Beyond the Silver Bullet

I often hear the phrase “silver bullet” from clients I work with. ”We don’t expect a silver bullet, but…” [they really do.] “Such and such [solution to a problem] isn’t a silver bullet, but we should at least try it.” [If it doesn't work quickly, we can abandon it.]

I think the term comes from the folklore about werewolves, allegedly easily killed by said “silver bullet.” Those silver bullets might have been a little difficult to come by for the average villager, but once found, eliminated the werewolf infestation quicker than Raid gets rid of cockroaches. Monster killers have always carried silver bullets, so whether you were Dean and Sam Winchester of the CW TV series Supernatural, or Abraham or Gabriel Van Helsing, or Clayton Moore’s Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels’ Tonto, Silver Bullets-R-U.

In business, the “silver bullet” is a simple, but sure-fire solution to a complex and/or chronic problem. Once you use it, the problem goes away completely. I hear the term in three contexts, all of which should be avoided:

• Jumping to solution before understanding root cause,
• Management by the latest fad, or
• Trying yet another problem solving methodology when the “going gets tough.”

Jumping to solutions

In process improvement, one of the indicators of a well written problem statement, is that everyone who hears it wants to help solve the problem. As human beings, though we frequently describe ourselves as “problem solvers,” what we really are is “solution-finders.” And sometimes our “solutions” go looking for a problem to solve. So all too often we hear a problem, equate the problem with one we have seen before and propose the solution to that problem as the solution to this one.

Sometimes these “silver bullet” solutions even work, which reinforces our tendency to “jump to the solution” before understanding the root cause of the problem. However, when the “silver bullet” fails we may not see that the reason for failure was a lack of understanding of the problem, we just suggest a different “silver bullet.” This leads to a lot of stops and starts in process improvement, and even in bigger problem solving efforts like formulating business strategy. People have a tendency to “fix” symptoms, but miss the underlying problem. It’s all because we fall in love with our “silver bullet.”

 Management fads

“Here comes the flavor of the month.”

This is how I’ve been greeted as a consultant making my first foray to talk to the front line. I recognize it now as “change program fatigue.” Some companies use consultants too much; some managers are always looking for the next “shiny new thing.” To be fair, consultants like me have too often invented new “service offerings” and sold them in books, articles and face-to-face as the “revelation” everyone has been missing until now.

“Re-Engineering, Economic Value Added, Balanced Scorecard, Lean, Six Sigma, Management by Objectives, MBWA (management by wandering around), Innovation, Agile software development, Rapid Application Development, Matrix Management, Theory Z, Delayering, Empowerment, Self-managed teams.”

All of these methodologies have merit. They also all have their own, jargon, deployment plan, key performance indicators (KPIs), critical success factors (CSFs). Sometimes they require reorganizing and giving people new job titles, assessment criteria, evaluation and even certification.

As in investing if something sounds “too good to be true,” it probably is.

As I said, all these methodologies can be used to improve business performance, but if a company were to use all of them, 1-2 a year, they would be treating them each methodology as a “silver bullet” and probably confusing the heck out of their workforce.

Why would any company use a “silver bullet?” Perhaps the company faces an intractable problem, like the need for a turnaround; the manager just wants to “spice things up a little.” I’ve heard front-line people cynically speculate,

“He’s new. He just needs a ‘quick fix’ to call his own to ‘declare victory’ before moving on to his next job. Just wait it out. This too shall pass.”

Whatever the reason, these mangers are “jumping to an easy solution,” a “silver bullet.”

 Not toughing it out.

Each of the methodologies above could improve performance. However, most all require disciplined implementation. Discipline and hard work and a belief in “silver bullets” aren’t usually compatible concepts.

So what happens is mid-way through an implementation of a methodology, for instance, Lean management, just when the first difficulties appear, someone says, “You know this is just the problem that [Six Sigma, Human Centered Design, Rapid Results, Cell manufacturing-Insert methodology here] is intended to solve. We should try that.”

In other words, “This one is hard. Let’s try a new ‘magic bullet.’”

I’m reminded of the quote attributed Albert Einstein, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” (I understand that Einstein never actually said this, but he sounds better as a source than the Narcotics Anonymous Red Book.)

 I suspect that looking for “silver bullets” and achieving consistent results are negatively correlated, like losing weight and trying every new diet that comes along. I’ve discovered the secret to losing weight for me is “Eat less-move-more-stay out of the Haagen Dazs.” That’s not easy for me, of course, but it does address the root cause of the problem.

I think this exploration will cause me to add a couple of lines to that mantra:

“There are no Silver Bullets,

Eat less-Move-more-stay out of the Haagen Dazs. (Work on an improvement methodology that addresses root cause)

Stick with it. Persistence is the only thing that pays off.

My Websites: www.alanculler.com       www.results-alliance.com

Other relevant LinkedIn posts:

 Leadership is what you Do

Herding Cats: The Critical Leadership Skill

Making Change Stick

Boil it Down: The Leadership Art of Speaking Simply

Be Curious: The Leadership Art of Good Questions

Innovate, Integrate, Improve (repeat)