When companies continue to discuss a challenge over and over again, the root causes of the issue are often not addressed, and
the most important challenges are not prioritized and tackled. Input is not solicited from the employees who are directly involved in the problem. Some parties come to the discussion just to complain about the problems, without offering any real solutions. Once the management team leaves the meeting after the discussion, the challenge will still exist with no resolution in sight. And that’s just one of the many challenges the company may have. Multiply that by the numerous other issues that a company faces and management begins to see that they are treading water without moving forward.

The only way to change this self-defeating process is to change how these challenges are addressed. The most important thing
is to define and prioritize the biggest challenges that the company is facing at any particular time then start attacking them one at a time. In addressing one, you have to find the root cause, otherwise you are only treating the symptoms. This seems like an easy strategy, but it is one of the hardest things for a management team to accomplish.

And, quite often, the simple reason is office politics. People don’t want to engage on certain topics because it may offend someone, and that someone could be their boss, or the owner of the company, or a family member who may be working in the company. In order to truly solve the challenges, management has to be transparent and the employees have to be open and honest with each other. There has to be a safe space to bring up very sensitive issues, otherwise the real problems will never be resolved. It is healthiest to have an open and honest discussion that may involve intense debate, as long as it doesn’t get personal.

Employees may be afraid to speak out in the future if they feel they might be attacked. If you can create a healthy environment to have open discussions, you create an accessible pathway to solving a lot of problems. This involves putting egos aside, and considering several resolutions to make sure the best ideas are brought forward.

However, you can’t just discuss a challenge endlessly. You have to come to a resolution and figure out the best way to move forward. This involves resolving it and figuring out a course of action to follow up on at a future meeting. Specific employees need to be assigned responsibilities to address certain aspects of resolving the challenge that they will be responsible for. Finally, a time frame for resolving it must be defined. Once the first challenge is tackled and resolved, then move onto the second challenge, and so on.

Conversely, you can use the same strategy for evaluating opportunities. However, we must recognize that there are some differences. When looking at an opportunity, you have to make sure that it falls in line with the company‘s vision and long-term goals. It should also be in alignment with the fundamental values of the company. In addition, you need to make sure that you have the right personnel and resources in place to take advantage of the opportunity. See the earlier chapter on Everything is Possible with the Right People.

By following this simple process, you will be tackling and solving challenges, and taking advantage of the best opportunities available.