5 Levels of Observation: How to Address Recurring Problems

Often times when I meet with leaders they self-identify themselves as part-time babysitters, part-time fire-fighters, and full-time business leaders. They live in a cycle of reacting to the demands or challenges of their days instead of responding and accomplishing the things they were hired to do, which is to move the team and organization forward. These overstretched leaders spend their days applying “technical management” skills to the demands and challenges they are confronted with. It feels like all they ever do is fix, fix, fix, and never solve problems. What they fail to realize that unless they are applying “adaptive leadership”, all they are doing is merely applying a band-aid. I know this to be true because I hear them complaining about having to address the same issue on a regular basis, the next day, the next week, the next month. Leaders who spend their days reacting to challenges by “fixing” them arrive home after a long 10-12 hour day where they collapse in their favorite chair and think to themselves “It was a busy day. I was in motion all day, and yet I didn't get the things I wanted to get done accomplished.” In this blog post, I will share with you how to address recurring issues using the 5 levels of observation.

Before we jump in, consider all the things that you have to get done in a day. I'm not talking about what is on your 30 day vision plan, I'm talking about all the stuff you have to address every day. Go ahead and write out everything you have to address, deal with, confront, do, accomplish in a day. Depending on your industry, examples may include: perform opening duties, check people in, read reports, create a schedule, fill out paperwork, post a job description, plan training, conduct an audit, reply to emails, return phone calls, take inventory, write an evaluation, attend meetings, provide feedback... What are some of the things you wish you didn't have to do every day, but you find yourself doing every day. Perhaps managing drama is one of those things. For me, it seems like every day I am looking for something. “Where is the packaging tape?” “Does anyone know where I put my phone?” “You know that thing. I just had it. Anyone know where I put it?”

As high performing leaders, when things go wrong, we often jump into motion. We go into “fixing” because that is our comfort zone. Sometimes it is an ego thing; “Oh look at me. I saved the day!” But most often it is because we've been taught to apply an existing set of rules, practices, or procedures when working with people or confronting a challenge. This is what I refer to as technical management skills. Unfortunately, when we rely on technical management skills, we tend to over-fix and under-solve. When confronted with a challenge we open up our big toolboxes and apply a technical solution that has worked for us in the past. We “fix” it. This is human nature. As I pointed out already, the trouble is that we end up needing to “fix” it again. And, the more we “fix” it, the more our team will see us as the hero, the fire-fighter, the person who rescues them. The more they see us “fixing” and “rescuing”, the more they believe that it is our job. They see us as the only one who can “fix” or address problems. In the end, it becomes “our job.” As we continue to live in this pattern of “fixing” our already full plates become too much to handle. We can't take on any more and therefore end up feeling exhausted, frustrated, overwhelmed and burnt out.

Now there are some things that are part of our job that have earned a spot on our plates. But, most of the things that leaders are dealing with on a day-to-day basis, particularly recurring challenges have not. Drama has not earned a spot on leaders' plates, yet this is something most leaders confront on a day-to-day basis. For me, looking for things is not something that has earned a spot on my plate, yet every day I find myself looking for something. “Where is that darn packaging tape?!”

We all show up in our days with the same amount of time and emotional currency as everyone else. So it is silly to say we need to do a better job of managing our time. We can't manage time. We can't redistribute it. There is nothing we can do change time. On the other hand, we can manage our responsibilities, our challenges, our demands. We do this by making a decision. We decide what gets our time and what doesn't. Unfortunately, most of us show up to our jobs and let the day happen to us. I know I'm guilty of it. We show up to work and are like “What do you have for me today? I am here. I have my toolbox. I am ready to start fighting fires.” The sad thing is, we don't have to wait too long to do it, do we? When we simply show up and react to the challenges of our days, we are not finding solutions, instead we are covering up problems with Band-Aids.

Take a look at your list of all the things you have to do in a day. Which of these are you handling or dealing with on a day-to-day  or weekly basis? Which problems have you had to solve more than once? If you're having to solve the problem more than once, is it really solved or is it merely fixed? As high performing leaders, we tend to over-fix and under-solve. We jump into action because that's our nature. We fix. And then tomorrow the same thing happens and so we fix it again. So is it really solved?

What we should be doing is stepping back a bit, spend time observing the problem and asking ourselves “How can I apply a solution that is meaningful and effective?’ For example, I often hear team leaders complaining about certain team members calling in twice a week. Clearly, this is a problem. To fix it, they tell the team member “Stop doing that.” But, it keeps happening. They aren’t solving the problem. They are simply “fixing” it. What is a solution to this problem? Hire someone new! If they need someone to come to work every day so the solution is to hire someone new.

The point I am wanting to make is that we don't solve things by fixing them. The more we fix things, the less we solve and the less we are able to accomplish. And, not only that, the more we fix things, the more we send a message to our team which is “I am the fixer. I am the only one who can do it. Oh, and by the way, it is my job.” If I am the only one putting out fires and am telling everyone that I am the fire-fighter, this is how I arrive at home after an incredibly long, busy day where I worked my butt off and realize I didn't get a darn thing accomplished. I didn't get the training done that I needed to get done. I didn't schedule the interviews. I didn't do the things that would have moved my team forward, made them better. Instead, I was too busy being busy.

