Business Banter with Tom and Kerry
Kerry: Last month, Tom and I talked about why investing in your community matters so deeply, even when the return is not always immediate or obvious. This month, we are shifting gears slightly and tackling a topic that affects every business owner, every organization, and honestly every community I have ever been part of.
Issues.
Not the dramatic kind. Not the headline kind. The everyday, nagging, sometimes uncomfortable kind that show up whether we want them to or not. Tom had a lot to say about this and about how we deal with our issues often determines whether a business grows, stalls, or quietly struggles behind the scenes.
Tom: Issues. We have all got them. I have been running businesses for more than twenty years in a lot of different industries, and I can tell you the only businesses that do not have issues are the ones where leadership has their head buried so deeply in the sand they are unwilling to acknowledge them.
Granted, some issues are more problematic than others. And some issues are not even problems at all. Sometimes the real issue is that there is an opportunity we are about to miss if we do not act on something soon.
But the fact remains the same. We all have them.
One of the biggest game changers when I work with businesses and organizations is helping them answer two very simple questions. How do I get good at calling out my issues And once I know what they are, what do I do with them
Kerry: How often do we feel that something is off, but never quite name it? Or worse, we talk about it everywhere and to everyone, but not with the people or the place where it could actually be addressed.
So Tom, let’s start there. How do you get good at calling out issues without turning your culture negative or exhausting?
Tom: The first step is creating a system. Somewhere your issues can live until you are ready to deal with them. I do not care what that system looks like. A list on the wall. A shared spreadsheet. A notebook. A suggestion box on the counter.
What matters is that issues have a home.
In my businesses, we literally call it the “issues list.” Issues go there and stay there until our next meeting, when we tackle them as a group.
The second and more important part is culture. Your system has to allow everyone in your organization to call out issues. This is not just a chance for leadership to complain about what employees are doing wrong. It is a chance for anyone to call out bottlenecks, problems, inefficiencies, or opportunities they see.
In a ten-person organization, maybe one or two people are managers. The other eight are in the work every day. Do you want one or two sets of eyes on your issues, or all ten?
Kerry: This is such an important point. From a Chamber perspective, the healthiest businesses and the strongest organizations are the ones that invite input from everywhere, not just the top. The people closest to the work usually see things first. I have ALWAYS been a fan of the inverted pyramid!
And I think this applies to communities too. When people feel like their voice matters, they are more engaged. When they feel shut down, they disengage. That is true in a business, and it is true in a town.
So now you have an issues list. Then what?
Tom: This is where things tend to fall apart. Most businesses get everyone in a room, pull out an issue, and then start talking about it. And talking. And talking some more.
At no point do they stop to ask whether the issue they are discussing is actually the real issue. And at no point do they leave the room with a clear plan or someone accountable for fixing it.
Both of those steps are critical.
First, you need to bring together everyone involved in that issue. That might be a company meeting, a department meeting, or a one-on-one conversation. I know meetings get a bad reputation, but all of my businesses hold weekly ninety-minute meetings specifically designed to solve issues.
They work.
Once you are in the room, start with this sentence: “What I need from this group is…”
This keeps you out of emotions, opinions, and ego, and focuses the conversation on outcomes. And remember, the issue someone raises is often just a symptom of something deeper. Do not be afraid to dig.
Kerry: I love this because it forces clarity. In my world, I have seen how quickly conversations can drift into frustration instead of solutions. Naming what you actually need changes the entire tone of the room.
And once the real issue is identified, how do you keep the conversation from looping endlessly?
Tom: Everyone gets to share their opinion once, unless they have something new to add. This is not a time to politic. We are not here to debate. We are here to get things done.
The goal is to leave the room with a tangible task that someone owns. Write it down. Assign it. Revisit it at the next meeting.Once you have captured all the tasks that make the issue go away, you are done.
That is it.
Kerry: This really sounds almost too simple. But simplicity is often what we are missing. Right?
Tom: Issues do not need more emotion. They need structure, ownership, and follow-through.
Issues are not a sign of failure. Avoiding them is. The strongest businesses and communities I know are not issue-free. They are just willing to name what is hard and work through it together.
Kerry: This is so hard for so many leaders, was this hard for you when you first started?
Tom: I absolutely questioned this system the first time I used it. But once I committed to it, problems I had struggled with for years suddenly started getting resolved. It truly changed my businesses, and I hope it can help others do the same.
Kerry: If there is one thing to remember from this month’s Banter, let it be this. Issues are not something to fear. They are information. And when we face them with intention, honesty, and accountability, they often become the very thing that moves us forward.
We will all have issues. What matters is what we do with them.
And if you would like more information or guidance on how to implement this within your business or organization, reach out. We are always happy to continue the conversation.