Nice problem to have

My last post was a while ago (30 days ago).  And just like that post suggested, we did have a problem.   However, this problem came in the form of a large client wanting to help make our launch a success by financially promoting the product to their advertisers.  Great win for our sales team.  The problem became how do we accomodate their timelines and the financial issues in "the system".  We all immediately went into the mode of working this.  Been 10 days now and the team has performed great and reacted well to this challenge.   The financial windfall from this deal definitely helped motivate.  Never underestimate the power of a number with a lot of zeros has to clear roadblocks on a team.  

Along this same line though, I wanted to comment about how individuals approach issues.  I like to watch how people interact when an issue is brought up.  Some people will take an issue to a meeting and present the issue that they found.  And that's it.  They leave it there.  That is so frustrating.  It is a momentum killer.   Everyone gets spun up if you just go in and drop a bomb.  The appropriate way to handle that is to present the way you are going to defuse the bomb right after you drop it.  You need to tell people, "here's problem X, I think we can solve it by either doing A or B.  I'm going to let you know how we are going to handle this by the next meeting."  Something like that preserves momentum.  It manages expectations.  Dropping a bomb does nothing but cause issues.  Don't be a bomb dropper.  Be a bomb diffuser.