Clearview® Performance Systems brings you ... ® ... a Culture of Results & Engagement®
Here's the next in our series of weekly managerial TIPS (Techniques, Insights, and Practical Solutions)
to help you better engage your team in the activities that lead to higher performance.
CORE Bites Issue #85
(July 28, 2020)
As any person responsible for safety in the workplace knows, the only difference between a 'near miss' and a catastrophe is chance. That's why near miss analyses should always focus on causes—the whys—to move beyond the more generalized reasons for the near miss occurrence to discover the underlying or systemic causes.
But does this same postulate apply to general management? Absolutely! Let me use a quick metaphor to make my case ...
In our neighborhood there are a few children who are active outdoors. And the sound of their voices at play is always energizing. On occasion, that sound will change to a yowl—usually preceded by the crash of a bike or some other telltale sound—as one of them adds another 'owie' to his or her list of life's experiences. Usually the outcome is a minor scrape or cut that can be easily remedied with a Band-Aid. (Band-Aid is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson.)
Here's the metaphor ... you use a Band-Aid for a scratch or a minor cut because the wound is not that serious; in a couple of days, you can remove the Band-Aid and all is well. Additionally, no skill (well, at least very little skill) is required to put on a Band-Aid, meaning pretty much anyone can do it. But on occasion, the wound is more critical and needs to be stitched or stapled. In this case, the wound needs the attention of someone who is highly trained and has the skills to do it right; if it's not done right it can cause more pain and suffering down the road. But how many times does someone end up—in the interest of time or not wanting to be inconvenienced—putting on a Band-Aid even though it's a much more serious wound? Now what? It continues bleeding, becomes infected, and causes long-term problems.
[I think you know where I'm heading ...]
Managing today is complex. In any given day you'll deal with all manner of metaphorical cuts, injuries, bruises, and contusions ... all with varying degrees of severity. The art of effective management is knowing when a Band-Aid is suffice or when a more serious intervention is required. When a Band-Aid is used to address a more serious situation (which, in our hurried world, is frequently the case) it is a temporary fix because the real problem hasn't been solved. What's required, instead, is thoughtful consideration about the cause-and-effect to ensure the now-exposed behavior/activity is sufficiently modified or eliminated altogether.
Ironically, any values we purport to honor about continuous learning, continuous improvement, transparency, integrity, and accountability are cheapened in the eyes of our employees when we choose a Band-Aid over doing things right. Let's decide today to make all problems, challenges, roadblocks, and hurdles that are more serious in nature part of our No Band-Aid Zone! After all, running away from a problem only increases the distance from the solution ...
It's safe to say that if you don't understand the cause of a problem, it will be impossible to solve it. But even before that, you need to recognize that there's a problem in the first place. Band-Aids have a way of masking this reality. This week (starting today), try out some of these No Band-Aid Zone solutions:
I'd love to hear how these HVAs work for you!
Neil Dempster, PhD, MBA
RESULTant™ and Behavioral Engineer
"There's no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution."
— Betty Williams —