Complex problems require patience and deep listening. Therefore, before you take any action, you must take the time to fully understand an issue, regardless of the slow pace. Due to the chain of events within interconnected teams and people, it’s important to recognize where the dominos fall, which means that even though there is a great intention, sometimes the process feels slow.

Without establishing trust, you cannot identify the root of an issue or help people move forward. This means that coaching requires building a trusted relationship where you can present the truth with love, grace, and respect.

Many people look at the surface and treat symptoms instead of looking at underlying causes. However, where there are symptoms and evidence of decline, there is also an underlying cause. Still, there is a third factor that people often miss—interconnectedness and interaction between systems. For example, if you have a sprained ankle but your arteries are clogged, you might start running once your ankle is healed, but then you’ll drop dead of a heart attack.

To identify the issue, you must examine the interconnectedness between systems, people, processes, and departments. It’s like a tree—the reason a tree dies or lives has to do with various causes and effects that affect the whole tree. The same is true in an organization.

To resolve an issue, you can’t simply identify a new process; you must implement the new process with change. You must define the new way toward the destination and take responsibility for making the change. Many people are unsure how to make a change even if they have a new process. That is the value of walking with someone to guide you. There’s no more “could’ve would’ve” mentality when you have a partner to walk with you.

To implement change, you must forge a new path with the right “whos” while implementing how those “whos” do the “what.” Once you get the right people, strategy, and structure in place, you can move toward the destination of your vision.

Issues in the workplace impact employee wellness, and employee wellness impacts job performance and organizational effectiveness. If you stay where you’re at, the problems you’re experiencing today will only get worse. You can’t move ahead without order. But if you can’t self-evaluate, it’s hard to move to clarity and take action.

You may come up with a new strategy to address the issue, but coming up with new strategies is easy. Execution through an effective change management process, which includes getting the right people in place, is challenging and requires wise decision-making, outside perspective, and guidance.