The best leaders typically employ a hands-on, immersive leadership style, actively involved in many aspects of day-to-day operations. Sometimes though, we find ourselves so deeply immersed in the operational side, that we default to swift and efficient problem-solving. When we see a snag in the way things get done, we immediately aim to solve for X. The problem with this approach is that we never pause long enough to know if X is the best problem to solve. Perhaps there is a novel way to consider what’s going wrong that would illuminate a better path forward.
You’re Not Necessarily Missing the Problem
A lot of times, when we talk to our customers, they are acutely aware of the challenges they’re facing because they are feeling a specific pain. The problem itself is glaring: A particular task takes too much time. Invoicing is consistently delayed. Proof-of-deliveries are overwhelming customer service teams. So inevitably, they zoom in to this specific issue, and throw a variety of solutions at it to try to solve it. Segments of the original challenge may be temporarily fixed, but the root cause is never addressed because they don’t have a comprehensive understanding of what is causing the problem in the first place.
Stop Solving Problems Reflexively
When we try to fix things in this way, we end up in a reactive cycle of solving the most urgent problem at hand. It’s natural to want to solve problems. We are innately problem-solving creatures whose brains are rewarded by the process. But, we can’t put pressure on ourselves or our teams to solve something just for the sake of it. This is actually counterproductive and inhibits problem solving on a macro scale.
It can be tempting to seek technology solutions that promise quick results, but don’t commit yourself to any solution without first being sure you understand all the way around the issue. This often means deploying a more deliberate approach that considers a different perspective—sometimes literally.
The Power of Objectivity
An outsider’s perspective brings an unmatched influence, because, no matter how hard you might want to think otherwise, everyone within your organization has already been exposed to one perspective. Being so close to the problem often prevents leaders from truly understanding how to solve it. That’s because to actually solve it, you must commit to understanding not just what the problem is, but also why it’s happening and what other impacts it’s having on the organization.
The best way to do this is with an objective perspective. A platform like EZFlow delivers just that—supreme visibility into your current, “as is” business process without any influence or opinion. EZFlow maps your processes based on data, and highlights what’s going wrong where, with a complete end-to-end view of every workflow.
Lean on the Experts Where You Need Them
To make the most of any technology and business process improvements, it’s important to find partners who can offer the right combination of support, methodology and technology.
Our expertise, our technology and our approach to using it is what sets EPSoft apart from other technology service providers. But in this same vein, it’s also important to understand that we’re not the experts on your business—you are.
Together, with our EZFlow technology leading the way, we leverage our expertise in business process and your expertise on your business to drive visibility and intelligence into your process—helping you understand your way around your problem so that you are empowered to solve it.
Want to talk more specifically about your business challenges? Schedule a free consultation or workshop today.