“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.”
-John Foster Dulles
...good leaders anticipate problems.
“The most important thing to do in solving a problem is to begin."
-Frank Tyger
At this, the final step in the problem-solving process, the leader must determine whether the problem has actually been solved.
“Why do we fear adversity when we know it is the only way to truly get better?”
I can honestly say I have never known a writer that truly understands the concept of “team.”
The final theme I focused on during the (winning) streak was maintaining a consistent routine. Of all the things I have confidence in, the structure of our routine heads the list. Everything we do is with the idea of keeping our players fresh and healthy, all the while providing them with the information and guidance they need to do their job.
...you should not become so recalcitrant that you don’t leave room for adaptation. However, that too can be a part of our basic routine. The players can be taught that certain aspects of their preparation will be dictated as needed by the success or failure of a particular part of our situational offensive, defensive or special teams.
“The only thing wrong with doing nothing is that you never know when you are finished.”
-Anonymous
...the best way to deal with a problem is to take steps to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place. Not only is it less costly, but it also enables an organization to avoid negative circumstances that might otherwise be a byproduct of the problem.
Preventing a problem, however, usually requires that a leader has superior planning skills.
We devote a considerable amount of time and resources during our summer training camp to address issues that might become a problem during the season. Such issues involve personal, as well as professional circumstances. Along with the structure of handling a losing streak or a prolonged period on the road, we address such personal issues as spousal abuse, drunken driving, and parental responsibilities. Handling these potential problems in a proactive way serves two purposes. First, it provides the players with a resource to draw on should the problems arise. Second, it gives the players a sense that management is well organized and has a plan for every contingency.
“The world is full of thorns and thistles. It’s all in how you grasp them.”
-Arnold Glasow
...leaders should learn to trust their intuition and to consider their gut feelings as one factor in developing and evaluating potential solutions.
Leaders should keep in mind that procrastination only deepens a crisis.
The best organizational structure for dealing with a crisis is one in which responsibility for leading the organization out of the crisis is assigned to one individual.
There are three perspectives that must be maintained in handling any crisis: dealing with the crisis itself, dealing with the effects on the organization, and finally, dealing with the ensuing media and its effect on the first two concerns.
“The reward for being a good problem solver is to be heaped with more and more difficult problems to solve.”
-Buckminister Fuller
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing is the wrong thing; and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
According to John Maxwell in The 21 indispensable Qualities of a Leader, there are three basic kinds of competent people in the world:
-Those who can see what needs to happen
-Those who can make it happen
-Those who can make it happen when it really counts