The first step when addressing a situation, the most important step, is to observe. As high performing leaders this is counterintuitive because we are used to jumping into action. We have many years of experience and have successfully overcome many situations by applying our technical skill. The problem is, now that we are leaders, our responsibilities have changed so what worked in the past no longer works. As leaders, we experience new kinds of problems so the technical skills no longer apply. New problems require need new tools, new solutions. They require adaptive leadership.

A great metaphor for understanding this is football. Members of a football team are on the playing field handling the ball. They hold it, pass it, kick it. They are applying technical management skills. On the other hand, the coach is on the sideline where he cannot touch the ball, yet he is still responsible for moving the ball forward. He can't use technical skills to do the job. He needs to use adaptive leadership skills. He has to get the job done through coaching and motivating others.

Staying with the football metaphor, when it comes to addressing challenges, consider the perspective of the coach. The coach has a pretty good view of the of the field. But it isn't a perfect view. It is only a side view which is often blocked by large football players. Additionally, because the field is so big, he can't see the whole field or the further side of the scrimmage line. Therefore, the coach can't see all the patterns that are playing out when the ball is in motion. In other words, he can't see all of the patterns playing out to a problem. He needs to talk to someone who can see what he can't see. He needs to talk to someone in the control booth so he can identify a meaningful, sustainable solution to the problem playing out on the field.

When it comes to addressing the demands and challenges of our day-to-day activities, we, too, need to get into the control booth so we can see all of the patterns that are causing us to continuously fix, fix, fix and never solve. We do this by taking a look at 5 levels where our problems may be playing out. Starting at the field level, what is the problem? Or perhaps better said, what is the symptom of the problem? What are we noticing? At the next level, we consider the team. Is there a specific team member that is associated with the problem we're noticing? Is it the team as a whole? Does the team have a shared belief or is their behavior (or lack of) the result of a flaw in overall training? How does the team function as a whole as it pertains to this challenge?

The third level to consider is the leadership level (trainers, supervisors, managers, and leaders). This can be a bit tricky because when there is a recurring problem, there is always some kind of existence at this level. What I've learned through my own experience is that sometimes leaders collude with team members to allow a problem to exist. Why would they do that? If a leader colludes with the team around a problem, the way they cooperate with them as a concern to this challenge is that everyone pretends it doesn't exist. If we all agree that the problem doesn't exist, then the leader doesn't have to address it. The leader doesn't have to step out of her comfort zone to have the hard conversation. She doesn't have to spend time retraining the team. When a problem exists at the leadership level, it can be downright dangerous.

The fourth level to consider is the organization level. When the problem involves policies, tools, and training, the problem exists at the organization level. Equipment that continuously breaks down is an organizational problem because the organization is allowing it to happen. It is not the team members' or leaders' fault. It is the organization's responsibility to make sure that the team and its leaders have equipment that works. Another thing to consider at this level are processes. Many organizations have steps or processes of how to get the job done. When the job is not getting done, is it because the process doesn't work or do people not use them? When we fail to use the process or tools provided, they are of no use.

The final level to consider is landscape. What are outside influences, or market factors, that are in play as it relates to the problem at hand? Limited-time offerings or special promotions are often problematic at this level. They are something corporate expects front-line team members and leaders to execute. Yet, often the team or the leaders themselves don't like them, understand them or know how to execute them well. Other landscape factors include weather, construction, traffic, economic conditions. Even people's past experiences and knowledge are considered at the landscape level because leaders can't control what is happening to their people outside of work. And as much as we want to compartmentalize our lives (think “leave it at the door” mentality), the reality is that we can't just shut off or ignore parts of our lives.

When we are able to step back to observe and identify the level at which the problem exists, we are more likely to make sustainable change. We are more likely to apply a solution that is meaningful and effective, meaning we shouldn't have to address the problem again. It isn't just fixed. It is solved.

Using this step of observing, take a look at one of your recurring problems and identify the solution. What is the symptom? What is the visible problem? Figure out if there is a team member that is usually associated with the problem or if it is the team as a whole. Is it their trainer, supervisor, or leader? Look at each level. I think you'll be surprised to learn that outside influences come in more than you think, especially if your job requires working with people. Most likely, you're not going to find items on every level. If there is a problem that appears on every level, it is a serious problem.

In general, if you're having to do something with great regularity, and it is starting to feel like all you're doing is fix, fix, fix with no real lasting result, zoom out and see if there is an effective way to solve it once and for all. As leaders, when we're busy fixing, doing things that do not fall under the scope of moving our team and organization forward, we are being ineffective in creating the results we seek. Now, please do not read too far into this. Sometimes, as leaders, we need to be team players and do things that aren't our responsibility to help the team. Sometimes we have to do something to be efficient, even though it may not be effective. Overall, by observing recurring problems and challenges using the 5 levels of observation, leaders are better able to understand problems which allow them to better identify effective, meaningful, and sustainable solutions. They move from applying the technical management skill of “fixing” to using adaptive leadership skills. In doing so, they solve their problems once and for all.

If this blog post resonates with you, I strongly recommend you check out C.O.R.E., a Culture and Leadership Development Program. Email me at Molly@EmpoweredCoaching.com to learn more!