When we run IDS® in our leadership meetings, we waste time solving superficial symptoms instead of the real problems, resulting in the same issues reappearing week after week. How do we identify the issue behind the issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Most teams are too polite or too impatient to run IDS® correctly. They hear a problem, jump straight to offering solutions, and end up treating the symptom instead of the disease. To find the root cause, you must spend eighty percent of your time on the Identify step. Do not allow anyone to propose a solution until everyone clearly understands the real problem. Start by asking the owner of the issue to state the problem in one clear sentence, focusing on facts rather than emotions. Once stated, the team must ask clarifying questions. Use the technique of asking why multiple times to dig below the surface. If the issue is that a sales representative missed their weekly quota, the first why might reveal they did not make enough outbound calls. The second why might show they spent all their time on administrative tasks. The third why might reveal that your CRM system is broken, forcing manual data entry. Solving the quota issue by yelling at the salesperson does nothing if the CRM is the actual bottleneck. You also must look at whether the issue is actually a people problem. Many operational failures are caused by having the wrong person in the seat or someone who does not GWC™ their role. Until you are willing to have the tough, honest conversation about who is responsible, you will keep solving the same symptom every ninety days.