Sh*t Happens. Figure it Out.

Nothing is ever going to be perfect, and that’s perfect! One of the biggest fallacies in business is the idea that we can apply an automated system to something, and it will just work perfectly all the time! But a company can’t function on automation alone, you’ll always have to rely on great people.

As we move deeper into a digitized world, the systems we rely on are becoming increasingly complex, intricate, and reliant on specific skill sets to keep them up and running smoothly.

Consider the automobile engine. Back in the 70’s, just about any guy could pop open their hood and take care basic maintenance on their vehicle. Dads in their driveways on a Saturday morning changing their oil and checking the engine was a common sight.

Today, the engine is hidden, many parts of modern vehicles are computerized, and a lot fewer people even know how to change their own oil.

And while it’s great that technology has come so far, too often, we take for granted that things just work. So, when they inevitably don’t, we’re lost in some respects.

It’s true for all areas of life. Stuff is going to break. Things aren’t going to go according to plan. Projects will take longer, and cost more than you anticipated.

You can’t escape the inevitability of the proverbial, sh*t happening. What you can do, is foster a culture where the drive, desire, and means to “figure it out” are engrained in the company’s core values and day to day activities.

I love it when people bring me a question to which I get to reply, “I don’t know. Figure it out.”

It’s a simple phrase, but it’s critical to foster a culture that embraces “figure it out.”

‍Note: Before you tell a team member to figure it out, which is the endgame, make sure you’re talking to the RIGHT team member. If you can look at that person and also say, “This is your wheelhouse, you’re in the best seat on the bus to be able to find the answer.” That’s the right person.

(You might think that should go without saying, but there are far too many folks in management who think that managing just means telling anyone with a question, “figure it out” regardless of their position, skills, or role to not throw in that caveat.)

Here are 6 simple yet helpful tips to consider:

1. You have to have trust within the organization. If you want people to be able to make decisions, your people have to trust you and you have to trust them.

2. They need to feel safe. And it’s up to you to ensure there’s no fear. If your team is afraid to come to you with an idea or a mistake or a setback for fear of being harshly criticized, disciplined, or even fired, they’re either going to play it way too safe or come to you to approve every detail.

3. Your team has to feel empowered and confident that they can solve any problem, which means you have to make sure they have the resources at their disposal to do so.

4. In that same vein, they need to be prepared – they have to know who and where to seek out help and answers.

5. They need to know what winning looks like, so they have a goal and something to measure against. So, they can ask themselves, “Does this align with the company mission and values? Will it move, inspire, and wow? Or will it just be ‘good’?” Set the goal posts!

6. You have to make sure your people are situated within a framework for success. Who have you surrounded that person with? If the team member trying to figure it out is surrounded by a great team of A players, they’re going to win. Even if you have a team member having a C player day or week, if they’re surrounded with A players, the team will elevate and empower that person and bring them back to their best. On the flipside, if you take one A player and surround them with the B & C squad, your A player doesn’t have the framework they need to win.

The keys to coaching, teaching, and leadership are communication and empowerment. Which goes far beyond telling someone how to do something.

Be genuinely curious. Ask questions and give them the tools to arrive at the answers. Work within their learning styles. Empower them to figure it out when sh*t goes wrong, and everybody wins together.

Sh*t’s going to happen…
Build a culture where people intuitively take action to “figure it out”!

‍Onwards, Friends.

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