There once was a man who needed to bring an umbrella to work every day because it rained in his cubicle.
The water came through a large hole in roof. When it would rain, the man would use the umbrella to keep him and his computer dry.
How did this happen? It all began as a small hole in the roof. At first it was easier for the man to put a bucket under the leak then to talk to his supervisor about the problem.
But then the hole grew and the falling water outgrew the bucket. The man finally talked to his boss about the water. The boss then left a voicemail about the problem with the building supervisor. Unfortunately, that person had just left on a two week vacation.
The hole continued to grow. When the building supervisor was able to survey the damage, he realized that a good deal of the roof would need to be replaced. To get the money, he’d have to have the work approved by the CEO and his leadership team.
That group, while discussing the damage, became sidetracked in a debate about the color of shingles that should be used in the repairs. The issue eventually dies in committee.
The whole time, the hole continues to grow and no one has thought to put a tarp over it. Why would they as there is not line item in the budget for tarps. Meanwhile the man continues to use an umbrella at his desk.
This story, while not based on a particular incident, may hold some truth for many of you.
Different parts of an organization perceive problems in different ways. Here are some of the challenges that prevent solutions from happening and some ways that can help you Clear the Path:
It can be easy to accept and ignore problems
Had the employee immediately spoken up about the hole in the roof, it could have been addressed faster. His decision to ignore something that was wrong came with consequences. Make sure your team is empowered to speak up when they see a problem
People who are not directly impacted by a problem may not feel an urgency to fix it.
While extremely busy, leaders need to make sure that they are listening to feedback from employees. Employees need to make sure that they are not just dumping problems on their supervisors. Bringing a potential solution can help a leader make a faster and more effective decision.
Personal responsibility solves a lot of problems.
How would the hole have been addressed if the building manager had left information for those who could help with problem while he was on vacation? Should the supervisor have treated a voicemail as an acceptable response to a problem? And should the employee not have followed up more when it was apparent that the hole was not being addressed?
A temporary solution is better than none.
A tarp, while not an elegant solution, can be an effective one in terms of solving the problem. Anything that is not part of the immediate solution or temporary fix is a discussion for another time. It’s a lot cheaper to buy a tarp than a huge section of roof.
It can be very easy to get lost discussing things like shingle colors to the point that hole in the roof is forgotten.
Bottom Line: In many cases the problem is not really the problem. Instead it is the lack of potential solutions.
