Cough Syrup Doesn’t Fix Pneumonia - When Self-Treatment Makes Things WORSE

Your team is just like you - a bunch of go-getters. They’re smart, proactive problem solvers, dedicated to acting at the first sign of problems. This sounds good - great even - but how they act at the first indication of a problem can make all the difference between success and failure in business.

It’s not unusual for an employee to regard a problem as a personal failure, and instead of getting help, they’ll try to solve the problem themselves—before it gets any worse, and before the boss notices.

In my field, self-medication is one of the leading causes of database disaster. The earlier a problem is spotted, the easier it is to fix - self-cures mask symptoms and magnify problems. So as a leader, it’s vital to:

Have good doctors: trusted, outside, third-party resources whose only financial interest is providing you with actionable, economical information and insight. That is, they solve your problems as opposed to selling into them. Train your team about the dangers of self-treatment, and the discipline of working with consultants and third-party resources.