Symptoms matter when problem-solving

Special for the Sun


Dave Bratcher


What happens when we go to the doctor?  We are called back and a nurse checks our vitals.  This is to get a reading on those important baseline things like temperature, blood pressure, oxygen levels, height and weight.  Then there are questions, “What brings you in today?”  This includes answering questions about “what” followed by questions about “when.”  You know the routine, assuming you have ever been to the doctor, because this is what always happens.  Clearly, the medical profession has agreed this is the proper way to begin the interaction between patients and health care professionals.  The question is, “How does this translate to organizations outside health care, and are their lessons to learn?”

When problems arise in our workplace, what is the process we go through to uncover the symptoms?  Do we have a set of questions we always ask prior to making a diagnosis?  For many organizations, the answer is no.  What typically happens is we make a giant leap forward into solving the perceived problem, and each time we have a different starting point.  This presents two problems.  The first is, we are likely providing solutions to solve the symptom and not the problem.  Secondly, we introduce too many variables and are never consistent with our approach.

When we do not stop to get information about the symptoms first, we begin to solve what we perceive to be the problem.  In other words, we do not dig deep enough into the symptoms to identify them as such.  We spend all our time on this level, without ever uncovering the root cause of the problem.  With this approach, we will likely be back in the same position, having the deal with this again.  Symptoms are clues to where the problem originates, but if they are misidentified as problems the circle will never be effectively closed.

The other problem is, we do not have a process for handling problems prior to their arising.  Without a process, what we find is panic or reactionary approaches each time difficulty arises.  When a process is agreed upon prior to the problem presenting itself, everyone knows what to do first.  Can you imagine how chaotic the local family practice office would be if everyone was asked different questions, had different assessments, or did not have anything done at all?  Wait times would skyrocket and ineffective diagnoses would as well.

For those of us not in the health care industry, there is much to learn from it.  These are just a few areas from which we can gain insight.  We need to continue to look for lessons we can learn from others, whether those are within the same field as ours or not.  Keep learning and keep asking questions.  We must remember, problems are not only happening to us, they are happening to everyone.  Create a process that can be implemented across the board, regardless of the immediate temptation to start solving it.

Dave Bratcher is the founder of, speaker, teacher and trainer in the area of leadership and organizational development. He serves as president of the STAR Center. He can be contacted at