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It’s Time To Fix The Holes In The Boat

You’re the Captain of the boat.  Yet another day you steer the boat on the choppy waters.  All of your crew members are busily completing their tasks and doing them well. 

“I have a good team,” you think to yourself.  Then your mind returns to those nagging issues that are dragging the performance of the boat down.

“What are we going to do about the holes in the boat?”, asks the most junior member of your management team.  You wonder if he drew the short straw and was sent by the rest of the team.

“There’s no time to fix the holes in the boat.  Besides, we’re doing fine,” you say authoritatively.

“If we can’t fix the holes in the boat, could we speed up the engine?  Or, maybe we could bring along some more people to bail water.  Or, maybe even get bigger buckets”, suggests the junior manager a bit sheepishly.

You instantly realize two things.  First, you realize that those three suggestions are foolish and more costly compared to fixing the holes in the boat.  And second, you realize that you’ve been doing those same three things for months in an effort to solve the problem. 

Then the real revelation hits you.  You’ve been addressing the symptoms of the problem, not the real problem.

“Let’s make a plan to fix the holes in the boat,” you announce.

A sense of relief creeps across the face of the junior manager as he heads off to gather the team and make a plan.

What are the “holes” in your organization’s boat?  Isn’t it time you dealt with the real issues?  Yes, opening up those issues might be painful.  But, 2010 will be a better year if you “fix the holes in your boat.”

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