Last Month, I suggested that businesses need to be accountable to the facts! This month, I’d like to suggest that when it comes to solving problems, “It’s About Will”!
Any business can be fixed! Now, that’s a bold statement and might be hard to believe. And while there are no doubt exceptions, as a general rule, I believe that most businesses can be fixed or substantially improved.
In almost every situation where I’ve seen a business languish, it’s because the “powers that be” simply don’t have the will to fix the problem(s). There are three issues that must be faced in addressing any problem.
– Define: Truly knowing and understanding the problem based upon facts,
– Solve: Developing one or more cost effective solutions, and
– Implement: Taking action or fixing the problem.
In most organizations, almost everyone thinks they know the problem(s) as well as the potential solutions. Often, however, they lack the hard evidence needed to gain agreement (either in the form of organization consensus or executive buy-in) of the problem definition. The issue never gets resolved because there are so many differing opinions as to what the problem is! This is one of the reasons I am such a big advocate of having “fact based discussions.”
The next level of difficulty, of course, is the solution. Often, people spend so much time griping about the problem, they spend almost no time on the possible solutions. There is a huge difference between analyzing a problem along with the potential solutions and simply complaining about it. Anecdotal evidence (i.e., stories and company legend) is no substitute for analysis. Generally, if you can gain agreement around the definition of the problem, you will have made substantial progress toward developing potential solutions.
Taking action is truly the hard part! Taking action requires the will of the key player(s) to make the hard decisions. When an organization fails to take action, it is often because the minor day to day annoying pain of any problem seems to pale in comparison to the perceived gut wrenching pain of a major organizational change. It’s like that noise in your car that you hear every day. You know something is wrong, but it doesn’t “appear” to be causing any major problems (although it usually is!). Then, one day, the transmission falls out and that’s a major problem! The same holds true in companies. Those which appear to be small problems chip away at the health of the organization on a daily basis. Over time, the impact is enormous.
If your business is languishing, or it’s flourishing but you’re not sure it’s living up to its true potential, think about solving some of those “small” problems in your organization.
Do You Have The Will To Solve Problems?
If you need help with your business, financial plans, or goal setting, please give me a call at (314) 863-6637 or send an email to And, remember . . .
Your Cash Is Flowing. Know Where.
Copyright @ 2007 Homza Consulting, Inc.