Identifying the Reason for a Setback

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

Viewing setbacks with clarity

Although they are usually unpleasant, setbacks do happen for a reason. And viewing a setback with clarity is key to helping you find that reason. If you cannot be clear about what has occurred, and why, you will not be able to respond effectively to the setback.

So, after you’ve recovered from your initial disappointment, your first step is to investigate the setback fully. Now, this isn’t a ‘blame game’! Remember that knowledge is power, and you need the knowledge to ascertain how and why the setback occurred. This means you need to examine the processes, people, politics, bad luck, changing market, organizational politics and culture, and so on. And be objective. Filter out your own perceptions and emotions to gain clarity. Just gather the facts!

The investigation will help you to get an overview of all of the facts. Then you can use this overview to make informed decisions.

Buzan’s mind-mapping process

A useful method you can use to gain an overview of a situation is Tony Buzan’s mind-mapping process. Buzan developed this thinking technique, having been inspired by other great thinkers such as Leonardo da Vinci and Albert Einstein. 

According to him, “A mind map is a graphical way to represent ideas and concepts. It is a visual thinking tool that helps structuring information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall and generate new ideas. Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.” 

In the context of gaining an overview and comprehending a possibly complex situation, mind-mapping is an invaluable review tool. There are numerous apps you can use for this process. However, pen and paper or whiteboard are best, because using them allows you to tap more effectively into your memories and the information flow is smoother. 
 
Using mind-mapping

Tony Buzan has developed ten tips for effective maps:

•      Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least three colors. 
•      Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.
•      Select keywords and add them to the map using upper- or lower-case letters. 
•      Remember that each word or image is best left alone, sitting on its own line. 
•      Pay particular attention to the lines in the map. Remember that the lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The lines become thinner as they radiate out from the center. 
•      Make the lines the same length as the word or image they support.
•      Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also for encoding or grouping. 
•      Develop your own personal style of mind mapping. This could involve writing your own codes.
•      Your map needs to be clear at a glance, so use emphasis and show associations in your mind map. 
•      Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy or outlines to embrace your branches.

Investigating and discussing

At this stage, the initial panic after the setback should have subsided, and you have established an overview of what happened. It’s now time to get everyone together to discuss what occurred. In this process, do not jump to uninformed conclusions. At the debriefs, people will inevitably share opinions and conclusions. Now, this can be a useful group exercise because it gives people a chance to vent frustrations. However, biases and internal politics might come out and the collective opinion may just be incorrect. Your opinions could veer the team in the wrong direction. 

Remember what we said about the blame game? Everyone tends to blame everyone else, internally and especially externally. Most people think they are doing a great job and so the setback must be somebody else’s fault! Don’t fall into this negative thinking trap. A setback is usually caused by a combination of factors, some obvious and some obscure, and most often outside of your control.

However, be prepared to ask tough questions of yourself and your team as to why and how this setback occurred. Challenge versions of events that you are given, and dig down to the root cause. Keep asking questions and listen carefully to those answers. And then ask more questions and repeat until you move beyond blame. Keep going until the root cause is exposed. 

You can use mind mapping to help your colleagues map out their own version of events. Use the knowledge you have gathered from your investigation to locate and focus on the internal processes and then who was at fault.  

Make sure you are fully informed as to the root cause of the setback before you engage with those that were responsible. You need to make sure that you don’t blame the wrong people for the setback! Once you’ve identified who was responsible, support them in learning where they went wrong, offer mentoring and retraining, and monitor future performance.

Whether you are a manager or employee, everyone needs to focus on the root cause of the setback in order to uncover its learning value. Otherwise, the problem will reoccur again and again.