Tag: fix

In any organisation, there’s always a lot of really big things going on. The bigger the org, the larger they are likely to be. They are also going to span over ever longer periods of time, as more people need to be consulted, included in the loop or given the chance for a final review.

Sometimes, we get so fixed on the big things and how difficult they will be to fix, we let the small things go, even though they are causing us pain right now.

I’ve talked before about how we can fix small problems to build traction on solving the big stuff, or get some big improvements from a small fix, but sometimes it’s worth just fixing a small problem that is causing you a minor amount of pain, just to clear that distraction out of the way.

If you get a stone in your shoe, you can stop right away to get it out and stop the irritation. Sometimes you are rushing because you are late, so you don’t stop to make this quick fix. You suffer the pain all the way to your destination, leaving you with some longer lasting damage and maybe even ending up getting there later than if you’d just stopped to make the quick fix.

The same logic holds true in the workplace. Those big things are going to take time, and you should put your consistent effort in to build up the flywheel effect.

Sometimes, you’ve just got five minutes spare. Use that to fix a small pain point. It might just have an outsized effect, and it’ll certainly make you and your team feel better.

It’s too easy to get caught up in the big issues, things that are intractable at first glance and that feel like they can never get better.

If you stop and look a little closer, you will find that there’s something that you can do to improve things. It might be a very small step, and it might not feel worth doing, but fixing something small is a great start.

It changes your mindset, you become powerful rather than powerless. It starts to build momentum, powering up the Flywheel of Change. It also marks you out as someone who “gets things done” rather than complaining about the way things are.

Even if you can’t find something that’s tied up to the big problems, there’s bound to be something that’s small but annoying to you and your teams. Set aside a few hours and get it sorted out. Cancel a recurring meeting if it no longer provides value. Fix some spelling mistakes in documentation. Make a template for a weekly update. Delete some tickets that you know will never get done.

Once you’ve started, it’s easier to keep going. You’ll be able to break down some of those tougher problems and make good progress, and each change you’ve made will improve the overall state of play for everyone, so each one is worth doing.

Don’t complain, don’t let overwhelm win, go out and fix those small problems!