Overcoming Obstacles: Crush Recurring Issues
In our journey through life, whether in careers or relationships, we inevitably encounter obstacles impeding our goals. These pesky derailments include difficult people, technology troubles, and personal upheavals. The challenge, as the adage goes, is not the obstacle itself but how we deal with it that makes all the difference.
I constantly see my clients, especially those running companies, frustrated because they’ve put a lot of time, effort, and (usually) money into overcoming obstacles only to face a constant stream of new ones. Whether a business owner or not, dealing with an obstacle in the middle of your day is annoying enough. Addressing an obstacle and then seeing it come back up again in a week or two is even more frustrating. Yet, it’s an experience we all share.
I like to call it the collective whack-a-mole of being an adult—constantly putting out fires with no end in sight.
We Must Diagnose Accurately
Being busy and overloaded means we usually want to deal with obstacles as quickly as possible, especially when we have a mounting heap of them (someone quit, vacation plans derailed, train delays, client upsets). The desire to overcome obstacles quickly is hard-wired into our being: deal with the threat, stop the proverbial bleeding…now!
Our quick acting is useful for dealing with obstacles in the current moment, but if we don’t take the time to identify if our solution is viable long-term, the obstacle may rear its ugly head again.
We must ask: is it a problem or a recurring issue? Every problem has a solution—something that solves it quickly and simply for a long period, if not forever.
Spilled coffee on your shirt? Change your shirt—problem solved. Computer crashed? Get a new one—problem solved. Car battery died? Get a jump—problem solved. Unfortunately, these quick one-and-done problem/solution combinations are not the stuff life is made of, especially in scaling your business.
Most obstacles we encounter are and will always be recurring issues to deal with. The faster we can accept this fact, the happier and more productive we will be.
Dealing with Recurring Issues
Simply put, overcoming obstacles with recurring issues requires a consistent system or process.
While it can take time to figure out exactly what system or process is needed to deal with a recurring issue, the benefits of doing so outweigh any front-end investment of time and effort. From having more order (and peace) in your family or company to minimizing derailments caused by the no longer “unforeseen” obstacle, systems and processes will increase effectiveness hands down.
The Hallmarks of Recurring Issues
- The obstacle has occurred multiple times (the period can range from a week to 6 months).
- The obstacle is likely to occur again even if it has not reoccurred yet.
- The solution is complex on some level; it requires multiple people or steps to deal with it.
- The order of operations to overcoming obstacles matter; if the order is not followed, the obstacle can become worse.
Tackling Recurring Issues
- Describe: Describe the obstacle. Be specific so that you can narrow down the core issues or causes. Sometimes there are many possible reasons for an obstacle to reoccur. Start with the simplest explanation and work from there.
- Investigate: Ask around. Have others experienced this obstacle? How are they dealing with it? If you have a team, ask for their input on how to deal with it.
- Implement: Consider what you need to implement a system or a process (or both). A system is the overall “thing” or core element you’re looking to have and/or implement in your business or life. The processes are all the things you do to make any given system work most efficiently. To implement the solution, tell people what the new way of handling these obstacles will be. Make sure you train others to follow the new system or process.
- Execute: Following the system and process is by far the hardest part. In the craziness of business and life, you will be tempted to go quickly and skip steps—don’t! When you don’t follow the systems or processes you created consistently, you put yourself and your team/company in a position where confusion and friction can arise. Stay the course!
- Analyze: How is the system or process working? Do you need to make adjustments? Consider if it’s not working due to a lack of follow-through or if there is something legitimately that can be improved.
- Document: Finally, write down the details of the system or process. This helps others fix the same problem in the future and keeps a record of what worked and what didn’t.
In conclusion, navigating recurring issues in life and business requires a strategic approach and consistent effort to implement effective systems, ensuring long-term solutions and increased productivity. Curious to learn more? Visit chrisazboyce.com for insightful articles, resources, and tips on overcoming obstacles and more.
