11.4 Don’t be afraid to fix the difficult things.
In some cases, people accept unacceptable problems because they are perceived as too difficult to fix. Yet fixing unacceptable problems is a lot easier than not fixing them, because not fixing them will lead to more stress, more work, and chronic bad outcomes that could get you fired. So remember one of the first principles of management: You need to look at the feedback you’re getting on your machine and either fix your problems or escalate them, if need be, over and over again. There is no easier alternative than bringing problems to the surface and putting them in the hands of good problem solvers.
a. Understand that problems with good, planned solutions in place are completely different from those without such solutions.
Unidentified problems are the worst; identified problems without planned solutions are better, but worse for morale; identified problems with a good planned soultion are better still; and solved problems are best. It’s really important to know which category a problem belongs to. The metrics you use to track the progress of your solution should be so clear and intuitive that they are obvious extensions of the plan.
b. Think of the problems you perceive in a machinelike way.
There are three steps to doing this well: First, note the problem; then determine who the RPs to raise it to are; and finally decide when the right time to discuss it is. In other words: what, who, when. Then follow through.
* Source: Principles by Ray Dalio