Don't Get Caught In the Quick Fix Trap

Who doesn't love a quick fix?  In our 21st-century western culture, this is practically part of our DNA.  Got a pain?  Pop a pill.  Want a perfect lawn?  Spray this around.  Looking to lose weight?  Drink this.  VOILA!  Problem solved!

Certainly, this is present in our workplace as well. Want more employee engagement?  Put managers through a two-hour communications training.  Want to do better hiring?  Get someone to write you the perfect interview questions.  For non-profits, want more donations?  Send another mailer.

Might there be some positive return from these efforts?  Maybe.  At some level.  For some period of time. However, the likelihood of meaningful performance improvement at the desired level is slim.  Are you okay with a quick fix that yields a quick uptick in performance, or are you wanting real results?

The quick fix is appealing because it often requires limited investment of time exploring the situation and various routes to pursue change.  The initial time investment is the starting place for real change.  Note that "time investment" doesn't have to be a 6-month initiative with dreadful weekly meetings.  It could be just an hour or two with the right people at the table focusing and thinking together.

If you want to take the time to do a root cause analysis and solution design, here are questions to ask.

• How does this problem impact our business?  Why is fixing this so important to us?
• Are there instances when this is not a problem?  What's happening in those instances?  Can that be replicated?
• What would "perfect" look like/sound like?  (Imagine describing this to someone who knows little about your business.)
• What are the processes that surround the problem?  Would process changes help?
• Are people lacking will?  Skill?  Physical resources? Time?  How might those be addressed?

The time invested exploring these questions will maximize the results of any subsequent efforts you make.  This means real change - not just quick fix magic.

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