Decision making

The “Dream” Memo to Your Staff

by

It’s the end of yet another difficult week and as you start to leave the office, do you think about writing just one more memo to your staff?  What about to the stockholders?  What would you want to say in that memo?  Would you tell your staff that you’re sick and tired of all the stupid little games and petty arguments that constantly undermine the effectiveness of your organization?  Would you tell your stockholders that you’re fed up with their constant second guessing?   For some, the only exercise they get is jumping to conclusions that you’re incompetent and they could certainly manage the organization better than you’re doing right now.  Does your memo include the invitation to all those who think they can do a better job to step up because you’ve gone fishing and will return when the blue cheese on the moon is being harvested?  Why is it that no real progress seems to get made?

My question to you is – how well do you understand and appreciate the dynamics of the groups that make up your organization?  Have you created an environment where a group can come together and function effectively?  If you haven’t, why not?  Do you understand and appreciate the characteristics of the groups?  Do you even know the stages a group has to go through to come together and become effective in completing the assigned tasks?  Or did you simply think that all you had to do was call some people to your office, assign the job to them and give them a deadline?  If you answered “no” to any of my questions, let’s chat.  This is a good a forum as any!

It’s a New Year!

by

Happy New Year.  More than ten days into the new year and are you reviewing all those resolutions yet?  Was one of them to resolve once and for all the personnel problems which have been around for far too long? Is it finally time to get the stockholders (especially Aunt Nell and that nephew of hers) off your back? Just exactly how do you plan to do this?

Even with the new year the proposed solution from last year needs to be seriously considered. You need to hire a professional problem solver.   But keep in mind that professional problem solvers are not miracle workers. If you expect the problem solver to snap his or her fingers and shazam! – the problem is solved,  I’m afraid you’re going to be bitterly disappointed. But perhaps that attitude could help explain your procrastination. Unless you’re polishing silver or washing windows where the results of your efforts are immediately noticeable, the results of effective problem solving will take some time to be evident. Even a gourmet meal or an excellent cocktail takes some work and some time.

How much longer can you afford to ignore the problem(s) or engage in ineffective solutions? When you’ve run out of ideas please give me a call.  At the very least I can listen.

I’m Repeating Myself

by

Have you all noticed a consistent theme running through my blogs?  You know what I’m talking about – those comments about why hiring a professional problem solver makes good sense.  When you think about it, hiring someone to help solve the problems makes sense from  a few  perspectives.  It makes sense from the HR or personnel perspective.  Having an objective set of eyes look at the problems or issues and take stock of the players involved is never a bad thing.  From the financial perspective the funds expended to pay for the consultant will be more than made up for by the increased revenues coming from higher productivity, better morale, and greater effectiveness all around.  Now think of your next stockholders meeting.  How more comfortable are you going to be describing the increased productivity and revenues?  Isn’t that a better prospect than having to hear from stockholders about what a lousy job you’re doing and what exactly are you doing to solve those problems?  Any approach which increases revenues by implementing long term solutions to persistent problems can’t be all bad.  Best of all, it will keep Aunt Nellie off your back – at least for a little while.  Just that alone makes the hiring of a professional problem solver worth it, don’t you think?

You Think You’ve Got Problems?

by

I had a different idea for a blog article this week but – I made the mistake of watching a couple of talking heads tell the world how the federal government should fix the fiscal mess they’ve created and why the other side was completely wrong.  If DC doesn’t do what they want the resulting fiscal crisis will be entirely the fault of the other party and people playing politics with the country’s future, etc., etc., etc.  Fill in the name of any politician, it doesn’t matter.  I’m a problem solver and if you’ve talked with me or visited my website you know that I truly believe that when reasonable people come together and act reasonably, there is no problem that can’t be solved.  Well, I think I just found one.  Your problems will probably pale in comparison when you think of the mess both political parties have created and now they’re acting like six year olds unwilling to admit that someone else’s idea may have merit.  No one is exempt from this mess.  So folks in DC, here’s the solution – put the shovels down.  Do what every other business person in the country is trying to do – get the best common sense solutions identified and implement the one selected by consensus.  Stop the politics until the problem is rectified.  If you can’t be part of the solution at least stop being the problem.  Get the heck out of the way and let the American people do what they do best – tackle the problem head on, find the solution and implement it.

