Have you ever noticed that problems are rarely solved by those who have not seen them first hand?
Core to ‘Lean’ philosophy is the Japanese term ‘Genchi Genbutsu’ which carries the meaning ‘go and see’.
In other words, when you have a problem, do not pore over spreadsheets, seek counsel from a friend, or check in with your boss. Instead, go to the source of the problem and see for yourself.
Few do this, and as management becomes increasingly isolated from the processes that support them, we become ever more creative with the reason why we do not down tools, and go and see.
Some of the usual excuses I have heard.
I am too busy.
If you are accountable for the smooth running of a process or person, you have no greater responsibility than to ensure the problem is solved. If it is not your problem, but it is no one else’s either, then take the initiative and go and see, take responsibility. You should never be too busy.
I do not know the source of the problem.
Often this is a legitimate concern, but it is not an excuse to do nothing. By contrast, it should be the best catalyst to set about determining the cause of the problem. Go and see, apply some critical thinking, peel back the layers of symptoms to properly understand the causes of the problem, and eliminate them.
It is not my problem.
Functional siloes and the mismanagement of KPI’s in bureaucracies of all types, are commonly the cause of this common refrain. We have complicated management structures and accountabilities so much in the past decades that everyone has the ability to point somewhere else, or simply walk away. Leadership and culture are the only antidotes. Built into the management culture must be the recognition that a problem somewhere in the organisation, ultimately impacts on everyone. Therefore, everyone has a responsibility, if not accountability, to call it out.
I cannot get there.
Again, often a legitimate barrier, especially in the corporate world where the location to be seen is distant, and there are travel approval processes to be navigated. Sometimes, you might be able to visit via the great video conference technology now available. However, technology is never a perfect substitute for a set of eyes, and the impact of someone coming from a remote location to examine the problem, and help find and implement solutions.
It is uncomfortable.
Yes, often it is, especially when dealing with a person. However, avoiding the conversation, embarrassment, confrontation, anxiety, or whatever it is that is stopping you, still does not address the problem. You just have to go and see.
It is not a problem, it is an opportunity.
The flip side of every problem is opportunity, for those who are able to see it. Where do you go to see an opportunity? The place may not exist. This should not stop you going to where it may exist and looking, perhaps building a ‘minimal viable product’ and testing it in the market. Some of the most successful products I have conceived and launched had their origins in conversations with consumers in supermarkets. Watching what they did, and asking why they did it is a source of ideas about all sorts of things, including identifying things that may not have been noticed as a problem to be solved.
None of these excuses hold any water, they are a cop-out, and are actively avoided in enterprises that have the potential to be great.
