What's the problem?


Twice in the last few weeks, I've received calls from potential clients to implement a solution. They both said, "I just want you to . . ." They went on to tell me what they had prescribed for the problem they had defined and diagnosed.

Like many of us, I've gotten these calls before.

Typically, the callers sweeten the pot with flattery, fallback on urgency, or claim desperation, they say, "It has to be done now! We want you!!!"

In times like these, with business slow, the calls are seductive. Real work, real money. How bad could it be? I could do this!

But, each time, I had to say slow down. We need to decide if I am the one who can help get you what you really need . . . and want.

It all has to do with defining the problem. In both these cases, and in others when I've had this kind of call, the most important part of implementing a solution is being in on the problem definition.

To define the problem means digging out what's been going on, for how long, and with whom. It means involving the folks experiencing the problem in the diagnosis and communicating with all the stakeholders to assess problem impact. It also means looking at the larger organization to see where else the problem is occurring. And then, of course, it means figuring out just what results are needed: what does the client want done, and what will doing that accomplish?

In both cases, I knew none of the answers to these questions. I was being asked by a stranger to go on faith that the chosen solution was the right one. They just wanted someone to implement it.

I pondered . . . and remembered some other calls:

One asked for a simple facilitation of an off-site planning session. I wouldn't need to talk with the manager before the session; his assistant would fill me in. In our "social chatter" I discovered the assistant had been with the group less than six weeks.

Another time a junior HR rep wanted someone to go in and discover what a manager was doing that made all her employees dislike her. The HR rep needed corroboration from an outsider for the evidence she'd gathered from disgruntled employees during their exit interviews. She wanted to take employment action against the manager.

Or, my favorite, a very persuasive call from a company for me to come fix just one executive who was the source of all their problems. Two colleagues filled me in on their experiences with this troubled company. They had targeted this latest executive as the scapegoat.

Now, here's the rub. These were all dicey situations and all clients I could have worked with . . . clients who could have profited from my work. This is the kind of work I love . . . give me a huge mess and I want to go fix it.

I took none of these assignments.

I've learned that "just doing it" when the solution is prescribed . . .
means making the whole project worse by addressing symptoms, not the underlying problems . . . putting band aids on gaping wounds, focusing on who's right not what's right, or fixing one weak link so another will break.

I usually regret saying yes when someone says, "Could you just . . ." Almost always it costs me more than they are willing to pay.

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Since 1986, Patricia Wiklund, Ph.D. has helped some of America's largest, and smallest, organizations resolve expensive and troublesome people problems and conflicts by leveraging the strategic power of soft skills®. A former mental health professional, she is as comfortable on the front line, as on the shop floor, or in the corporate executive suite, and also works effectively in government and educational settings. Call her today at 415 641-5997, or email her at pat@patwiklund.com to discuss how she can help you put your people and organizations back on track.

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