Just Do It

Small problems become bigger problems. Big problems become more difficult and time-consuming to solve. Fewer options are available, and trade-offs become more complicated.

The above is obvious and non-controversial. Why then do we so often ignore small problems until they have become big ones? We ignore small problems in our personal as well as our professional lives. Perhaps we are hoping that “time will take care of it,” Sometimes this is true, but just as often time makes things worse, not better. Perhaps we are hoping someone else will take care of it. Sometimes someone else steps to the plate, but just as often no one does. Most of the time, a small problem festers in plain sight until it has become a big problem that is impossible to ignore. And even then, inaction and indecision are frequently the posture adopted by most people. Even when a big problem is staring us in the face, people usually stick with the status quo and keep doing what they’ve been doing all along.

Solving problems requires taking action to change something. Problems fester and get bigger because we’d rather not do either. Why? Because taking action invites criticism. Because changing something risks making something else worse. Because taking action means we might make a mistake. Because changing something means we can no longer count on the predictability of the status quo. On top of all this, many of my clients report a sense of exhaustion and ennui after two years of the pandemic. We’ve been through so much already, can’t we just lean back and let all these problems swirl around us?

Problem-solving is the essential difference between management and leadership. Managers do the best they can with the way things are. Leaders change things for the better and solve the problems in their path. If you want to be a leader, you have to tackle and solve the problems in your path.

To get started:

1. Start small. Don’t tackle the most complex problem right away. Tackle the smaller, more obvious problem. Small problems eventually become big ones of course. Those smaller, daily, annoying and continuously grating problems wear people down over time and everyone functions well below their capacity. Finally, problem-solving is a skill learned over time. As you successfully solve smaller problems, you are building the skill to tackle larger ones.
2. Don’t try and figure out the solution all on your own. Ask the people most impacted by the problem what would make the situation better. People closest to the problem always understand it best and always have very good ideas about how to tackle it. We just so often forget to ask them; or we dismiss what they have to say; or we decide we are going to be the hero and come up with the “silver bullet” on our own. All three are bad mistakes and problem-solving will suffer. So, a smart leader doesn’t stand far away from a problem and declare a solution. An effective leader gets as close to the problem as possible and works with those who are most affected by it to help make the situation better.
3. Use the tools. The Current State/Future State Analysis and the Leadership Framework are problem-solving tools. This is why I developed them. They apply equally well to small, local problems as to larger, global problems. These tools help you think through the nature of the problem, collaborate in a focused way with those closest to the problem, and then organize your response and keep you on track so something actually changes for the better.

When I landed in corporate America with a newly minted MBA and a resume that featured my stints as a receptionist at a small real-estate company and as an English teacher in Italy, I had no aspirations to “climb the ladder.” Sitting at the very bottom of that ladder, I felt utterly unqualified for the job I had but wanted to do it well.

Everyone complained about the problems all around them. I was too inexperienced to realize they were just complaining and had no expectation that anything would change. So, I decided we should do something about these problems and began to ask people what would make the situation better. Pleased to be asked, they had good ideas. So, we went to work. It wasn’t easy, but it was satisfying, and we made progress. We solved small problems and then we tackled bigger problems. I began to develop problem-solving techniques, that eventually I codified into the tools I’ve shared with you. We produced results and people took notice. Starting out small, I’d learned not to be afraid of big problems.

Is problem-solving difficult and time-consuming? Yes. Will criticism come your way? Yes. As you try new things to solve old problems will you make mistakes? Yes. What you’ll also discover along the way is that problem-solving can become a rewarding challenge, a satisfying collaboration, and a confidence-building pursuit. To quote Nike: Just Do It.