When you have a cold, it is easy to diagnose the problem from the symptoms you suffer. You cough, your head is stuffy and you have no energy. In business, there may be clues that a problem exists. However, diagnoses may not be as evident as what happens when we contract the common cold. The good news is that information abounds on solving problems. There are even problem solving models that act as a guide if one doesn’t know where to begin on solving a problem. So let’s look at some steps that can help solve business problems.

To begin, someone in the organization has to have a clue that a problem exits. Of course, more than likely the symptoms show up first, for example, poor sales, a lack of productivity, staffing problems and maybe even chaos. However, seeing the symptoms doesn’t always guarantee the diagnosis. Diagnosing business problems takes a few steps.

1. Recognition that a problem exists is first. Leaders who put their heads in the sand and ignore problems are part of the problem and of course, this causes the problem to fester. Business failure can follow. Therefore, this is an important step.

One constant in business is problems. There are two kinds of problems, the predictable and the unpredictable. Unpredictable problems are events such as earthquakes, illnesses, death, storms, and the like. Yet, even considering some of these, we all know that we have the possibility of becoming ill or running into weather that can change our plans especially if we are traveling and this is particularly true if we are traveling at certain times of the year. Having disaster plans in place can at least alleviate some of the consequences of major, unpredictable disasters. So how can businesses better anticipate other problems in order to be proactive in either preventing them or solving them more quickly and efficiently when they do occur? Here are some ideas to consider.

1. Trends

Studying trends in marketing, sales, economics, and the like helps leadership to create plans that include changes. Therefore, when these changes begin to occur, the organization is better able to adapt, stay on track and prevent the main problem from becoming worse and additional problems from developing.

Change can instill fear in the hearts of employees. A strong communication plan can help alleviate those fears. However, this presents a quandary for CEOs. Leadership often debates how much communication is too much. Given the chaos that a lack of communication can cause, over communicating is rarely a problem. This is especially true in the face of drastic organizational change such as mergers and acquisitions, leadership change or market shifts.

The CEO who takes on a more protective stance as opposed to a bolder, builder stance will only fan the flames of fear. Employees will shut down, taking the success of the change down with them. Change is essential for growth. Therefore, in the face of change, it is important for the CEO’s role to be that of a change agent. Leaders always need to be more builder-like and confident in how they approach change. Further, they need to be extremely good at managing the expectations from growth. This helps make change more bearable. Moreover, creating a plan to manage change and getting all employees involved in building that plan will take the fear out of change and illustrate or model to employees that change is indeed manageable.

The wise CEO develops a culture that embraces change. This requires that the CEO be intentional in communicating all aspects of what the company is going through, while being willing to share not only the good things about that change but the challenges and the obstacles that change will create. To ensure that this is the case in your organization, here are some critical questions to ask.

• Is there a builder-like mindset in alignment with the protector-like mindset?
• Do managers meet one-on-one with direct reports weekly?
• Does the CEO address the company once a month to share insights?
• Do employees feel comfortable bringing up different views?

Resolving the Challenge of Resistance to Change

Opportunities will abound in 2014. As the title of this article indicates, it is about how we can make 2014 and every year a success by taking advantage of opportunities. Notice though, the title doesn’t have the word “new” in it. Why is this?

As part of my executive coaching business, I offer ESL Business Coaching. As you no doubt know, ESL is an acronym for English as a Second Language. I have the opportunity to view many perspectives from people who are native to countries such as Chile, China, Cuba, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, South America, The Middle East and Romania. Here’s an example of opportunity from their perspectives.

One of my Japanese clients works all day at his job. Once a week, he drives 30 miles to our session from work. Our sessions last from 6:00pm to 8:15pm. When we finish at 8:15, he then drives the 30 miles back to his job so that he can participate in conference calls with his co-workers in Japan. During one of our sessions, I offered that because her works so many hours every day, he is losing the opportunity to see his two children grow up. He agreed, but indicated that he must remain loyal to his employer as the company provides a living for him and his family. Clearly a different mindset than we Americans project. The discussion turned to the opportunity to find another position where he isn’t required to work so many hours. He will be going back to Japan soon and he confessed that he must also remain with this company as the job market is so tight in Japan and the opportunity to switch jobs is not as prevalent as here in the United States.