"That is why, no matter how desperate the predicament is, I am always very much in earnest about clutching my cane, straightening my derby hat and fixing my tie, even though I have just landed on my head. " ~Charlie Chaplin

Have you ever been in a café or Starbucks and sat at a wobbly table? If another table is not available, what is a solution? I typically reach for one or two sugar packets to put under one of the table legs. It solves the wobble temporarily, but it doesn't take care of the reason behind the wobble.



When facing an issue in business or a problem within your office or department, how can you best get to the reason behind the wobble? Asking the right questions is a start but how you handle the answers will lead you to the grand finish.

• Communication is an essential key when determining the right course of action. Offering a team or client the opportunity to freely give feedback is imperative for repeat business and/or success.
• Listen to the feedback. Seems silly to have to state but it is a must.
• Devise and then follow a course of action that addresses the issue and sorts through it is not always easy but with solid communication (including the listening part), it is possible.
• Following the follow through comes the follow up. Keep that newly established line of communication open and check in as often as isn't annoying.

It is an endless circle/cycle, the feedback loop. But it is critical in smooth operations and when taking a company or department to the next level. So next time you are tempted to just reach for a sugar packet, flip that darn table over and tighten some screws, sand down that rough patch, and make the proper adjustments. After all, sugar's for coffee.

And coffee's for closers.

by rayannethorn