The fast-track to fewer people problems

If you’ve ever considered life closely you may have noticed that the same ‘problem’ circles around until finally you face what you’d rather ignore … and once you address it life seems to allow you to move on.

The same family issues.

The same kinds of relationships.

The same types of challenges at work.

The bigger realisation in this: life is not random.

Without going too deep into why, it’s clear that life is always giving you opportunities to address what holds you back – and it’s so intent on it that the messages don’t just keep gently turning up, they get louder as the years go by.

The same observation is articulated in the commonly-known feather, brick, truck analogy – first life gives you a feather: ‘look at this’ – a small challenge, perhaps. If you don’t look that challenge gets bigger – the ‘brick’ – perhaps in the form of illness or accident, nothing that stops your life but does get in your way … and if it doesn’t cause you to look more broadly at what you’re refusing to see, you get the ‘truck’ – a serious illness or accident, major loss of a loved one – something that causes you to seriously reassess your life and your choices.

You don't see this everyday and most likely you'll only see it when you really know someone (or see it in yourself). And few will want to acknowledge this because in it lies an inherent responsibility to take responsibility for your life - to act, and change (which many will avoid like the plague … ironic when avoiding it is more likely to get you the ‘plague’).

The same thing is happening in business.

But the message is far less cryptic – it’s the same for almost every leader.

Let me explain:

Most problems don’t start big.

They start small.

So small you barely notice them.

A behaviour that feels slightly off.

A moment where you think "I probably should say something ..."

But you don’t. It’s minor. Not worth the disruption. Easily forgotten and even easier to let go of.

So you do.

And that’s where it begins.

What was a niggle becomes a nuisance.

The behaviour doesn’t just happen once, it shows up all over the place. It becomes how you define people. You get more and more irritated. The impact of the behaviour shows up in the work.

Still, nothing is said.

“It’s not that bad” (AKA ‘the brick’)

Until eventually, it becomes a nightmare (the Truck).

Now it has to be addressed.
Now it’s affecting performance.
Now it’s costing time, energy, and focus.

And now, it’s hard.

And the unfortunate reality is not what you’re dealing with now – it’s that you could have dealt with it months or years ago, when it was just a simple conversation.

Niggle. Nuisance. Nightmare.

Now it’s not a conversation, it’s an intervention.

Problems always present first as a feather.

They don’t escalate on their own – they escalate because no-one addresses them.

The cardinal sin of business: the ‘what does unsaid’

Big issues are just small issues ignored repeatedly.

Friction is the signpost.

Friction means something needs fixing.

And 9 out of 10 times all that means is that something needs to be said.

The conversation you avoid early becomes the problem you’re forced to solve later.

When it’s expensive, destructive and time-consuming.

The leaders biggest opportunities lie in a gift to their future selves – the simple question of “what am I ignoring because it doesn’t seem like such a big deal today?”

And making that a priority through the simple act of conversation.

The action is clear – what conversations are you avoiding, and are they at the niggle or nuisance stage?