Just because Ops can help, should we? Learning when and how to step in
Should I get involved? Should I let the team figure it out? Or perhaps there's something else I should be doing? These questions pop into my head a lot (read: at least a few times a day), given the sheer variety of problems, challenges and questions people come to me with.
And then the internal monologue kicks in. It goes something like this: Surely, if I can help, I should! That's what we do in Ops, isn't it? We deal with the urgent, the unexpected, the grey areas and the problems others are not particularly keen to touch. But then, is this problem really mine to solve? Maybe I'm taking responsibility away from someone else. Or worse, I'm just babysitting the team, giving them answers instead of letting them find their own. And then comes the one that bothers me most: Ugh... shouldn't I know how to handle this by now?!
If this sounds a little too familiar, welcome to the club! It's a dilemma I suspect many Ops leaders face regularly, yet one we don't talk about nearly enough. So, how about we change that?
Why the way you respond matters
While we might spend plenty of time debating how to respond to the problems coming our way, we don't always give the same thought to the consequences of our decisions. Even one wrong call can have consequences, of course. But what interests me more are the patterns we develop over time, sometimes without even realising it, and what happens when we keep responding to situations in the same way.
Let's look at three common ways this can play out, starting with something many of us are probably guilty of (I know I am!): stepping in too often. People come to us for help, and if we have the answers, know how to get them faster or can simply get things sorted, what's the harm? The problem gets solved, the business moves on. It might not seem like a big deal once or twice, but the more we do it, the more dependent people (and the business) become on us.
I was once nicknamed "Wikipedia" at work because people knew they could come to me for all sorts of information. Of course, it felt great to be so useful, but then it got me thinking: what does having so much knowledge concentrated in one person (me!) mean for the business? It creates unnecessary risks when I'm not around, too busy to help or if I leave the business altogether. And that's just one example. When people become increasingly reliant on us to solve problems and make decisions, the consequences can be more far-reaching: weaker ownership and accountability, more centralised decision-making and less initiative across teams.
Now, let's look at the other side of the coin: stepping back when we shouldn't. Sometimes we assume people should be able to figure things out themselves, without recognising that they might lack the knowledge, authority or resources to do so. What happens then? The problem may remain unresolved or, worse, escalate, causing operational disruption and potentially putting client delivery at risk. And if people repeatedly feel they can't count on us when they genuinely need help, we risk losing their trust. After all, Operations is about people, and part of our job is making sure they have the support they need to succeed.
And now onto a pattern we don't always think about: stepping in the wrong way. The challenge here isn't whether we should get involved, but whether the way we choose to help is what the business needs. Think about the times we've rushed to onboard a supplier to fulfil an urgent client order, fixed incomplete handovers for others or smoothed over disagreements between colleagues. Problem solved? Absolutely! But what are we doing to prevent these situations from happening again? If not much, then we're just becoming the layer that absorbs the consequences. Don't get me wrong, someone's got to be that layer sometimes. Whether we step in ourselves or leave the immediate problem for someone else to resolve, we've got another important job to do: work with the people involved to understand what's causing these problems and help address them at the source.
Assess first, respond second
Easier said than done when you're under pressure to make quick decisions, right? Well, perhaps at first. But we can train ourselves to assess situations effectively, even when time isn’t on our side. What particularly helps is having a set of questions we can turn to when we're having one of those "Should I step in? Step back? Or try a different approach?" moments.
Here are six questions that can help us make that assessment:
Who should own this? Is it an Ops responsibility, someone else's or a grey area that needs clarifying?
What's at stake? What are the potential consequences if this isn't addressed, is handled poorly or isn't dealt with at the right level?
How urgent is it? Does it need immediate attention or is there time to let people work things out?
Is this a one-off or a recurring problem? Could there be a wider issue behind it?
Does this need my involvement? Do the people responsible have the knowledge, authority and resources to handle it or is there a reason they need my input?
If so, what kind of help is needed? Do I need to take ownership, offer guidance or take a different approach?
You don't need to use all six questions, or even these particular ones. Think about the different challenges you face in your business and which questions would help you quickly assess what's happening and decide how to respond. I'd suggest sticking to a handful (five or six is plenty!). And if a situation needs more thought, you can always add a few follow-up questions.
The more you practise asking yourself these questions, the more naturally this kind of assessment will come to you. Over time, you'll become better at recognising what matters, sometimes almost instinctively, without having to consciously work through every question.
Time to make a choice
You've got your questions, you've assessed the situation, and now comes an important decision: what should your involvement actually look like? As we've explored earlier, it's not just about choosing between stepping in and staying out of it. When we do get involved, we should aim to support others while also doing what's right for the business. Depending on what the situation calls for, here are five ways you can approach the issues and requests coming your way.
