“Problems don’t age well.”  -Jamie Dimon, CEO JP Morgan Chase

This is a piece of leadership advice. I’ve found it proves true.

If you can feel a problem cropping up, you’re better off addressing it as soon as you can. But, most people don’t.

They avoid problems. They hold off addressing them with the hope they will go away.

They rarely do. As they age, the smell is more unsavory. It becomes more noticeable. It can’t be ignored. It begins to affect a greater surface area.

Some problems get neglected, because we figure it’s somebody else’s issue. We stay quiet reasoning- “someone who can do something about it, will see it eventually”. Perhaps that is so. But, when the right person finds it later, it will smell and be bigger.

Dimon recommends that you run to the problem. Fix it if you can. Get help if you need it. Make sure the people in a position to fix it know what’s happening. Every time. Without fail.

Identifying problems when they are small. Fixing them before they have matured. Embracing problems without fear. Solving them as a team. All of that is the stuff that great companies do.

You know of a problem that is aging? Take a step to get it fixed. If nothing else, call me.