“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

— Peter Drucker

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My friend had to have a root canal. Then she had to have another root canal. The second one should not have happened. But it did, because the dentist first performed a root canal on the wrong tooth.

Are you drilling down on the wrong problem?

You are already dealing with enough as it is. You have to work on projects that are politically initiated. You have to deliver value despite competing priorities and a massive number of initiatives. Some of you are working through issues of operational and functional maturity. Every day, technology leaders balance the tension of working in the business versus working on the business.

The last thing you need is to miss root causes.

How do you determine what the real problem is? How do you save time, energy and money by avoiding presenting issues and focusing on true needs?

The key is to be different.

1. Every problem needs a different angle. We look at problems as something to be fixed, and we see the fix as the success. The end result is relief (until the problem rears its head again). Talk to my chiropractor about how effective that is: Relieving pain is not the same as having good spinal health. Instead, ask first, “What is success?”
   Companies are dealing with the Great Resignation. Is the problem employee turnover? What if success was being a company no one wanted to leave? Would that better expose the root issue and a better solution?
2. Every problem requires different perspectives. We tend to solve problems out of our current experience and skills. When that happens, the problem is we may not understand the problem.
   Classic story: A semi tries to pass under a bridge and becomes stuck because he couldn’t clear the height. Tow truck couldn’t help. Engineers were called in to figure out how to raise the overpass. A kid rides up on a bike and asks a police officer what is happening. In response, the kid says, “Why don’t they deflate the tires?”
   Who else can be brought in on a problem and bring a different perspective?
3. Every problem deserves a different approach. Raise a problem, and you will be met with answers. It’s what we do as techs and engineers. How about exhausting questions first? “Why is this a problem?” “What one thing accomplished would make all other options unnecessary?” “Who else needs to be in on this?”
   I once coached a leader who was fighting through burnout. He was trying everything to reverse it. He was mired in depression over it. His relationships were affected by it. I asked him one question: “What if this is meant to be?” His whole countenance changed. I asked a second question: “What would you feel if you just let go?” He said, “Freedom.” He was solving a wrong problem: How to reverse burnout. I re-focused him: Embrace burnout? His relationships improved immediately, and his career took the turn it needed to take. The problem wasn’t burnout. The problem was being in a misplaced career.
4. Every problem should be measured differently. Solution is not the goal. As Starbucks teaches, bad coffee brewed properly is still bad coffee. I’m not the guy you call when you need a home repair or car fix. I can rig things so that they work in the moment, but don’t call me next week when it falls apart. When we see a problem with a different angle (point #1), we start with defining success. Success is the end result of desired outcomes. We measure problems by the outcomes we seek, not the solution we can check-off.
5. Every problem invites a different experience. What happens if you look at a problem and say, “I cannot solve this problem using anything I have before or doing anything I’ve done before.” We get used to improving things; some problems call for innovation.

My friend’s dentist felt like an idiot. There is nothing so useless as doing what shouldn’t be done.

Life is full of problems, and sometimes you feel like all you do is solve problems. And that’s a problem. Pretty soon, you are fixing stuff, but you aren’t really solving anything. You are destined for a screw-up. Unless you approach problems differently, as outlined above, so that you are getting to the root of the real problem.