The Motivational Power of Confident Problem Management

Executives take on big initiatives and big projects with the expectation of big results. These efforts are typically cross-functional with a lot of different perspectives and mindsets at play, not to mention all of the personalities involved.

When implementation leaders accept the responsibility for guiding this kind of journey to a safe and successful conclusion, they know there are going to be bumps in the road. When an organization develops the capability for skillful management of these types of problems, they gain access to positive employee behaviors that drive competitiveness.

To keep the obstacles and issues that crop-up along the way from demoralizing their teams, expert leaders do the following:

• Investigate: by conducting an objective investigation to collect both the facts and the various perspectives on the problem.
• Measure: by taking a read on the scale and scope of the issue.
• Futurize*: by using their experience to come up with a complete picture of the potential damage the problem could cause and the speed at which it could spread.
• Communicate: by selecting what each group needs to know in order to feel as confident as possible that the right people are applying the right approach to the problem.
• Solve: by applying problem solving resources and methods with the power to deal with the magnitude and level of difficulty of the problem. And for the biggest problems, with the capability on board right from the start, to squash the problem quickly, even if the worst case scenario is realized.
• Update: by keeping those closest to the problem and those who will be most impacted by it the most fully informed. And then selectively managing other communications to:
  • minimize wasteful “fretting” behaviors – worrying, speculating, gossiping, spinning
  • maximize the image of factual sincerity and clarity
• Validate: by verifying the success of the problem resolution from the perspectives of all the groups involved in and impacted by the change effort.

It’s not easy to do all of the above in a way that truly inspires confidence throughout the organization, yet it’s certainly worth the energy and time it takes to develop the right people for the job. When the people within your organization are confident major undertakings can be managed from start to finish, you’ll recognize a fresh willingness to take on accountability and a new level of creativity among the troops.

* “Yes, of course I made that word up. That’s what I love about the English language; people just make up the words they need as they go along.”