The best way to solve a problem is to recognize the problem before the situation gets out of hand. The way to do this is to be alert for situations, events, actions, and comments that seem out of the ordinary or unexpected. Examples include complaints, high turnover, performance goals not being met, etc. The earlier you spot a symptom, the better chance of heading it off at the pass.

In the case of William from our last post, he did not see the problem coming until it was staring him in the face (the second call from the reporter). How did he let it get this far without realizing he had a looming problem in the making? He should have recognized the symptoms of a potential problem.

Here are the early warning signs that he did not realize were symptoms of a major problem in the making:

1) Introduction of a major policy change always creates potential problems. He should have put in place a way to monitor employee reactions. Had he done this, he would have spotted the problem as it was developing.

2) When the first call from the reporter came in, William was given a wake-up signal that a major problem was in the making. Instead, he jumped to the conclusion that it was the pay system.  Subsequently, he missed some other symptoms such as his staff reporting they did not think there was a problem.  Another aspect of the problem was his HR VP’s comment that all she could see was “differences in pay levels for males vs females due to performance and length of service.”

3) Why did several of he female managers feel it necessary to go outside the organization to file a complaint? Where were the department heads?  It is their job to be in touch with their employees.

Had William had his antenna up and working, he could have nipped the problem in the bud before it got out of hand.

With this information, what should William do next? Stay tuned for our next post.