Take Two Aspirins and Call Me in the Morning

Sound advice if you are trying to cure the symptoms!  So many businesses today are desperately trying to cure their symptoms and settling for temporary relief.  But like so many of us, four hours after taking the first dose we are repeating the medication trying to ease the familiar pain.

In the majority of the businesses I have coached, I have observed how the owners or managers are focusing only on the symptoms of their business.  While treating these symptoms they are only experiencing temporary relief or in many cases no relief at all.

Why?  The symptom is not the cause of any given problem; it is only the indicator of what lies underneath the surface.  While discussing business with a potential client I hear frequently how sales are off, profits are falling, and/or morale is poor. By no means are these the problems or issues—only the symptoms of the “root cause.”

Peeling the layers back and digging into the situation one can begin to uncover the issue causing the pain.  What is causing my headache is the same question that should be asked in business, what is causing poor sales and profits or low morale?  These are the headaches.

Morale can be the result of many events in a company.  Poor communications, disrespect of employees/employers, not understanding what is expected, and poor working conditions can be a few of the issues leading to low morale.

Falling sales are often blamed on the economy.  Upon closer examination poor sales could be the result of not having the right product, pricing issues, poor product knowledge, ineffective advertising, lack of training of the sales staff or not understanding the competitive situation. 

When a principal or manager or supervisor is working in a crisis environment any immediate help is welcomed.  Multiple concerns hitting these individuals from all directions often lead to “just get it done.”  “I don’t have the time to deal with this right now,” becomes a mantra.  But these same individuals somehow find the time to correct the things they didn’t do right the first time.  This is far more costly and time consuming. The result typically leads to a downward spiral that can impact sales, profits and morale all at once.

What should I do?

Look at the symptoms as just that: symptoms.  They are not the problem or the issue. Physicians have lab tests, X-rays, and EKGs to evaluate the symptoms of their patients and then can prescribe accordingly.  Business leaders need to learn the techniques to define their “root causes” and spend their time and resources on addressing the real problem or issue.  Remember:  It is the issue not the symptom that is the target that needs the attention and focus.  Take care of the issue and the symptoms will likely disappear.