Playground or Office?

by

As a supervisor, leader, or manager, are there times when you feel like you’re more of a playground monitor than a supervisor?  Do you get the feeling that you’re spending 90% of your time on 5% of your staff?  Is most of your time is spent refereeing employee disputes, almost to the point where you’re working overtime just to get your own work done?  And the worst of it is that this isn’t the first time this has happened. Despite your best efforts, it keeps happening time and time again – same stuff, different faces.

We’ve talked before about this issue and the drastic solution of termination.  But what if the termination doesn’t have the effect you thought it would?  What will it take to solve this problem once and for all so you can go about doing your job?

When the situation gets to this point, it’s time to call in a professional problem solver.  He or she brings a fresh perspective to the situation and has no other agenda than working with all the parties to find a realistic and lasting solution.  The problem solver can facilitate effective communication that aids the correct identification of the problem, the root causes and viable solutions.  You’ve tried everything you and the rest of the management team can think of.  Why not try something different?  What do you have to lose other than that chronic case of heartburn, bad morale, and Aunt Nellie’s nagging?

But I can’t fail – I’m the boss!

by

Well, actually you can.   Most of us who have been in leadership or management positions have failed at some point in our professional lives.  Here’s the good news.  If handled properly, failure isn’t all bad.  None of us likes to fail but it happens despite our best efforts and intentions.  We’re human and we make mistakes which lead to failure moments. What happens then? The real measure of success isn’t what you do when you’re on top.   Patton once said that “success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”   From our failures we can gain knowledge and experience.  We can then use both to address the issue more appropriately, increasing the likelihood that we’ll succeed.  Learning from failure is a good thing.  Repeating the failure moments with the hope of a different outcome is, according to some, the definition of insanity.

Failure to resolve the personnel issues that continue to plague your organization is aggravating and frustrating.  Recognizing the reasons for that failure and, more importantly, the limitations on your ability to resolve the issues is an important first step.  Consulting with a professional problem solver may be the  first step on the road to long lasting resolution and eventually success.  As we’ve discussed before, the professional problem solver has no other agenda than helping you and your organization find the real causes for the problems and reaching a resolution that actually addresses the issues.

When failure looms its ugly head, and it will, accept the option and possible reality and call for reinforcements in the form of a professional problem solver.  Then, when Aunt Nellie demands to know what you’re doing to resolve the problem ( and increase her monthly dividend payment) you’ll have a response which just might take the wind out of her sails.  Even in the midst of failure, seeing Aunt Nellie speechless has to be a very satisfactory moment.

Magic and Problem Solving?

by

Wouldn’t life be a whole lot simpler if we could snap our fingers, wiggle our nose, or blink our eyes and make all our problems disappear?  Why do the seemingly easy problems always cause the greatest heartburn?  The last question is the easier one to answer.  Whenever human beings are involved problems are almost always going to get complicated.  If there’s a problem with your car, you take it to a qualified mechanic, spend some money and the problem goes away.  Having a problem with your computer at work?  Call in the IT folks and again, the problem disappears.  Having a problem with two employees who can’t or won’t get along?  Why won’t that problem go away?  As a facilitator and problem solver I’d caution you about letting the egos and emotions rule.  When the problem involves humans it becomes crucial that the focus remain on the behavior or the issue – not the individuals.  It’s hard – sometimes seemingly impossible – but the egos have to stay out of the resolution.  That caution also includes you as the leader or manager.  Your ego and emotions need to be checked at the door as well.  If that ground rule isn’t followed the chances of reaching a consensus and resoluion will be greatly diminished.  Keeping your emotions in check can be easier with the help of a professional problem solver.  Save your ego for the verbal beating Aunt Nellie wants to unload on you about last month’s dividend check.

