Why Just Pointing Out Problems Isn’t Enough to Overcome Them

Many people — particularly those less experienced in the ways of organizational life — assume that once they’ve mentioned or complained about a problem, the appropriate person will do something about it. Not only that, but the problem fixer will take care of everything enthusiastically and appreciatively, as if the problem identifier were the equivalent of a bounty hunter. 

But when that’s not the way it works, disappointed problem-identifiers can wind up feeling crushed or disillusioned. Some begin to disengage; others become visibly bitter and resentful. 

Merely flagging an issue might not lead to immediate resolution for multiple reasons. For instance, your leadership may not agree a problem exists if they’re operating from a different perspective — especially if they know things you don’t. I learned this very early in my career, when I told the owner of the company I worked for about some of the weird and ineffective behaviors I’d observed among the senior executives.

I was shocked to learn that he knew all about them and felt it was worth the tradeoff in creativity, drive, and loyalty. He was willing to tolerate obnoxiousness, inefficiencies, confusion, and other eccentricities even though lower-level employees were turned off by the senior execs’ erratic or peculiar behaviors. Granted, this was at a time when it was very easy to replace frontline employees, but that calculus was completely foreign to me. As a young person, I believed there were straightforward ways that things were supposed to work.

Whose Problem Is It, Anyway?

A more common reason that everyone may ignore your announcement of a problem is that no one was waiting for you to identify it — they may have no sense that a problem exists and happen to be focused in another direction. When that’s the situation, if you’re savvy and tenacious, you may be able to make a case that will attract people’s attention and draw the necessary resources. But many employees haven’t developed the tools and perspective to do that. 

Some employees might actually feel it’s not their responsibility to pursue the problem further, so that even though they wish things were different, they won’t work to make them so. Or they may feel passive and decide, “I did what they asked me to do, so I’m good,” or, “If they wanted something else, they would ask me for it.” But while inaction can seem like the safe route, it may not support career growth or make someone a valuable employee.

I once worked with a newly hired marketing manager who was expected to figure out her own work plans and meet her own timelines. She was not skillful at this. Whenever anything disrupted her activities she wouldn’t even think about what she could do to help herself because she didn’t perceive that to be her job. She would report back to her boss as if the rest of the organization was against her and it was his responsibility to clear every impediment from her path. I asked leading questions to help her see that she had options and agency. She would agree and make some half-hearted effort, but ultimately she felt it wasn’t fair that her boss didn’t make things easier for her. Even worse, because she believed that the problems weren’t hers to solve, everyone with whom she interacted recognized her resentment and sense of victimization. Unfortunately, her perspective didn’t endear her to others, and she made her situation even more complicated and negative.

Action Is Always an Option 

There are times when it’s legitimately unfair for an employee to have to resolve their own problems — like when they’re not given the necessary resources to do their jobs or there’s a disciplinary or structural problem that can only be solved at a higher level. Leaders should be alert to their own reactions when someone brings them a problem they don’t want to handle and make sure they’re properly noting the information even if it comes in a communication they don’t like.

Leaders who can reframe the input of negative or whining employees can show them how to think dispassionately about the issues they’re raising. As a leader, you should strive to ignore the unskillful messenger and focus intently on the message. You may find that there are problems that really do need to be addressed. You may have known about them vaguely but haven’t prioritized them, or you haven’t examined them as fully as if the problem had been communicated by more reliable source.

If you are not a senior leader, but you believe a problem is not being properly addressed, consider what actions you would take if you had the power. How would you galvanize others to recognize the opportunity or danger in the situation, and what would you want them to do about it? Think about how and to whom you could make that case from where you are now, and how you can use your tact, the data you have, and the support of your colleagues to get the attention that the problem really needs.

Onward and upward —

LK

An earlier version of this post appeared on my Workplace Wisdom blog.

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