Great Leaders Start HERE: Three Steps to Fix Any Problem at Work with Workplace Coaching in Edmonton
Workplace problems have a habit of coming back.
You have the conversation. You adjust the process. You change the schedule. For a few days, things improve. Then the same frustration returns.
That is often a sign that the real problem was never solved.
Adam Melnyk, owner of The Momentum Coach in Edmonton, sees this often with business owners, managers, employees, and emerging leaders. People naturally want relief from frustrating situations, so they rush toward a solution. But when the solution targets the symptom instead of the cause, the problem usually resurfaces.
Strong leadership requires a different approach.
Instead of asking, “How do I make this disappear right now?” start by asking, “What is actually happening here?”
That shift matters whether you are dealing with staff turnover, workplace conflict, poor communication, missed deadlines, low morale, or simply feeling trapped in a job that no longer works for you.
Effective problem solving starts with curiosity, not reaction.
For leaders who want more clarity and better decision making, workplace coaching in Edmonton can provide a structured way to slow down, examine what is really happening, and move forward intentionally.
Step One: Stop Treating Symptoms and Find the Real Workplace Problem
One of the biggest leadership mistakes is assuming the most visible issue is the actual problem.
Imagine a manager dealing with an employee who has become irritable, late, disengaged, and difficult to work with. It would be easy to label the problem as a bad attitude and immediately move toward discipline.
But what if the attitude is only a symptom?
In one of Adam’s examples, an employee experiencing difficulties at work was also dealing with a major personal loss. Their behavior was being affected by grief and emotional strain.
Writing the employee up might have addressed what management could see, but it would not have addressed what was actually driving the behavior.
The same thinking applies to larger organizational issues.
High staff turnover may not be a hiring problem. It could be a leadership problem.
Poor productivity may not be a motivation problem. Employees may not understand what is expected of them.
Constant conflict does not necessarily mean you have difficult people. Your team may lack clear communication, accountability, or trust.
Before choosing a solution, investigate the problem.
What are you actually observing?
Which parts are facts and which parts are assumptions?
What is within your control?
What outcome do you want instead?
Most importantly, ask what could be underneath the symptoms you are seeing.
This is where effective leaders separate themselves from reactive ones. They resist the temptation to fix the first thing they notice.
Harvard Business Review explores a similar idea in its discussion about understanding the problem you are actually trying to solve.
If the same workplace issue keeps returning, pay attention. The problem coming back may be telling you that your previous solution only touched the surface.
Step Two: Decide Whether You Have a Problem, a Dilemma, or Something to Work Around
Here is another important leadership lesson: not everything frustrating at work can be fixed.
A true problem has a potential solution. Once you understand its cause, you can take action to improve or remove it.
A dilemma is different.
A dilemma forces you to choose between imperfect options. There may be no ideal outcome. Instead, you have to determine which option gives you the best possible result or carries the most manageable consequences.
Then there are workplace situations you simply need to work around.
Suppose an employee is fantastic with numbers, loves independent work, and has very little interest in customer interaction.
A manager might decide, “We need to fix this person. They need to become more outgoing.”
But do they?
If that employee is exceptional at detailed analytical work, the smarter leadership decision may be to structure their responsibilities around those strengths while giving customer facing work to someone who thrives in that environment.
Trying to fix every personality difference can frustrate employees, damage morale, and potentially cause good people to leave.
This does not mean leaders should tolerate poor performance, disrespectful behavior, or a lack of accountability.
It means leaders need to become more precise about what requires correction and what requires adaptation.
Before acting, ask yourself:
Is this genuinely a problem that can be solved?
Am I choosing between two imperfect outcomes?
Or is this something I need to manage differently rather than change?
That pause can completely change the quality of your decision.
It is also one reason workplace coaching in Edmonton can be valuable when leaders or employees feel stuck. A coach can challenge assumptions, introduce different questions, and help you separate what can be changed from what needs to be approached differently.
Step Three: Create Better Solutions, Give Them Time, and Reevaluate
Once you understand the root cause and know what kind of issue you are dealing with, then you can start building solutions.
Not before.
First, determine what you actually want.
If the current problem disappeared tomorrow, what would be different?
Would employees communicate more clearly?
Would turnover decrease?
Would managers address accountability sooner?
Would you feel better about coming to work?
Would your team understand exactly what is expected of them?
Once you know the desired outcome, create several possible solutions instead of immediately choosing the first idea.
Consider someone who hates their job.
They may initially believe they have only two choices: stay miserable forever or quit tomorrow.
But once they slow down and examine the situation, more possibilities may appear. They could prepare financially before leaving. They could develop new skills. They could pursue another role within the organization. They could start looking for another employer. They could create a longer term exit strategy.
More options create better decisions.
Once you choose a solution, give it enough time to work.
Leaders often become impatient at this stage.
A new communication process may not change a team in seven days. A manager trying to replace years of ineffective leadership habits will need consistent practice. Trust damaged by repeated conflict may take time to rebuild.
Implement the solution. Observe what happens. Then reevaluate.
Are the symptoms gone?
Are things improving but the original problem is still showing up?
Has absolutely nothing changed?
If nothing improves, go back to the beginning. You may have misunderstood the root cause.
If things improve but the issue remains, you may have identified part of the problem without uncovering the entire issue.
If the symptoms disappear and you achieve the outcome you wanted, congratulations. The solution worked.
Move forward.
Great leaders do not need their first idea to be right. They need to be willing to look at the results, stay curious, and adjust when the evidence tells them something is missing.
The goal is not to react faster.
The goal is to think better.
When workplace problems keep repeating, slowing down may actually be the fastest way forward.
Adam Melnyk works with leaders, managers, business owners, and professionals through The Momentum Coach to help people think more clearly, address workplace challenges, and create better outcomes.
The next time a problem lands on your desk, resist the urge to immediately jump into fixing mode.
Find the root cause.
Determine what kind of issue you are actually facing.
Create multiple solutions, implement the strongest one, and pay attention to what happens next.
That is how recurring frustration becomes useful information.
And it is how stronger leadership starts.
If you are looking for workplace coaching in Edmonton, The Momentum Coach can help you step outside the frustration, gain greater clarity, and create a practical path forward.