The Wrong Answer
why you can't solve every problem with the same hammer
Many years ago, I was working with a team facing problems with productivity and collaboration. The leader of the group, Mark - who was an extremely accomplished technical leader drew on his experience and implemented a bunch of new tools and workflows in an attempt to optimize efficiency.
Initially, it sort of worked. Over time, unfortunately, it became evident that the real issues—low morale, lack of engagement, and resistance to change—were not being addressed. The team's output continued to fade, and frustration grew. The real problem wasn’t solved because this leader failed to address the actual challenge.
Two Kinds of Problems
Mark made a common mistake. He tried to use his experience in solving deep technical problems to solve an adaptive challenge. I first read about the difference between technical and adaptive challenges in Leadership On The Line by Heifetz et al. In brief, the difference is:
Technical Challenges are problems where the solutions are already (largely) known and a…
