KNOW YOUR ISSUES

Not having any issues is a good thing, right? 

 

The only business that doesn’t have issues is one that has already gone out of business. Having issues doesn’t spell doom for a company, but how a leader addresses them (or doesn’t) could. The first step in handling any problem is acknowledging that it exists. Do you know your issues? 

 

CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ACCEPTS CONFLICT 

 

Whenever a leader tries to say they don’t have issues, I have to wonder about their culture. Have they created an environment where people feel safe speaking up? 

 

An environment where not only can employees speak up but leaders expect and encourage it can surface many root issues. Their teams should feel confident to say: “We have a problem here and I want to do something about it.” 

 

This requires opening up Issues Lists so that everyone across your business has access to a list for their area. Sometimes a leadership team may need to address an issue. But the majority of the time, the team raising the issues should address them. After all, their people have the context to understand why they have an issue in the first place. 

 

Once someone adds an issue to the list, then they need to do something about it. 

 

Typically when leadership teams address issues, they spend most of their time discussing it instead of solving it. But the business needs them to work toward viable solutions. Teams may struggle to solve issues while trying to overcome the fear of conflict and personal ego. A lack of focus, discipline, or commitment can also factor in. 

 

After all, how many meetings have you attended where people ask, “Didn’t we talk about this last week?” 

 

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