What? No Common Sense?

by

What’s the point of engaging in problem solving if common sense is absent?  Look at a recent article about the Grand Island , Nebraska Public School system “demanding” that a deaf 3-year old change his sign language sign for his name, “Hunter.”  As reported on television, the school administration reportedly found that the crossed forefinger and index finger moved up and down violates their rule that forbids anything that looks like a weapon.   First bite of common sense – Does anyone in this audience really think that this young boy is thinking about a gun when he signs his name?   According to the school system’s spokesperson, the school is “… working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child.”

I have a question.  What efforts were made by both the parents and administrators to resolve this problem before making it public?   School administrators and parents alike need to be aware of the lessons they may be giving this young boy and others.  Be careful that you’re not telling him that something is wrong with him and his name.  School administrators and parents – are you even talking to one another or have you drawn lines in the sand?  Administrators need to  be accurate in their communications.  Parents and others  need to make sure they’re not taking something out of context and developing the wrong perception.  Communication is important because without it you all will create a problem that didn’t need to happen and cause a young boy angst that he doesn’t deserve and probably will never understand.  What you intended to do and what you do can’t be at opposite ends of the spectrum.  You’ll expend a lot of good will credits trying to fix this.  Lesson for all of us to take away from this?  There are more than enough problems needing to be solved.  We don’t need to create any more.

What do you mean the problem’s not solved?

by

          You’ve just returned from a lengthy lunch with Aunt Nellie, who just had to tell you that she didn’t like the fact that her dividend check was smaller last month than the month before and why aren’t you promoting her favorite nephew.  After all it’s only a matter of time before he’s ready to take over the company.  Fortunately, you were blessed with that subtle filter which prevented you from telling her to go ahead and let him take over (it’s been a real bad month and the stockholder meeting coming up is not the sunshine moment you’ve been looking forward to.)  Not five minutes after sitting down and swallowing a handful of antacids with an aspirin chaser, your administrative assistant comes in with the news that the personnel issue in the Widget unit has just reared its ugly head  – AGAIN.  Once more the subtle filter kicks in immediately.  You successfully resist the urge to show your assistant just how fluent you are in swear and cuss.  But you can’t help wondering why the problem has returned.

           One thing to understand when trying to resolve problems is that there may be obstacles which prevent you from accurately identifying the root cause of the problem.  Without that vital information, you tend to implement solutions that are only temporary in nature.   If you truly want to resolve a problem permanently, consider utilizing the services and skills of a problem solving consultant.  That consultant can work to find the root causes of the problems you’re experiencing.  Once the real issues have been correctly identified, the consultant will work with you to develop and implement realistic and practical solutions so the problem won’t keep rearing its ugly head.  Using the skills of the problem solving consultant will go a long way to reducing your stress level, as well as the stress within the entire organization.  Think about it.

Why Should I Hire a Problem Solving Consultant?

by

Have you ever heard the expression, “…can’t see the forest for the trees…?”  When you’re in the middle of a problem, especially as a leader or manager of an organization, it’s hard for you to see all the sides of the issue and approach the possible solutions from an objective viewpoint.  Unfortunately, you have a horse in the race.  A problem solving consultant doesn’t have those restrictions.  The consultant you hire comes in with a fresh perspective and no preconceived notions.  The professional consultant will do the homework to get a sense of what the issues are and will know after talking with you what the effect is on the bottom line of the organization.  After all, that’s really what’s at the heart of solving problems, isn’t it?  When problems arise that affect the profit margin or bottom line they truly become threats to the organization’s future.  As the leader of the small business, are you really prepared to fire Aunt Nellie’s nephew?  But if a professional consultant lays out the facts and shows the impact upon Aunt Nellie’s dividend payment won’t that make it easier for you to implement the solutions?  The same thing holds true for larger businesses and corporations.  Hard decisions may be needed to protect the dividend payments to stockholders and insure the profitability of the corporation.  Are you prepared to face the firing line when asked who’s responsible for the problems and why do they keep happening?  You will be — if you’ve made use of the skills and talents of  a professional problem solving consultant.