Of the six parts of the EOS Model, the most impactful, week in week out, in the leadership and departmental meetings is solving Issues. The process of how they get solved is the replicable skill that Leadership Teams need to be taught. Then any Issue can be solved.
Resolving issues is the one thing that most companies don’t do well. They don’t identify them well. They don’t get to the root cause. They don’t discuss them in a productive, positive fashion; and they don’t agree on how they will get solved.
Root cause is about asking why until there are no more whys. The skill to be developed is thinking not about the specific project and understanding the processes on which the project is built. A project is off track because the process is broken, or people are blowing through stop signs and they are not following the agreed upon process. Often teams focus on the tactical surface issue without digging down to see the systemic processes that created the issue in the first place.
But more than the problem of solving the Issue, my experience as a Fractional Integrator is that the issues are not solved as a team. Solutions are usually dictated by a subset of the management team, sometimes one person and then the issue is expected to be implemented by others. When one person states the problem and how it should be fixed, then it limits the conversation in terms capturing other viewpoints and to a better understanding how best to fix the Issue.
The last part of the solution is: Who is the one who will own the completion of the solution? The actions that come from the discussion need to be given to a person to either get it done or delegate to someone that reports to them to get it done. The To-Do needs to be captured even if it is only to report back within one week.
When I meet with a Visionary and the introductory conversation is about “my company is not making their numbers, the Rocks are not getting completed, and my Leadership Team meetings are not productive” the conversation is about the Issues section is not being managed well.
I know this because when I go into their issues list (on Ninety or wherever they have it), they have twenty Issues in the Short Term section where some of them are months old, and the Long Term Issues list is longer and some are quarters old. So they are not getting solved.
The four questions I ask are:
- Are these Issues really Issues?
- Should these Issues be solved here?
- What is the ONE first step that could be taken to move this Issue forward?
- How would that ONE first step change this Issue?
Let’s look at them in order:
1. Are these Issues really Issues?
The Business Drivers, the most important things that support the business and drive the profit OF the business are the Issues that should be discussed at the Leadership Team level in the Issues section.
However, many companies treat the Issues section as a Status Meeting, to get updates on a project. While the project is important, is it really an Issue?
My criteria for an Issue to be added from someone on the Leadership Team is: “I need help” or “I disagree”. The Issues section is about solving problems and IS the reason we have all given up an hour and a half every week is to help one another solve the most important Issues the company faces. If people are not willing to say they need help or they disagree with what they are being asked to do, how do we move forward?
2. Should these Issues be solved here?
If the Issue is about a project, should be solved somewhere else or is it about a process that affects multiple projects or departments?
The Leadership Team L10 meeting is the most expensive meeting a company has based on the salaries and time commitment of the people involved. So the Issues that get discussed should impact multiple departments or be cross-functional in some fashion. Or they should probably be getting solved in a one-on-one conversation, or at the department level.
If a project is off-track, that is usually indicative of a process broken or not being followed. Processes are usually cross-functional because one department needs to do something before the next department can do what they need to do. If the process is broken, then THAT is the Issue that needs to be solved. If someone blew through a stop sign and did not follow the process they were supposed to, then THAT is the Issue that needs to get solved.
The key is to look at the process that needs to be fixed and focus the discussion on how to fix it for next time. Not just what to do about it this time.
An Issue can be an Issue not looking for a Solve, but rather to get perspectives from other key stakeholders, in order to be addressed elsewhere. But the reporting back needs to happen. The best way to manage that is to move the Issue to the other department (as you can with Ninety), and then it will come back when the Solve has been identified.
3. What is the one First Step?
Another aspect of Issues I see when I start working with Leadership Teams is that the Issue is not being broken down into achievable next steps. The Issue is big and has many parts that need be addressed. The question is what is the ONE first step that can move the Issue forward?
What can be done in the next seven days to unpack the Issue? Who should do that? Are there several first steps required by multiple people that each can get accomplished in the next seven days?
The point of this exercise is to create action and movement towards solving the Issue. Assuming the team can discuss and debate the root cause of the Issue, breaking it down into why statements, then what are the smaller tasks that can be created as To-Dos, completed within seven days, that move the conversation forward?
4. What can change the Issue?
Which gets us to the last part, about how getting one thing done will change the Issue. Often it is a piece of information that needs to be found, or a conversation with a Client or supplier that needs to be had, or a revision to a cost estimate or sales forecast. That next first step is where progress gets traction. Then the Issue can be re-framed and moved forward.
Issues should not stay on the Issues list until they are solved. If the next step is for someone To Do something, move it there, and when they report back, capture what changed, and move it back to Issues to continue the discussion.
And if it is not the closest shark to the boat, and won’t be solved for a month, move it to Long Term. The Integrator is managing the process of solving Issues and will bring it back when the circumstances change and the team is ready. If an Issue stays on the list without progress, it becomes wallpaper, and the team no longer notices it.
If someone has an Issue, they should bring it forward. Talking about the issues of the business is the only way we improve. The Leadership Team should be a decision-making body. The Issues it discusses and solves should be cross-departmental, and process focused. With time and practice the L10 meeting will evolve to focus on Issues regarding the Business Drivers, and smaller Issues will get solved between individuals or at the departmental level.
In conclusion, solving Issues takes effort and the skill that EOS is built to develop, is making better decisions because people are involved, engaged, and committed. When the Issues process is done well, there is transparency in how decisions get made, people are held accountable for the things they say they will do, and while it sometimes takes weeks or even months to solve the Issue, the progress builds the strength of the team.