“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.”
“What do you mean, make it necessary?” Max looked confused. “We know what we were supposed to do in that handoff meeting. What more should I do, as the leader, to make it necessary?”
“Three things,” I replied. “First, what is the vision, what does that handoff meeting look like, feel like, taste like? Your vision of the paperwork is NOT a big checkmark across the page. Your vision of the paperwork is individual checkmarks on specific line items. More important is the discussion between the estimator and the project manager about each line item. So, what does good look like.
“Second. Does the team, the estimator and the project manager, have the capability to understand the decisions and problems, and the capability to make those decisions and solve those problems? Max, you are the leader. It is your judgment I depend on to assess their capability and make the necessary resources available.
“Third. Are they committed to the work? A checklist looks like compliance, but compliance isn’t good enough. You, as the leader, need commitment to the work. It is your role to create the circumstances for that commitment to exist. If you just needed compliance, you could do that with pizza. But, pizza doesn’t create commitment.”
“I know I have heard that before,” Vicki replied. “As the manager, it’s not my job to motivate, I am supposed to create an environment. So, what does that mean? We have work to do here.”
“This is all about work,” I replied. “And by work, I mean making decisions and solving problems.”
“But my people know what they have to do, and there aren’t that many decisions to make.”
“Look again,” I encouraged. “Your team is making decisions all the time, if you let them. Most of their decisions fall into two categories, quality and pace.”
Vicki looked puzzled, “What do you mean?”
“How many units are supposed to come off the line by lunch time?” I asked.
“Fifteen,” she replied.
“And so, as the morning goes on, your team is making decisions about how quickly they should go without compromising quality? And if there is a quality issue, they have to solve the problem and make up the pace to reach the goal by noon?”
“Yes.”
“And, what happens if they discover that they can maintain the quality standards, and produce 20 units by noon?” I smiled.
“Well, they would probably knock off at 15, or slow the pace down because the goal was 15.”
“But that would violate the contract,” I prompted.
“The contract?” Vicki repeated.
“The contract to do their best. Part of the contract means if they can complete more than the goal using their assigned resources in the allotted time, they are supposed to tell you, as the manager.
“See,” I continued. “That is why 15 is your goal, not their goal. It is the manager who is responsible for the result. And that is the first thing to understand about creating this environment.”
“We call him, teflon,” Audrey said. “Nothing sticks. Things go wrong in his department all the time, but he always has an explanation why one thing or another caused the problem. Always something out of his control. Not his fault.”
“Has he ever taken responsibility for any problem in his area?” I asked.
“No, he has never had to. You would think there is a worldwide conspiracy out to get him and foil all his plans. Even when I don’t buy his excuse, he has a backup excuse to replace it. Do you think he is just unlucky?”
“Audrey, sometimes the explanation for the problem tells you more about the explainer than it does about the problem.”
The cherub faces in my leadership class looked up, all smiles, ready to take notes, write down all the answers.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Well, to listen and learn,” came a response from the back.
“Listening to me will not make you a more effective manager,” I replied. “What I have to say is only my understanding, for me.” I stopped. “So, how will you learn? Listening to me will not make you a more effective manager. Reading my blog will not make you a more effective manager. How will you learn?”
There was an uncomfortable silence. Sometimes silence does the heavy lifting.
“What you learn will only get started in this room. The real learning happens outside of this room, when you take the words and try them out in your own problems and decisions. My understanding means nothing (except to me). What is your understanding?