Results Matter
Albert Einstein once said, “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.” While that may sound extreme, it does highlight the importance of defining problems. Very few MBA programs, leadership development programs or management training programs teach this indispensable skill. We spoke to a group of 80 HR managers recently and asked if any of them had been taught how to define problems. Only one person raised a hand. That’s common to most business groups we speak with on a weekly basis. Less than 1 percent of the workforce has been taught how to define problems. These days, clients will hire us solely based on the fact that we have the ability to define their problems during our very first conversation together. When we hear them begin to differentiate between issues, asking, “Which problem are we solving?” we know that we’ve made a major impact on their business. The following case studies reflect businesses coming to us with a perceived problem, however we were able to identify several additional issues preventing them from reaching their goals and objectives. Read on for a high level overview of the problems and solutions: