When Exactly Does It Become YOUR Problem?

That's not my problem.

You have heard that before haven't you? Maybe you have even said it yourself. This has lead me after a decade of consulting to ask the question

when exactly is it your responsibility to do something about the problem?

I will say, no one enjoys that question, but they should because it is a very empowering question. In a day when everyone wants to be in charge but no one wants to lead on the tough decisions, it seems only reasonable that the best place to show your expertise is in problem solving.

I despise the use of corporate jargon but in this case I will accept that owning a problem is always the starting place. Owning the solution and implementing one, that takes real leadership. Fixing a problem means taking responsibility for the failure and providing the direction on the solution. Once you figure that out, have the authority to do it, and then customers and employees will know you mean business, literally.

So how so you own a problem and put a solution together in just about any situation? You start off with a set of questions. I like asking questions because they generally get people thinking about answers, which is a good thing to get them thinking about when you have a problem.

• What is the problem? This is the single most missed question of all. Most management jumps right to the who is responsible question, but the real question is what is the problem. Take a bad experience at a restaurant: what is the problem? Is it poor service, poor management, poor process, lack of people, education of staff, floor layout, big party etc. You see from that simple problem alone there are literally seven quickly deciphered problems. Getting to the root of what is actually the problem is the only way to determine a fix. Most organizations tend to treat the symptoms but the problem persists. Treat the problem by finding it first.
  
  
• How did the problem happen? Once you know what the actual problem is, not just the symptoms you can address how the problem happened. What were the influences that lead to the problem? Were we pushing existing technology too hard, not educating our team or was it something in structure of the organization itself? Many times it is a structural issue that historically occurs because of fast growth. Things that should have been done were not because there weren’t resources to do them at the time. Now that resources are available (time, money, knowledge), the organization simply didn’t see the problem as a high priority. This is a risky move but many organizations take it. When it is the case, be prepared because it will mean a significant event when the problem has to be solved.
  
  
• Who is responsible for the problem? Notice I didn’t ask who is to blame for the problem. Many problems occur out of shortsightedness or simply because we think we can get away with it without fixing the issue (GM seatbelts). How many people have had to walk to the gas station because they thought they had just a little more gas in the tank then they did? Was the problem a structural issue of the organization or did someone simply make a mistake?
  
  
• Who was affected? Is the problem affecting current customer base? Are other departments affected by the problem? Who is about to be affected by the problem if we cannot get a handle on it quickly enough? Quickly identifying the affected parties allows you to formulate a plan to communicate the problem proactively with the regular communications on the status.

So now you have the problem, you know what it is and where it came from and all the people that are affected, now:

• Who is responsible for action? This can be leadership, but that is just the one(s) that should guide the process. Who are the actual people that need to address the problem?
  
  
• What action needs to be taken? Has management given the proper amount of authority to the responsible parties to accomplish a solution?
  
• How will the organization communicate the action? Social media, website, email or smoke signal who is responsible for the message? Has the message been communicated and understood internally first?
  
  
• Where are the resources going to come from? Is there enough time of course not, but what about available resources within the organization?
  
  
• When will this problem be corrected? Who is setting the timeframe and the expectations of the solution being made?

Now, I have been in business long enough, almost two decades, to know that most of the answers to these questions are usually one of two people: CEO or the CEO designate. That doesn’t work. When you have a problem and don’t involve people in the solution, you make the problem grow because the solution isn’t going to gain wide acceptance. Not a problem, just fire the people that don’t do what they are told? Yea, how is that working for you exactly? Empowering the team means empowering your organization to make the good times and the bad times a team effort so that you always make it your problem and your solution right away.