One thing at a time
When multiple problems arise in your system, it’s tempting to think everything’s falling apart.
But it’s there’s often a more useful way to think about it.
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Your check engine light has been showing, and your mechanic says the part you need won't be in for another week.
Now it's almost midnight and you're stranded at a gas station because your car won't start.
You turn the key and get nothing.
No clicks, no noises, no nothing.
You can't even roll up your open window.
So do you:
1. Assume that the pre-existing problem has finally made your car totally inoperable, and have it towed to your mechanic?
Or:
2. Consider other possibilities, and maybe avoid a 2-hour wait on the tow truck and the inconvenience of being without your car tomorrow?
My daughter called me late last night with this very situation.
We talked it through, and she very wisely decided to at least consider the two problems separately.
The essential question was:
If there had been no pre-existing problem, and my car suddenly behaved this way when I tried to start it,
what would be my first guess about the cause?
The answer was pretty clear:
“Dead battery.”
She got a jump from her friend, drove home, and went this morning to have a battery tested.
Yep, bad battery.
She bought a new one, and went on her way.
This illustrates some important points about complex systems:
Misbehaviors are not necessarily related just because they correspond closely in time.
Isolating the misbehaviors can allow us to solve some of them and avoid a lot of inconvenience.
It's true for your car, your laptop, your house,
and for your CRM, website, email systems, and all the rest.
When these systems misbehave, it's terribly frustrating and inconvenient.
But you don't have to let that force you into throwing up your hands.
Addressing each problem separately will very often put you back in control and save you a lot of trouble.
All the best,
A.