How ‘Little’ Business Issues Can Become BIG Issues Without You Noticing

Small Problems, Big Impact: Don’t Let These Common Issues Harm Your Business

Often, when you have a never-ending ‘to-do’ list that never seems to get any shorter, it’s easy to overlook the seemingly minor issues within your company. However, these little issues, when left unattended can, very quickly, evolve into a significant and potentially unsolvable problem for you, your staff and your business. Below are 4 of the most common issues that can often become very harmful to your organisation:

1. Fear Of Change

A reluctance to change your business’ procedures, structures or systems may seem trivial. You may have the mindset that ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’. However, this isn’t always ideal. The refusal to accept change and stubbornly adhering by traditions will result in a stagnant workforce and a stagnant business which will become irrelevant and eventually fade into oblivion. Embracing change is the best way to ensure that your business grows and continues to evolve with the times. Experts on strengths-based leadership, Zenger and Folkman, state that, “Leaders who excel at driving change will challenge even the rules that seem carved in stone” and they write that sometimes it is necessary to rid your business of “old practices and policies- even sacred cows.”

2. Misalignment

You may believe that in business, it’s only essential for the founders and top-level management members to understand your business goals. You may even think that money is enough of a motivator for you and your workforce. However, there is money involved in every single business and company in the world and this doesn’t breed loyalty. It’s vital to ensure that you outline your specific and unique business goals for each member of staff. Ensuring that everyone is ‘aiming for the same bullseye’, so to speak, will ensure that you have a cohesive and productive workforce and therefore, a coherent and productive business.

3. Nagging Instead of Inspiring

Zenger and Folkman conducted a study on 2,852 employees and 559 bosses, then reported their findings in the Harvard Business Review. The study revealed a set of leadership behaviours and styles which “correlated with an exceptional ability to drive change.” One of the most ineffective practices in a leader was nagging and incessant requests/suggestions. The study stated that rather than constantly hassling your employees, you should inspire them and talk with them rather than at them. Establishing an emotional connection and discovering the aspirations of your staff will allow you to encourage them to love and understand their work, therefore creating a much more productive work environment. Zenger and Folkman write, “Inspiring leaders understand the need for making an emotional connection with colleagues. They want to provoke a sense of desire rather than fear.”

4. Inability To Identify Problems

Within the workplace, there is often an emphasis placed on an individual’s problem-solving skills. However, before we can solve a problem, we have to have the ability to identify and understand the issues or problems which exist within your organisation. Often, if we can recognise and interpret problems, it will allow us to identify the patterns and broken procedures which are causing issues to occur. Identifying problems will ultimately lead to less repetitive errors and therefore, less time and energy will be spent on problem-solving.

WorkPlan’s learning platform is tailored to the needs of your organisation and is designed to prevent small issues from becoming big and potentially unsolvable problems.

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