Don’t Fix Your Business

You will create more problems.

When you are running a business, you are solving problems at 100 miles an hour, day in and day out. It becomes a way of working in the early stages of growth, but one that perpetuates a never-ending stream of gunk.

Consider what Zig Ziglar is famous for saying – “You don’t build a business. You build people, and people build the business.”

What happens if I let go of solving everyday problems?

How on earth could that grow the business and not create more problems?

A recent post about fixing every point of friction by Jason Zickerman inspired this article.

I’ve worked with some Directors who were proud to be known as “the solutions guy”. Now add in an “open door policy” and you have a recipe for a workplace that needs constant fixing, is filled with distraction and disempowered employees.

I get it, there is a cognitive dissonance at work here.

What I’ve realised is that leaders have traditionally been taught to remove obstacles from teams – to allow them to get on with the work they must do.

It is the “Keep the assembly line moving” mentality.

We’ve also been taught to be available with “open door policy” anytime you need to talk.

But…

This comes with proverbial and inevitable scope creep, hamstringing the productivity of Leaders.

“Hi boss, do you have a minute, I have a problem”

Sound familiar?

It’s never a minute and 90% of the time it’s a small problem within their control to fix.

When you treat these as urgent;

Your time is diminished,
Your attention is distracted,
Solving employee’s problems disempowers them,
You might be working at the wrong level.

This creates more problems.

The biggest change the “solutions guy” tried out was throwing the problem back at the employee:

“Thank you for letting me know, what do you think is the solution?”

When I was young and impressionable I had a boss who was more direct – “Don’t come to me with a problem, come to me with a solution”. Thank you Paula Bell.

Letting go is hard at first (for the control freaks out there, it’s like hearing nails on chalk board when you hear yourself say it).

Do this every time and a couple things will happen:

Your people will engage in solutioneering with you, building confidence.
They will stop bothering you with mundane issues.
Proactively problem solve on their own or with colleagues.

Yes, there’s a risk that problems will be swept under the carpet – but only if you punish mistakes and fail to show appreciation and recognition https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/encouraging-engagement-colin-carmody-gx71f/ .

Ringfence regular time for conversation and problem solving. Have an open-door policy – but only at certain times of the day. This also reinforces problem prioritization for employees.

Creating a culture to proactively fix and find solutions with everyone depends on how you fix problems every time someone brings one to your attention.

Take away

Empowering small teams to problem solve resonates with the principles of Kaizen and frees up your time and energy to work at the level you are meant to.

If you build your team, they will build your business.
Have an open-door policy to problem solving, but make sure the context and timing suits you.
Practice “don’t come with a problem, come with a solution”

I’ll leave you with this perspective that reinforces the idea that true leadership is measured by how well leaders cultivate autonomy and problem-solving capabilities.

“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.” — John C. Maxwell

Timeless Principles of Exceptional Businesses – Shared Wisdom from 25 Years of TAB

PRINCIPLE TEN – Why Start with Why?

Every company knows What they do – which is develop and/ or distribute the products or services they sell. Some companies can describe How they do what they do—the way in which a company delivers its services – in a way that sets it apart from its competitors.

But surprisingly, few companies can articulate Why they do what they do. The “Why” is a purpose, cause or belief, and provides a clear answer as to why a company exists and why it should matter to anyone else.

The limbic system portion of the brain—governs how we feel, behave and decide. When our Why connects with a prospective customer’s limbic system it inspires their own feelings and beliefs, creating trust and loyalty based on that trust and they are more likely to promote you to their friends, family and colleagues.

Thinks I’m working on right now.

A Peer Advisory Board for Business Leaders. Your own “Board of Directors” where you can get no-holds-barred constructive feedback and real-world advice from other business owners in a safe and confidential space.
High Impact Manager Accelerator Program – not your normal Leadership development program. We believe in facilitating high-impact workshops for small groups with 1:1 coaching to ensure learning is applied.

Our program is built on leadership and management techniques refined through over 34 years of experience.

I’m delivering this program right now and have space for one more group.

If you liked this newsletter, please like, share, and comment.

If you want to learn more about hosting a workshop on this topic or simply have a conversation over coffee about it, feel free to send me a message.

You can contact me via email or call +27 78-804-2347

Coach Colin at the Alternative Board

I guide Overwhelmed and Frustrated Business Owners and their Management Team from Chaos to Clarity & Control using the Business Builders Blueprint™ to Improve their Business & Change their Lives.

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