We've Got Issues

Episode 35 – Documenting the 20 Percent That Drives 80 Percent of Your Results. Every business has a secret sauce — the handful of things that, when done consistently and excellently, drive the majority of results. This episode walks through how to identify your six to twelve Core Processes, how to get the right people in a room with sticky notes and surface what's actually happening, and why a simple draft that captures 80 percent of what matters is worth more than a perfect document that never gets finished.

We've Got Issues -Core Process vs. Everything: Else Most businesses already have documentation — SOPs, training manuals, procedure guides. The problem is none of it connects. This episode explains the difference between a Core Process and everything else, why less is more when it comes to documentation, and how one commercial contractor went from four different answers about their operations process to one simple map everyone could follow.

Why Process Matters Businesses that nail their processes often sell for ten times their earnings. Not because they got lucky — because they built something predictable, scalable, and not dependent on any one person. This episode makes the case for why process is not a cage but a lever, and what becomes possible when your business stops running on tribal knowledge and starts running on documented, consistently followed Core Processes.

Identify. Discuss. Solve. In That Order. Most issues discussions fail before they ever get to a solution — because teams skip the most important step. This episode breaks down the IDS framework in detail: how to state the real issue in one sentence, how to discuss without piling on, and what it actually means to solve something forever. Including the three choices every stuck team has and the one rule that comes with choosing to live with it.

The List That Changes Everything: Most teams don't have an issues problem — they have a visibility problem. This episode breaks down what the Issues List actually is, why most teams underuse it, and the one psychological trap that keeps real problems invisible until it's too late. Hint: you don't need a solution to put something on the list.

Open Enough to Hear It. Honest Enough to Say It. The foundation of solving any issue permanently isn't a framework or a tool — it's two behaviors most teams haven't mastered. This episode breaks down the difference between being Open and being Honest, why nice teams aren't the same as healthy ones, and how trust and healthy conflict connect to produce the one thing every leadership team actually wants: Fearless Accountability.

The Meeting That Never Actually Solves Anything: The IDS Framework;

If the same issues keep showing up in your meetings, the problem isn't the people in the room— it's the process. This episode introduces the Identify, Discuss, Solve framework and explains why slowing down at exactly the wrong moment is the key to solving issues permanently instead

of recycling them endlessly

Your Gut Is Lying to You: Data Over Feelings: Experience and instinct built your business. But gut feel has a blind spot — and it's usually in the places that cost you the most. This episode tells the story of a leadership team that thought a problem was costing them a few hundred dollars a quarter. The actual number? Over $10,000 in thirteen weeks.

You Can't Change What Already Happened: Leading vs. Lagging Numbers: If your team keeps getting surprised by results that should have been visible weeks earlier, this

episode is for you. Learn the difference between numbers that confirm what happened and numbers that tell you what's about to happen — and how shifting your Scorecard forward can get you ahead of your business instead of reacting to it.

Not All Numbers Are Created Equal: Measurables That Matter: Having a Scorecard isn't enough — it has to have the right numbers on it. This episode digs into why financial outputs make lousy measurables, what makes a number truly predictive, and how one simple metric turned field expertise into an early warning system for an entire leadership team.