When is a new problem a sign of progress?
The disappointment was palpable in the manager’s voice. “I thought I was doing a better job but I have now found two new problems that we need to address before we can achieve the results we need. I thought I had a handle on all of this, but now . . .” His voice faded out.
He looked like he was imagining things when I responded with: “That’s great news!” “But, I don’t understand, how?”
This conversation happens regularly in organizations that are implementing new systems to get the results they want, whether those results be better retention, productivity, referrals, or documentation. The organization often starts with a training program to make sure that managers and supervisors all have the skills and knowledge needed to do the job and get the results. When that only gives them a fraction of the results that they were expecting, we begin to look at the systems and procedures that they have in place. If a system is missing, we add one. If there is a procedure that is adequate but not being implemented, we implement it. And then we look for changes in results again.
And it is at this point that we begin to hear the conversation about “new problems” cropping up. You can almost see the new confidence begin to drain out of the staff, the managers, and the entire organization.
So what gives?
I think of building new skill sets and systems as a layering process. This is true whether we are talking about an individual manager’s skills or the systems and processes that provide the organizational infrastructure. So the training provides one layer. Generally it adds the layer of awareness and knowledge. When we begin to add systems (procedures, processes, checklists), we are usually tackling the most conspicuous issue. As we get that system in place, and begin to see some results, we also get to look at what has been hiding behind the big issues. This provides the opportunity to gather more specific information that lets us improve our systems, approaches, and skills at a more specific level. We are making progress by turning up new “problems.”
Sometimes the tendency is to get discouraged when this happens. The biggest gift that a manager can give at this point is to help all concerned track the progress and maintain hope that progress is occurring. Using visual or chart graphics can help. Sometimes something as simple as a memory timeline – where we keep a list of what we were tacking at the beginning of each month – can help as all to see that we are moving in the right direction.
Lee Ann Slayton
President, Slayton Consulting, LLC
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