Do You Have a Bias Toward Action?
By: Matt Vangent
Tags: Work, Decision Making, Leadership Development, Leadership, Problem Solving

Do You Have a Bias Toward Action?

How to balance action and observation in the midst of a pandemic

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

I have watched more webinars in the last 4 months than during my entire life up until this point. I would guess the same is true for you. It seems like this has been one of the default responses for most people during this pandemic.

Along with webinars, I have heard the word “pivot” more frequently now than ever before. The two are related, I think. When the pandemic hit and our communities shut down, business as usual was no longer viable. Companies needed to pivot, to move in a new direction, if they were going to survive. Webinars may not have been born in this moment, but they certainly experienced their coming-of-age then.

The proliferation of webinars is an easy example of the balance between action and observation. Business leaders observed that their old models would not help them survive. They hypothesized that providing free digital content would be an effective way to engage and grow their customer base, and then they wasted no time putting it into action.

In the weeks and months ahead, the companies that have made this pivot are going to be the ones that stay on people’s minds. When I need consulting advice or strategic marketing input, I’m going to turn to one of the companies that provided high quality, free content during the pandemic.

Too many companies are in survival mode right now. While that might be the unfortunate reality for some, it isn’t the only option. With the right balance of observation and action, you can go beyond mere survival and start thriving.

Understand the nature of your problems

The problems you’re facing are either adaptive or technical in nature. Before you respond to a situation, you need to understand which type of problem it is.

Technical problems are usually easy to identify and have a pretty straight-forward solution. If you can solve it by consulting with an expert or implementing a simple, new piece of technology, it’s most likely a technical problem.

Adaptive problems are much more difficult. COVID-19 has posed an adaptive problem to businesses. Asking an expert might help, but it won’t get you through this. These problems often require complete changes in values, roles, and even approaches to work. Companies that used to focus on physical interactions have had to adapt in recent months, totally changing their approach in order to accommodate a socially distant, mostly remote reality.

Move quickly to solve technical problems

If you have a bias toward action, you’re in good shape to tackle technical problems. Since these problems are easy to identify and have straight-forward solutions, there’s no reason to delay fixing them.

Too many companies, when facing a technical problem, deliberate back and forth about the right solution. You might disagree with your co-founder about the right move, but the more time you waste, the more opportunities you’ll lose.

The 3 step process for solving adaptive problems

Adaptive problems are significantly more challenging than technical problems. They require deliberate thought and innovative approaches. The “solution” is often no more than a best guess or gut instinct about something that might work.

Because this process is so murky, a feedback loop can help you hypothesize and evaluate. A feedback loop can take many different forms, but at its core, it is essentially a process that helps you observe, interpret, and act. These are the three steps, repeated over and over, to help you solve adaptive problems.

First, observe the situation

Adaptive problems can be a challenge if you have a bias toward action because they require some thought before jumping into the proposed solution. When you spend time observing the situation, try to understand the different components at work. Asking the right questions can help point you in the right direction.

Is your former way of doing business no longer viable? For most people during the pandemic, the answer to this has been yes.

Is your problem centralized to one area, or is it pervasive across your organization?

Are you facing a values problem or an external problem? A problem related to your values occurs when the actions or environment in your company are in conflict with your stated values.

Does this problem have any technical aspects that you can solve quickly and then move on to the more difficult parts?

Has anyone else faced this problem before? What approach did they take?

Then, interpret the root cause

Once you’ve observed the situation and have asked the right questions, you can begin to discover the root cause.

You can start with a process known as the 5 Whys. First, state your problem. Then, ask yourself, “Why?.” Repeat this 5 times, each time trying to understand why you are in your current situation. Each round of question and answer gets you closer to the fundamental source of your challenge.

On the surface, it might have seemed like you were facing a technical problem with an easy solution, but the more you ask why, the more you start to see the true nature of the challenge. If you don’t get to the root cause, your solution will be short-lived. Asking “why” over and over again helps you unearth the root cause.

Finally, act

Once you get to the root cause of your problem, you’re ready to hypothesize solutions. Gather your team, or do it alone, but think through potential solutions to your problem. This is where your bias toward action comes in handy.

Too many companies have a lengthy decision-making process or insist on running detailed cost-benefit analyses before taking action. In such a rapidly changing environment, now more than ever, you simply don’t have time for this. You did your homework during the observe and interpret stages; now it’s time to be decisive and put your ideas into action.

You might be torn between 2 or 3 good ideas. That’s OK. If you spent the time observing and interpreting your problem, they’re likely all good ideas. Just choose one and start putting it into practice. This process is a feedback loop, meaning it’s never really over. So if you chose poorly, you’ll eventually realize the mistake and can go back and try a different idea.