BY ANTHONY WOOD
The only business that doesn’t have issues is one that has already gone out of business.
Having issues isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s what you do with them that counts.
The first step in handling any problem is acknowledging that it exists.
Create an Environment Where Conflict is Okay
Create an environment where it is not only OK, but it is expected, for people to put their hand up and say “we have a problem here and I want to do something about it!”
What I am talking about here is opening this up so that everyone across your business has access to a list for their area.
If appropriate, an issue may rise up to be addressed by the leadership team, but the majority of issues can and should be addressed by the team raising them.
After all, they are the people who have the context to understand why it is an issue in the first place.
Once you have added an issue to the list, you then need to do something about it.
When leadership teams are addressing issues within the organization, it is not uncommon that most of the time is spent discussing the issues and not enough time is spent working towards viable solutions. It can be tough for teams to solve issues when they are trying to overcome the fear of conflict, lack of focus, lack of discipline, lack of commitment, and personal ego.
After all, how many meetings have you been to where people are asking “didn’t we talk about this last week?”
The Issues Solving Track™ overcomes these obstacles and helps leadership teams and departments get to the solution quickly.
Steps to the Issues Solving Track™
The Issues Solving Track consists of the following steps:
1. Identify
Clearly identify what the real issue is. As many leadership teams find, the stated problem is rarely the real problem as the actual issue is typically found a few layers down.
It’s not always a comfortable process and it can involve a great deal of discussion, however, once you’ve identified the real issue at hand, you can move on to the next step.
2. Discuss
This is where leadership teams spend most of their time when it comes to solving their issues.
The discussion step gives everyone the chance to say everything they want to say about the issue.
Everything is put onto the table in an open environment where individuals can feel comfortable discussing it.
3. Solve
The final step in the Issues Solving Track, the solution step, is the conclusion or solution that usually becomes an action item that is assigned to someone to complete.
It typically ends up on a To-Do List, and when the items are completed, the issue goes away forever.
It’s important to remember that solving issues takes time, but by handling them now, you can save time for every department, by getting rid of the issues that will only bring you down if they go unsolved.
To build a business that is destined for growth and opportunity, you need to solve issues for the long term in accordance with your vision.
Ready to strengthen the Issues Component™?
Next Steps:
- Learn to make decisions faster and better by downloading a copy of our free eBook, Decide!
- Watch this helpful video on leading world-class meetings.
- Download the Issues Solving Track™ from the EOS Toolbox™️ to learn how to IDS (Identify, Discuss, and Solve) issues more effectively.