“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“That was a tough one,” Cooper breathed a sigh of relief.
“How so?” I asked.
“The team was struggling with this nasty defect in a critical area of production,” he started. “It took them a while just to collect the data on what was going on, where the failure point was. Then, what to do? That’s when they pulled me in.”
“And?”
“And, I figured it out. Some of their data was defective, which threw them off the trail. Then, I had the insight that solved the dilemma.”
“So, what did you just train them to do?” I was curious.
“I showed them how to solve the problem,” Cooper said.
“No, you showed them that whenever they have a hard problem, they should collect some data, even defective data and then bring the problem to you. That somehow, you will have a brilliant insight that saves the day, and they are off the hook. Not only have you crippled the team from solving their own problems, you have taught them to practice bringing problems to you.”
“I understand our biggest machine has been off-line for a day and a half?” I asked.
“Two days,” Camila replied. “It was down first thing yesterday morning, but we didn’t report it down until lunchtime.”
“And?”
“It’s fixed now,” she explained. “Someone made a mistake on the machine setup for a specific tool and over-torqued the main drive. The drive can handle the pressure, but the tool came apart and destroyed a bunch of stuff inside the cabinet, including the safety partition. No injuries.”
“And, the fix? What’s the corrective action?” I wanted to know.
“Yeah, we have to make sure the setting doesn’t exceed the tool tolerance,” Camila was quick to respond, hoping the conversation would be over, soon.
“The problem wasn’t a machine setting? The problem was that someone wasn’t paying attention, didn’t doublecheck, wasn’t thinking, wasn’t trained or didn’t have the capability. That’s what you have to fix first.”
“I got my weekend reading done,” Lucas was proud. “This is the second management book this month,” he nodded.
“I encourage reading,” I replied, eyeing the bright red cover, written by a famous author. “What did you learn?”
“This guy has a recipe he says is guaranteed. If I just follow the steps, he promises the same result he had with his company.”
I smiled. “Do you respect this author? Do you believe he was successful in the problems he tackled? Do you think he had a deep understanding of his circumstances and his points of leverage?”
“Absolutely,” Lucas nodded. “The author is very well respected, with a very successful company.”
“Do you think the author has a deep understanding of the problems you face, with your company, in your market, with your team?” I wanted to know.
“Well, of course not, he doesn’t know my specific problems,” he said.
“You see, for this book to helpful, you have to understand your problems as deeply as the author understood his problems. And, they will be different. Whatever prescription he laid out is unlikely to work in your scenario. The value in the book is not the prescriptive solution, though that is what everyone skips to. The value is in the understanding of the problem, the analysis, alternative solutions. Understand your problems as deeply as the author understood his.”
The competent individual has a firm sense of the capability they possess and capability beyond. Periods of doubt creep in, but that leaves room for growth and maturity. Periods of doubt are painful, as the individual moves from an ordered world to one where there is doubt.
In this chasm, most of the problems we face are self-inflicted. Looking at any problem we encounter, there are the following characteristics. The problem. The problem’s impact. The cause of the problem. The context. And, then, there is you.
You (and we, because I have the same problems as you) are part of the problem. You have made contribution to the problem and its impact. You may be the cause of the problem. If you don’t face your contribution, any solution will leave lingering conditions for the problem to resurface, perhaps uglier than before.
It is always easier to deal with an external problem out there, than an internal problem closer to your heart.
I made sly reference to these two concepts last week. Accountability and authority. These are inseparable.
To be accountable for an output, one must have the authority to determine the variables around that output. Do not hamstring a team member by handing them accountability without the authority to control variables. Bifurcating the two leads to well articulated excuses and blaming behavior.
Simultaneously, do not give someone the authority to control variables without the concomitant accountability. Government oversight committees are famous for wanting to have all the authority without accountability.
These two concepts go hand in glove, not either-or, but AND-and.
From the Ask Tom mailbag –
Question:
Sometimes, identifying level of work seems elusive. I try to look at the timespan of the task, but sometimes, my intuition just seems off.
Response:
The biggest mistake most companies make is underestimating the timespan associated with a role. In addition to timespan, there are other clues that can help us with level of work.
Examine the task. The first clue to level of work is the timespan of the task. Here are the two questions. When does it start? When does it end? When we imagine a task, sometimes we focus on the middle without truly defining the start and end of the task.
While a craft trade (S-I) might look at a task as a one-day project, the supervisor (S-II) may be concerned about the permit inspection in two weeks. The manager (S-III) may be concerned with the system in which the project was completed, accountable for a one-year warranty that accompanies the work product. The VP of Quality Control (S-IV) may be accountable beyond the warranty to multi-year statutes related to defects. For the role, when does the project start, when does the project end?
Examine the tools. A craft trade (S-I) generally uses real tools, machinery, equipment. The supervisor (S-II) will use schedules, checklists and meetings. The manager (S-III) will use flowcharts, sequence and planning. The VP (S-IV) will use multi-project Gant charts.
Examine the problem solving. A craft trade (S-I) may make good use of trial and error problem solving. The supervisor (S-II) may rely on documented experience like SOPs and best practices. The manager (S-III) may employ root cause analysis. The VP (S-IV) has to look at multiple systems simultaneously, systems analysis.
All of these are clues. With the work defined, the next question, is the team member effective in the work?
Eight managers and a senior VP sit around the table, this table of Eager Beavers, Vacationers and Hostages. What will prevent them from participating? What will drive them to contribute with enthusiasm?
“Houston, we have a problem!!” booms the senior VP. Enter FEAR stage right. The VP just raised the spectre of fear. Here’s the question, “Does the way you state the problem have anything to do with the way people approach the solution?”
I could see the Face of Fear as I looked around the room. The silent responses were predictable. The darting eyes spoke volumes. Beneath the whisper level, emotions pounded.
Multiply those responses by the eight managers and then calculate what has been accomplished so far. What headway has been made toward solving the problem in Houston? Worse yet, if no headway has been made, what direction is everyone looking?
Does the way you state the problem have anything to do with the way people approach the solution? The mindset around the table is looking for blame, a scapegoat, something, anything to deflect responsibility for the problem in Houston. Everyone is checking out, the quicker the better, last one standing holds the bag. Disengage, no eye contact, pass the buck, Chuck.
As the Manager, you don’t know who has the idea that is going to save the day. You cannot afford to have a single person disengage from the meeting. You need full engagement from everyone in the room for the entire meeting. One idea, one phrase, one twisted word may trigger the solution.
Does the way you state the problem have anything to do with the way people approach the solution? Take the problem and create a positive question that points toward the solution.
IWWCW. In what way can we increase sales in our Houston territory? Take the problem and create a positive question that points toward the solution. Now, look around the room. You will find positive engagement. It is impossible not to. (Sorry, for the double negative.)
A bit of science. The human mind cannot “not answer” a question. (Another double negative.) The way the human brain is wired, when presented with a question, it is impossible for the mind to do anything other than search for the answer. If you want to engage the mind, ask it a question. If you want to engage a team, ask them a question. If you want to engage a team to solve a problem, state the problem as a postive question that points toward the solution. In what way can we…?