When the Obstacle Isn’t What It Appears to Be
A business owner tells an adviser what they believe is wrong. The adviser’s job is to uncover the reality.
In my experience, the findings sometimes coincide with the owner’s assessment, but often reveal a very different situation. Accepting the initial explanation without examining it can lead to another attempt to resolve the wrong obstacle.
The explanation offered must be tested against the facts. What is preventing the desired result—and what must change to achieve it?
I was once brought in by the board of directors to serve as CEO of a company approaching bankruptcy.
The board attributed the company’s difficulties to poor marketing and sales. Shortly before my arrival, it had hired a new vice president of sales to address that assessment.
I began by examining the operations and meeting with employees, franchise owners, shareholders, and the board. Each offered a perspective. My responsibility was to determine what those perspectives revealed when considered alongside the facts.
There were product and manufacturing issues that required attention. But the fundamental obstacle was the board’s management of the business, including a dispute between several board members and a key franchise operation.
The board’s explanation focused on sales performance. The investigation revealed that decisions and relationships at the top were obstructing the business’s ability to perform.
In my assessment, the board had begun looking for a scapegoat while treating the company’s failure as inevitable.
That finding changed the direction of the work. A new sales executive could not, alone, resolve the conditions undermining the operation.
The strategy had to address those conditions: restructure the business, resolve manufacturing issues, and work with franchise owners to turn operations around.
The lesson is practical. Before committing resources to a solution, establish whether it addresses the obstacle actually preventing the desired result.
Listen to the explanation. Examine the evidence. Speak with the people affected by the decisions. Be prepared to reach a conclusion that differs from the one presented.
Experience and judgment become useful when they reveal what must change—and guide the actions needed to change it.
Communications Strategists International (CSI) | 844-CSI-TALK · (844) 274-8255
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