. So, it is really important to examine your goals, the way you think things ought to be. For the way you think will determine the troubles you have.”