Have you ever noticed that when all hell breaks loose everyone has a finger to point or a blame to cast? Suddenly, everyone has an opinion about what should have been done, could have been done and if they were responsible what they would have done. However, these ‘SHOULD’A, COULD’A, WOULD’As’ seldom provide workable solutions to the problem at hand and do little to keep fears at bay.

The reality is, in the grand scheme of things and certainly in the present, it matters little whose fault it was, but rather what is the most expeditious and effective route out of the problem. To this end, an alternative approach to the ‘SHOULD’A, COULD’A, WOULD’As’ is to seriously consider the current predicament and devise a plan of action to take the organisation over the mountain. The first step should be to define the problem. Finding a solution is impossible if there are uncertainties as to what the problem actually is. Contextually, one of the elephants in the room is the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus among staff. The predicament here is not the presence of the virus, but rather the rate and extent to which it is spreading within your organisation.

After defining the problem, a goal needs to be determined. Therefore, establish the desired solution and timeline; for instance, to curb the spread of the virus in house, within the next six weeks. This would require an exploration of the root causes of the problem, so that an action plan can be developed. Are your employees infected because of the cramped working environment or as a result of their continuous interaction with John Public? Once the root cause of the problem has been identified, it is time for a list of actions to address them. This may resemble allowing the less essential staff and those with the necessary resources to work from home or introducing a shift system to reduce the number of staff at the establishment at any one time. With each solution, strict accountability measures become necessary to ensure productivity. The implementation and evaluation of the action plan are the next appropriate steps and lastly leaders must be vigilant for opportunities for new solutions.

Some believe that if you are not a part of the solution then you are a part of the problem. Therefore, stop crying over split milk and get to work.

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