NO SILVER BULLETS, PLEASE

When faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle our natural inclination is to search for that one thing that can set the world right again. In business it may mean throwing out one leader for another. It may mean risking it all hoping for that one deal that turns it all around. It might mean placing all our hopes on one new product introduction. It may mean eliminating a complete division or cutting another because it feels good to take action. The problem is that rarely does one thing get us into our predicament and even more rarely does one thing get us out.

Business is tough everywhere. The economy has played havoc with what had become a relatively comfortable “normal”. There is nothing comfortable today as we all confront a barrage of change unlike any we have experienced. There are no simple answers. In fact, there are no simple questions. And just as certainly there are no silver bullets.

Spending our precious time and resources swinging for the fences is no way to solve a problem. Just as building a bridge requires many pieces and parts working and fitting together so must we build a viable solution to the issues we face. All things matter-big and little. They may have to be done differently than in the past as we reassess them for relevance in a changed world. History can be a great resource for behaviors that worked but were forgotten. Generally the best problem solving approach is to get back to basics. It is easy to forget the fundamentals when momentum is on our side.

Examples include: Identifying a propitious niche that differentiates; educating one’s staff; re-evaluating processes to take full advantage of technology; celebrating victories; making sure cuts have not been so deep that people are asked to do important tasks that they are unqualified to do, and as a result, not able to focus on things they are qualified to do; eliminating layers that were once not necessary and so on.

I have worked with those whose first inclination is to look for the one answer that would solve the problem forever. This resulted in many “new” grand strategies and precipitated a steady stream of executives replacing executives. This destroyed morale, unnecessarily upset the lives of many families, ravaged the corporate culture and left the company with no consistent direction and focus. The end result was consistent underperformance.

Success is found in doing many things well-not just one. It isn’t that simple. It certainly isn’t that easy. No company can survive without doing many things well. Dismiss the temptation to try to solve all problems with one broad stroke. Every now and then a silver bullet may hit the target but what then? The world is always moving and changing so it doesn’t take long for the silver bullet to become tarnished. Don’t count on one silver bullet to solve all the problems. Rather, focus on doing many things well, consistently.