HOWE Q. WALLACE BLOG

Address Small Issues Before They Become Big Problems

Sometimes it takes severe pain and discomfort before we initiate necessary change.

In most cases, before there was severe pain, there were signs of a problem developing. For a variety of reasons it doesn’t get addressed:

  1. You don’t want to be an alarmist.
  2. You aren’t certain you are right.
  3. You are afraid your news won’t be received well.

So, by not addressing it, things worsen over time. Before long, what could have been handled preventively becomes a major cleanup.

Business coach Dr. Henry Cloud says diligent thinkers have the courage to handle things early: “Diligence is bringing urgency to the things that aren’t shouting.”

As we adopt a lean culture, we will be more aggressive about preemptive efforts to catch problems before they are big. We will become more aggressive about making good better.