One of my favorite excuses to fix is this classic:

“The process is such a mess, I am never sure who to talk to about that”.

It screams “Cross-functional team bonding time!” How do you solve it? 

1.  If a cross-functional workflow is a hot mess, it’s time to break out the sticky notes and whiteboards.
*  Start with the person who isn’t sure who to talk to. Ask where they get stuck most often. Have them sketch their workflow.
*  Work backwards and forwards. Ask who else is involved before and after their step. Have them map the handoffs.
*  Invite those involved to explain their part of the workflow.
*  Silo by silo, get to the part of the story that is causing the bottleneck.
*  Have those team members determine a better process or communication flow.

2.  If it’s a new project, form team pods that include leaders from every department involved.
*  Have them meet weekly for 30-minutes.
*  The agenda:
      a. what needs to get done this week
      b. In what order
      c. where someone might be stuck    
      d. who can help get them unstuck
     The rule: these meetings are for coordination, not doing the work. Work happens between meetings—and is due by the next one.

Are you looking for even more creativity with teams? Try these ideas:

1.  Excuse Jar
*  Have team members write excuses they often heard themselves or others say.
*  Drop them in a jar.
*  Each week, have leadership draw one and brainstorm with their team on solutions-focused alternatives.
Bonus Tip: Add a few “Brain Break” song slips for an afternoon energy boost.

2.  Role Swap Challenge
*  Have leaders swap roles for a day or half-day (or simulate it).
*  Each person documents challenges and insights from the new perspective.
*  Debrief together: “What dependencies did you notice? How could we fix them?”

3. Flip the Problem
*  Ask the team: “How could we make sure we fail at this project?”
*  List all ways, then reverse each to actionable steps to succeed.

Excuses and dependence on someone else solving the problem are the friction that slows great teams down. When you replace them with curiosity and collaboration, capability and accountability compounds.

The next time someone says, “I’m not sure who to talk to,” smile and say, “Perfect. Let’s find out together.”

Don’t forget to check out our “10 Day Bottleneck Breakthrough”!
 
Keep turning that chaos into progress, 
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