When is a problem a problem?

When is a problem a problem? Perhaps that depends on how you react to it.

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe (HBR Jul-Aug 2007) says

"Hidden problems are the ones that become serious threats eventually. If problems are revealed for everybody to see, I will feel reassured. Because once problems have been visualized, even if our people didn't notice them earlier, they will rack their brains to find solutions to them."

In fact, legend has Toyota American management being taught that "No problem is problem!" It is by rooting out and highlighting the challenges that advancement can be made.

In stark contrast was my experience with a hotel in Suzhou this past weekend. The hotel was part of a "luxury" hotel chain where service should be exceptional, and has proven to be such over a number of extended visits in other countries. With no interest in bashing the chain (though I can not recommend this particular hotel) we'll leave it unnamed.

Front desk service was efficient but not welcoming. Room was pleasant. Complimentary fruit was one orange, one apple and one (sad looking) peach. Complimentary water was two small bottles - barely adequate for two people for 24 hours. Ashtrays by the elevators (on the nonsmoking floor) not cleaned for more than 12 hours. All of which could have been ignored had the dinner buffet come anywhere close to expectations.

Not feeling drawn into any of the nearby restaurants, we headed back to the dinner buffet expecting the usual superior (at least for buffets) experience normally found at this brand. Arriving at 8 PM, we found the sashimi tray emptied, but not removed. The limited hot western dishes had barely any food left in them, the roasted duck was dried bones, the roasted vegetables were parched from sitting under the heat lamps too long, empty salad bowls, empty fruit bowls, missing utensils, etc. When I discovered that the osso buco had been sitting there so long it was cold, a manager was demanded.

The response went through a series of apology for a poor experience and queries on whether the food we did eat was good. No attempts were made to rectify the disastrous appearance of the buffet line. When the dessert area was found to be equally pitiful and not maintained, the manager was again shown how the expected standards were falling flat. The response this time was to deliver to our table (after we'd finished dessert) a plate of sashimi and a roasted duck. Sending it away and refusing to pay for the dinner, we once again received apologies and an assurance that future evenings would be better.

Meeting with the Duty Manager, we, again, received apologies ... and no sense that the situation would be analyzed and resolved - that a solution would be found. The breakfast buffet line proved to be only marginally better organized than the dinner buffet with empty plates and bowls. Followed by a repeat of the apologies from the Food and Beverage manager and a wish that we could return for a better organized dinner. The problem still a problem.

It is perhaps culturally appropriate that the response is to mollify, to seek to set right our particular situation. Thus, the apologies delivered, food prepared and a compensatory box of chocolates. Some customers might find this satisfactory. I find it infinitely more satisfying when the problem is identified and clear efforts are underway to rectify the underlying cause.

As you look at your situation, are you welcoming problems as opportunities for improvement? Or just mollifying the customer? Which is the right approach for your organization?

Helping Others Think

A colleague or subordinate walks into your office and says, “I really don’t know how I’m going to ....” Before the words are out of her mouth, are you already working on the solution? Do you have three recommendations that he can use before he’s even sat down at your desk? All too often, as managers, colleagues and friends, we see someone else’s dilemma as an opportunity to problem-solve, after all, that’s what we’re good at,

If we could take a step back from the situation, we might first determine what our colleague seeking. Does she want an empathetic ear, a sounding board, a brainstorming partner, some counsel, or an answer? Most of us jump immediately to working out an answer; yet from the time we were five, we were pushing away the people who told us what to do. Consider what might happen if the next time you are presented with a dilemma, you ask the question, “How can I best help you resolve this?” Or “Would you like to use me as a sounding board or would it help you more if I used some questions to help you clarify your thinking?”

By using these simple questions, the ownership of the problem stays firmly with your colleague or employee. It is not your problem to solve; it is his problem. You have offered support. In addition, you have respected his capability to solve the problem; you will stay in the role of a facilitator.

Once you have established your role in the discussion, you will usually find it best to assist your colleague in stepping back from the problem, and in clarifying their direction. In his book, Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work, David Rock suggests using questions that focus on the “thinking” she has done about the dilemma. You might consider something along the line of this series of questions:

How long have you been thinking about this?

How clear are you about this issue?

How committed to resolving this are you?

Can you see any gaps in your thinking?

Do you have a plan for shifting this issue?

What insights are you having?

Are you clear about what to do next?

How can I best help you further?

The initial questions will help your subordinate clarify his objective, how long it’s been an issue, and how important it is to solve. Most people will have some thoughts about next steps and in the process of speaking about them, will gain additional insights. By the end of this conversation, your subordinate will be clearer on his direction, have identified the next step, know he has your support and will have retained ownership for the problem and solution. Notice too that the conversation focused on solutions, did not delve into the details of the problem and steered clear about wallowing in dramatics.

Occasionally, your subordinate or colleague may stuck and looking to you for guidance. Your goals should be assisting her to find a solution for herself. Refrain from offering “the answer”, as in, “this is what I would do.” Make an additional attempt at “What’s your gut instinct here?” If she is still stuck, you may want to offer alternatives in the form of suggestions. “Here are a few ways you might explore this question”, and end with “which of these seems like it might help you, or have these suggestions triggered any other ideas for you?”

Rather than solving problems for others, as a manager, let them retain the opportunity to learn the skills of solving their own problems, let them have the sense of accomplishment and the commitment that comes from the accomplishment.

For more on levels of thinking, see the blog “Choose Your Focus”.

David Rock. Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work (New York: HarperCollins, 2006). Questions above from pages 131-132.