Hit with a big company problem? Ask these three questions.

Running a business requires constant problem-solving. 

Some problems are small. I call them toiler-paper problems because just like when the toilet paper runs out, these aren’t needle-moving nor long-term strategic issues—but someone needs to solve it.

Other problems are big. They are tied to the future of the company and require multiple teams and departments working together in unison. 

We were hit with one of these big problems recently and I used a three-step framework with our leadership team to debate and decide on the right way to go.

I’ve heard people using these terms since inside the company, so I assume that they resonated and I thought I would share them here. 

It’s a pretty simple framework:

1. Change the goal 
2. Go through obstacle
3. Go around obstacle

I am reminded of The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring when Frodo and the fellowship are at an impasse: There’s literally a mountain range standing in their way.

There’s a debate among the senior members of the fellowship and they discuss their options.

The options are:

1. Go over the mountain pass of Caradhras. (over the obstacle)
2. Go south to the Gap of Rohan (around the obstacle)
3. Go through the Mines of Moria (under the obstacle)

I won’t spoil which option they selected, but their choice involves fighting a fire-demon.

Often when we’re hit with a problem we tend to delve into the details, but it helps to take a step back and think through the problem with this simple visual metaphor.

Imagine you’re on a road to your destination and a rock lands in your way. 

You really only have three options: go around the rock, bust through the rock, or change your destination.

Change the goal

This is such a simple question but often we never ask it. Is the destination still worth going after? 

Sometimes our teams get tunnel vision because they keep going after a goal, hit roadblocks, but are never given permission to step back and say “do we still want this thing?”

Often the answer is yes, but sometimes priorities have shifted and now the thing that is slowing down our teams can simply be cast aside.

Even if we believe the goal is still relevant, it’s worth talking through the hypothetical: What if we just stopped going after the thing? What would that look like? What are the implications?

Go through the obstacle

If you decide ‘yes, we still want the thing’, then there are only two options, go around or go through.

Going through the obstacle is the most straightforward. It’s getting to the root of the problem. 

• Not enough leads? How do we grow our leads?
• Wrong leads? How do we fix our positioning?
• Lots of pipeline but no sales? How do we improve our sales process and proposals?
• The product gets lots of complaints? How do we fix our product?
• Our customers are leaving? How do we fix our retention?

Going through the obstacle is fixing that big thing staring you in the face.

Solving it will be hard, but once it’s solved it won’t slow you down.

First, make sure you understand the real problem. Is it really a lead problem or something else? Keep asking why until you get at the true root of the problem and then figure out how to fix it.

Fixing it takes time. 

But sometimes, you just don’t have time to fix the problem.

Go around the obstacle

Going around the problem is a band-aid solution.

Band-aid solutions get a bad rap because at some point they don’t address the underlying problems, but they are what you need to survive right now.

We don’t often spend a lot of time talking about band-aids because they’re unpopular. No one wants their dam held together with duct tape and bubble gum.

But temporary solutions often require the most resourcefulness and creativity. 

Yes, going around the obstacle may not be the long-term solution you need, but if you HAVE to figure out something that will bridge the gap for the next week/month/quarter, going around the obstacle is sometimes the best path forward.

Just be sure you use the time you bought yourself to fix it for good and bust through that rock.