Own it
Plenty of things coming our way genuinely belong in Operations. It's a broad field, but after years of working in it, you'd hope we have a pretty good idea of what belongs with us! But then there are those grey areas where Ops might be well placed to take ownership, even if the problem doesn't directly affect us. Imagine your Tech team has been talking for months about how useful a new ticketing system would be, yet nothing has happened. Ops doesn't use it, so not our problem. But are you sure? We've got experience introducing systems and tools across the business. Perhaps that experience, alongside our coordination skills and understanding of how different teams work, makes Ops a strong candidate to take the lead?
Before you commit to owning it, though, there are two things worth remembering. First, when something belongs in Ops, it doesn't necessarily mean you need to own it personally: sometimes someone in your team can take the lead; other times it should be you (and that's a judgement call!). Second, when Ops leaders take ownership, they're responsible for the outcome, but they definitely don't need to do all the work themselves.
Enable it
"I don't have the authority to do XYZ" or "I don't have access to XYZ. Can you take over from here?" Can I? Most likely. But should I? That's an entirely different question! How about I enable you instead?
We all get busy, and when we hit a blocker that we can't resolve quickly, it's tempting to find someone else to take over "from here". We can't blame anyone for trying! But as Ops leaders, it's on us to recognise when we do need to take over and when we can help someone overcome those obstacles so they can carry on by themselves.
Enabling can mean all sorts of things: making a decision someone else doesn't have the authority to make, giving them access to a system where appropriate, helping them find information or even having a quick brainstorming session to explore possible solutions. I'm a big fan of enabling because it helps strengthen ownership and accountability (and if you've read some of my other articles, you'll know how often these can become sticking points in scaling businesses).
Facilitate it
You're unlikely to meet an Ops leader who hasn't experienced an ownership dispute.
"This isn't ours, it's Sales."
"No, this belongs to Delivery."
"I'm telling you, it's still Sales!"
Oh, how tempting it is to walk in and either A) take over or B) decide who should own it. But there's also option C) facilitate! That means bringing people together, asking the uncomfortable questions, challenging assumptions and helping them agree on next steps, while leaving responsibility for delivering those next steps with the relevant people. And who knows, next time they might even resolve it without involving you at all!
And a little side note: facilitating goes beyond ownership disputes. It's also useful when people have conflicting priorities, struggle to understand each other's perspectives or need to agree on an approach to something new.
Challenge it
We've all heard the advice: "Don't come with a problem, come with a solution." And to be honest, I have mixed feelings about it. Here's a simple example. A team keeps making mistakes when onboarding new clients, so management jumps to a conclusion: “The process we’ve got in place isn’t working! We need to fix it. Can you sort it out?"
“Sure, but what exactly is wrong with the existing process?”
"Erm... well..."
Silence.
Don't get me wrong, it's great when people come up with ideas and solutions. But do they actually understand what's causing the problem they're trying to solve?
If you're not convinced that the underlying issue has been understood, or that the proposed solution is the right one, that's your cue to challenge it. Ask questions, test assumptions and help people look beyond what seems obvious at first glance.
And a word on challenging people: you can be friendly and respectful while still being assertive. Not everyone will appreciate having their ideas questioned, but you should do it anyway. Be clear about why you're challenging the proposed approach, and don't be afraid to stand your ground.
Stay out of it
And now comes the one I'm dreading most: staying out of it! Perhaps it's because I'm always keen to contribute, or perhaps it's because we're so used to being involved in everything that sometimes it's difficult to recognise when our involvement simply isn't needed.
Staying out of it doesn't mean ignoring problems or refusing to help when you're needed. It's about recognising when the people responsible are perfectly capable of handling the situation themselves, have what they need to make decisions and can work things out without you. So sometimes the best contribution you can make is to keep your mouth shut when invited into a conversation or meeting, or decline the invitation altogether!
Oh, and one more thing! These approaches aren't mutually exclusive. Sometimes you'll need a combination of them or your involvement might change as the situation develops.
Next steps
Choose your questions: Think about your business, its priorities and the challenges you typically face. Which questions would help you make better decisions about when and how to get involved? Use the six we've explored, adapt them or come up with your own.
Try it for a week: Over the next week, whenever you're in doubt, take a moment to assess the situation using your questions. Don't worry if it takes a little longer at first; you'll get quicker with practice. Once you've assessed the situation, choose how you're going to respond. You might be surprised by how different your choices are from what you'd normally do!
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