By: Mark Miller
Most leaders pride themselves on being effective problem-solvers, but sometimes our best efforts fall short. Do you ever wonder what causes some problem-solving efforts to fail? There are several usual suspects…
Unclear problem identification, failure to identify the real root cause(s) of the situation, lack of creativity once we move to the solutions side of the problem, inadequate resources, etc. — all of these causes matter and should be addressed. However, the often overlooked, pivotal step in any problem-solving endeavor is:
Finish the drill. Run the play. Do the work.
Call it what you will, but whatever you call it, be sure the solutions you and your team create are implemented. This may sound like a blinding flash of the obvious, but as we all know…
What is common in concept is often not common in practice.
The truth: many of the action plans and recommendations created to solve problems are never acted upon. I can think of many situations in which the action plan was credible, but the results never materialized because the plan was not executed.
I remember one example in which a team created a great plan of action. However, the scorecard revealed no improvement in performance. (It’s always important to track the impact of your interventions.)
My first question was not, “What can we do differently?” It was, “Did we do what we said we were going to do?” In this case, the answer was no. Therefore, a new and different plan wasn’t needed. The answer was to finish the drill and run the play we had already called. Then, and only then, could we evaluate the effectiveness of the original plan.
Plans not executed ALWAYS fail.
About the Author
Mark Miller is the best-selling author of 6 books, an in-demand speaker and an executive at Chick-Fil-A. His latest book, Leaders Made Here, describes how to nurture leaders throughout the organization, from the front lines to the executive ranks and outlines a clear and replicable approach to creating the leadership bench every organization needs.
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