There Are Only 2 Types of Problem

If you hold a managerial position, you owe your appointment, at least in part to your ability to solve problems.

It’s one of the most necessary and rewarding aspects of any role; it impacts on the organisation, our self-esteem and the way we are perceived by our peers.


There are those problems that we quite enjoy, and those we don't; this is all about the latter.

There are those we (secretly) quite like (and can measure):

You know that once a problem is identified and if a  way of solving it is apparent, someone brings it to the attention of whoever’s most likely to be impressed.

If we agree that it warrants time and resources, someone’s given the responsibility of sorting it out and its progress is monitored on the Corrective Action Summary until it’s no longer a cause for concern. This is routine activity for any self-respecting organisation.

And there are those that we don't like (and can't):

There's another ‘class’ of problem that can be just as corrosive and expensive as the best of them that doesn’t get dealt with in the same way; if at all. I refer to a more underlying kind of issue; the type created when personalities, priorities and maybe some ‘histrionics’ keep colliding. Where very necessary working relationships have broken down to the point where performance and peace of mind are suffering.

Often the only thing that’s apparent is a lack of spirit, or the occasional confrontation, but we can all sense that there’s something else to it. Most are minor and short lived; but on occasion they can become corrosive and have a widespread and lasting negative impact.

The more spectacular examples become the ‘elephant in the room’ where for any number of reasons (usually seniority, sensitivity and self-preservation) the problem becomes conveniently invisible.

It’s hardly surprising that the occasional relationship gets into real difficulties when we consider the makeup of the typical workplace. Our employees have vastly differing levels of skill, experience and expectations yet we require them to fit into a structure and work with people they might otherwise cross the street to avoid.

It’s easy to say that we’re all professionals and we should be able to put aside such issues but you know as well as I do that’s not what happens.


So, what do we do?

That's what this entire blog is about. Most times, (and you can vouch for this) we do nothing; these issues can be mine-fields. Often they are quietly tolerated, even though they might be damaging the credibility and performance of those involved. Indeed some have existed so long it would seem almost impertinent to raise the matter after all this time. Factors in their acceptance are usually a blend of sensitivity, seniority and self-preservation.

Egos tend to fuel both the inception and conclusion of such matters, it can be wise to keep our head down.

We know that every difficult situation is protected by a boundary; if we can figure out how to get beyond that, we can start to see what's actually going on. Unfortunately this requires a healthy dose of objectivity and a level of expertise which are usually in fairly short supply. The fact remains that with the right approach, a new range of possibilities open up.

This blog is dedicated to the subject and offers a variety of tools and techniques that can help to get round the pitfalls and help to get things gradually back on track.