Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Randy Taussig, Chief Navigation Officer at BlueCore Leadership and Certified EOS Implementer™. We hope you enjoy Randy’s wisdom and perspective.
The ability to solve substantive business challenges could be the most important skill your leadership team must master.
It can either propel your business forward at light speed or, if done poorly, keep you orbiting through chaos and frustration. Beating business obstacles is one of the most difficult skills to master, but when you do, magic happens!
As EOS Implementers®, we teach our clients a very powerful issue-solving methodology called IDS™ (Identify. Discus. Solve.) during the EOS Process®. But even as they comprehend the process, they often struggle to reach true proficiency.
In addition to the core elements of IDS, here are five tips to help you resolve your most difficult issues:
1. Identify Issues Early
Issues identified early are opportunities, while issues identified late in the game are usually headaches you wish you never had. The key is to build a culture that encourages employees to call out issues quickly, in the spirit of knocking them down before they spiral out of control.
2. Tackle The Toughest Issues First
Too often, teams will address lightweight issues first, leaving the meaty issues for “later.” I had a client that left a significant personnel issue on their Issues List for almost a year. This led to bigger problems, including two key employees leaving because the problem employee was not handled. Attacking the toughest issues first will garner bigger benefits sooner.
3. Solve Issues, Not Symptoms
Sounds obvious, but too often teams jump right into a discussion without truly understanding the issues they are trying to solve. If you don’t dig deep to unravel the onion, you may be solving the symptoms of certain business obstacles or problems instead of the root issue.
4. Avoid Tangents
I can’t tell you how many times I have observed clients trying to solve problems only to get sidetracked, discussing this, debating that… quickly getting off track. The key is to stay focused on the defined issues (see #3 above) and swiftly recognize when the conversation is leading you down a rabbit hole.
5. Clearly State Actions And Who’s Accountable For Each
It’s not uncommon for a team to come up with good solutions, but then fall short in execution. This is typically because they don’t clearly identify the follow-up steps and assign clear accountability to get them done. Don’t miss this step. It may seem obvious, but lack of clarity, accountability, and follow-through are common reasons for lackluster results.
What’s The Risk?
The IDS process will serve your leadership team well, but don’t forget to also apply these five tips to get through your issues quickly and more effectively.
This content was written and shared by Randy Taussig. It was previously posted on EOSWorldwide.com on March 23, 2020.
As an entrepreneur Randy has partnered in a pool service and supply company, helped build a virtual trade show business and launched a strategic sales consulting firm. He has a long family history of successful innovation and entrepreneurship – including a great, great grandfather who built a nationally recognized food ingredient company from a small local Washington, D.C. bakery.
Randy now runs BlueCore Leadership where he helps other entrepreneurs navigate the path to success by simplifying their business practices and breaking through barriers. He works with businesses ranging from 10 to 250 employees and $2 to $50 million in revenue to help their leadership teams achieve their vision, gain more traction and become a stronger, healthier and cohesive organization.
Connect with Randy via LinkedIn and the BlueCore Leadership website, Facebook, and Twitter.
