Solve Problems Permanently - Ask WHY

As Albert Einstein said:-

"The significant problems we face today, cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

Problems don't go away unless you get to the cause - the source of them. Repeatedly 'fixing' issues that arise takes a physical and mental toll on you and your team. The key is to solve problems once and for all and move on.

Picture this scenario:-

Luke runs a small engineering factory, making electronic tagging systems for retailers. His business has really taken off in the last two years and his people are really stretched now to keep up with demand. Recently his people have been complaining more; there have been a number of unpleasant incidents where tempers have become frayed. Two large customers have taken Luke to task personally because of late fulfillment of orders.

In the past Luke would have worked harder, fought his fires and got home late, but right at the moment his wife and family have started to complain that he is putting work before them more than ever.

Then he heard about 'Solving Problems with Whys'.

With two of his key people, he asked them to work with him quickly, on why they were having so many little issues arising in the business - and they would use the 'Whys' process to solve them. As an example, one actual issue that they discussed early on, went as follows:-

"Our orders have started to go out late"
Why?
"Because we have too much work on for the people we have"
Why?
"Because we don't have enough people"
Why?
"Because we can't recruit"
Why?
"Because our rates aren't good enough"
Why?
"Because we decided to place a ceiling on them"
Why?
"To keep our costs down"
Why?
"Because costs were eating into our profits"
Why?
"Good question"

Here you can see a whole new series of conversations evolving for Luke and his team. Instead of cursing everyone for late completion of orders, or their behaviours getting out of control, or all and everything else which seems to be going wrong, the discussion about rates causing there to be too few staff, has evolved into a more general issue about costs being too high. Here the process can start again:-

"Our costs are too high"
Why?
"We don't know"
Why?
"Because we don't have the data"
Why?
"Because we've never invested in collecting it"
Why?
"Because we never thought it important"
Why?
"Because we didn't realise the impact it was having"
Why?
"Because we never knew the impact it was having on our customers and on our business"
Why?
"Because we never saw the big picture"

And from here, Luke and his team, using just 14 one-word questions, have a whole new perspective on their business and they are ready to create a whole raft of ideas and actions to move this problem to a solution - for the long term, not just the short-term.

Sometimes, there is value in bringing in a facilitator to work with your team in this way, as a 'neutral' prepared to support the process on some of these challenging 'why's'. This lets you and your team tease out and own the end-point sources of problems. And share the successes of achieving the very best solutions together.

In this example, there is a semi-strategic issue, but the technique can be used for much simpler issues which crop up day-to-day in your business.

And, of course, over quite a short period of time, truly solving problems such that they go away for good, means that you can get home to your 'other life' and get to know your friends and family again...

Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. Martin has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-busine sses-to-success.com/problem_solving.html (Note to editors. This article may be edited for use in your publication or newsletter as long as a live link to the website is included)

...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

---

Punctuality in Business: What it Says About You

"Nothing inspires confidence in a business man sooner than punctuality,... Read More

How to Create an Operations Manual

An operations manual can act as a tool for training... Read More

A Renewed View of the Modern Business Culture

Life can sometimes be unexciting if not refreshed by the... Read More

Managing Employees Is A Little Like Herding Cats

Q: I started my small business about a year ago... Read More

Prepare A Winning CV

There is every chance that elements of this article may... Read More

Employee Turnover: Seven Reasons Why People Quit Their Jobs

There are many reasons why good employees quit and go... Read More

Conference Calling Can Save Your Sales OrganizationTime and Money!

Conference calling can save you money. There is no doubt... Read More

Out of Control?

There are papers on the floor, across the desk and... Read More

Morale Boosters: Feed the Troops First

When economic conditions turn tough or when the heavy work... Read More

The Rise of Corporate Chair Massages

Employers have rapidly begun to understand the importance of stress... Read More

Dont Take New Hires for Granted

Hiring good people is only half the battle. The other... Read More

Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Have SMART Goals

The first step in planning an agenda is to identify... Read More

Build Your Business (On A Shoestring): Hire a College Intern

Starting up a new venture or business can be one... Read More

Enhancing the Motivational Climate of Your Workplace

It has been well documented that employees' productivity and job... Read More

Business Innovation ? Improvisation

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

How to get an Audiences Attention

A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an... Read More

How to Prepare for Your Companys Financial Future

Sooner or later, most business owners need to look for... Read More

Getting to Consensus

The need to get people in an organization to pull... Read More

Performance Evaluation: How To Create Change

STEPS TOWARDS GIVING A GOOD APPRAISAL INTERVIEW: Give specific feedback.... Read More

Prioritise Your Day - Keep Focus - Win!

Whether you run your own business or manage a team,... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Motivation and Management Layers

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Three Foundation Stones for Building Organizational Integrity

When the stock market crashed in 1929, there were a... Read More

How to Delegate Effectively

ACCOUNTABILITY: Delegation is not complete unless subordinates are held accountable... Read More

Take This Into Consideration Before You Write Your Mission Statement

What principles should a company keep in mind when developing... Read More

Employee Retention: Its a Changing Game

As a management consultant, I have seen some poorly conceived... Read More

Why Business Owners Need Security

The main reason is to stop any potential lawsuits from... Read More

Motivation - You Get What You Reward

There's a programme currently running on BBC Television in the... Read More

Selecting A Collection Agency

If you run a business, you are sure to have... Read More

What to Ask When You?re Invited to a Meeting

1) Where is the agenda? A meeting without an agenda... Read More

Five Steps to Successful Business Succession

The great majority of family businesses in North America are... Read More

The Ten Keys to Maximizing Employee Performance

1. Let people know what you expect. If people know... Read More

Toxic Bosses

What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses!... Read More

Innovation Management ? Six Crucial Steps

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More