Choosing the Right Problems to Solve for Lasting Results

Many leaders want an "army of problem solvers". While this is a great and valuable resource, the best army deployed without strategy is destined to falter and ultimately fail in achieving its objectives. The concept of having a dedicated team of individuals who can tackle challenges and devise solutions is undoubtedly appealing, as it fosters a culture of innovation and adaptability within an organization. Don't underestimate a crucial component, that simply assembling a group of talented problem solvers is not sufficient for success. Without a well-defined strategy that aligns their efforts with the overall goals of the organization, even the most skilled team can become misdirected and ineffective.

Why Reacting to Every Problem is not Effective

Reacting to every issue as it arises can feel like progress. But, putting out fires all day long creates constant urgency, yet rarely leads to meaningful progress. When leaders focus on the loudest or most visible problems, they risk neglecting deeper issues that have a greater impact on the organization’s success.

For example, a customer service team might spend hours fixing individual complaints that flood in daily. While addressing these is necessary, if the root cause is a flawed product design, the team’s efforts only patch symptoms. Without identifying and solving the core problem, complaints will continue to pile up.

This reactive mode also drains energy and focus. Teams become exhausted, morale drops, and strategic goals get pushed aside. Leaders who want lasting impact must learn to pause and evaluate which problems deserve their attention.

The Difference Between Reacting and Responding

Reacting means acting quickly without full consideration, often driven by emotion or external pressure. It is reflexive. It relies on pattern recognition and what Daniel Kahneman refers to as System 1 thinking. Responding involves thoughtful decision-making based on understanding the problem’s context and potential impact. That forces the more uncomfortable critical thinking required for problem solving.

Responding requires slowing down to ask:

• What outcome do we want to achieve?

• How are we actually performing today?

• What is the impact of solving this issue?

(before we jump into action)

By responding instead of reacting, leaders can prioritize issues that align with their strategic objectives. Sometimes the best response is to wait, gather more data, or delegate the problem to the right team.

How to Select the Right Problems to Solve

Selecting the right problems starts with clarity about your organization’s goals and priorities. Here are steps to guide this process:

1. Define Clear Objectives and Goals (WHY and WHAT)

As part of the strategy deployment element of your business management system, know what you're trying to improve and what success looks like. For example, if your goal is to improve product quality, problems related to customer complaints about defects should take priority over minor process delays.

2. Assess Current Performance and Prioritize on Impact (HOW)

Observe the process and gather data to understand where you stand today. Use facts, metrics, and team to identify gaps that are limiting performance.

Map how the issue is limiting output or growth. (Consider financial costs, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and long-term risks.) Some problems require significant resources to solve but yield little improvement. Others may be easier fixes with big returns. Prioritize accordingly.

3. Involve the Right People and Plan follow-up (WHO and WHEN)

Engage team members who understand the problem deeply. Their insights can reveal hidden causes and practical solutions. Provide them the resources to investigate and resolve; capability/training, time, resources.

Establish a format and cadence to review progress on activities and the impact on results. Adjust focus as new information develops.

Practical Examples of Problem Selection

The Manufacturing Plant

A company executives recognized the barrier they were facing. Projected double-digit growth but capacity was stalled. There were a thousand things they could fix and multiple things that were 'urgent' every day. But by taking a step back to evaluate trends and observe the indicated bottlenecks, we found three things to invest time into and get 20%+ capacity growth. 1) 5S the staging area and introduce kanban for common components, 2) cross training in the welding cells, 3) workload balance in final assembly.

Planning and responding to the situation gave clarity and focus.

Do they still have to remediate daily issues? Yes. But bandwidth is focused on those three systemic issues and progress can be made in just 90 days.

Prioritizing problems for effective leadership

Building a Culture That Focuses on the Right Problems

Leaders set the tone for how their teams approach problem-solving. To build a culture focused on selecting the right problems:

• Encourage asking questions about goals and impact before jumping to solutions

• Reward thoughtful decision-making, not just quick fixes

• Provide tools and training to analyze problems effectively

• Create time and space where teams can discuss and prioritize issues together

• Lead by example by demonstrating patience and strategic thinking

  
  

When teams learn to focus on important problems, they become more productive and engaged. They see their work making a real difference, they experience how to #improveLESS ... and get better results

Tools and Techniques to Help Prioritize Problems

Several tools can help leaders and teams select the right problems:

• Impact vs. Effort Matrix: Plot problems based on their potential impact and the effort required to solve them. Focus on high-impact, low-effort issues first (quick wins/low-hanging fruit).

• Pareto Analysis: Identify the 20% of problems causing 80% of issues. Don't react to every one-off situation, attack the trends.

• ABC Analysis: Look to your inventory and product lines. Separate by volume or profit margin. Which products should you divest of? What should you make-to-stock vs. make-to-order (what should you stop making)? Get alignment, then attack.

• Value Stream Map: Capture the current state material and information flow, design "paper studies" of the solutions and map out what future state could look like. Invest in the issues that reduce lead time/inventory and expand capacity.

• Daily Management: Establish clear goals and metrics. Schedule a time to review and adjust priorities based on new information, let the information from the source drive decision making.