Symptoms vs Causes
Sunday the 08 of October, 2006
The Race for California's Governor
I read an article today that typifies the political arguments fed to us during political campaigns. Would-be-governor Phil Angelides said about our education system “I believe we have to make this our No. 1 priority. … I'm going to set a goal to … reduce our dropout rate by 25% …” Statements like this make me cringe and I hope my fellow Californian's can see how this goal will accomplish nothing. It would be like coming down with a cold (you know: the cough, sniffles, stuffy head) and setting a goal of "…curing myself by getting rid of the sniffles!" Sure, your nose might feel better, but the cough & congestion are still ever-present, and the bug that got you sick in the first place is still inside you. You have accomplished nothing towards making yourself not sick.
Our current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying “Right now the state is paying a lot of attention to how much money we spend, but not enough on accountability. We must be accountable …” This makes more sense. At least it will help us track down the root cause(s) of our failing education system. I appreciate that, while this is not what most Californians would want to hear, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not making ineffective goals.
So what does this have to do with being an entrepreneur? One of the lessons I have learned along the way is that I do not have the time or money to chase down symptoms. If I encounter a problem I must quickly and accurately identify the root cause of the symptom(s). Any effort before the root cause is identified will waste resources. Success is dependent on identifying the root cause and making its solution the goal. Curing the symptom(s) is the benefit of, or the natural outcome of, successfully solving the root problem. Like the cold we discussed earlier—when you get rid of the bug causing the cold then the symptoms will also disappear.
Source of quotes:
“Issues in the Governor's Race: Education.” The Tribune, San Luis Obispo. 28 October, 2006. A6.
I read an article today that typifies the political arguments fed to us during political campaigns. Would-be-governor Phil Angelides said about our education system “I believe we have to make this our No. 1 priority. … I'm going to set a goal to … reduce our dropout rate by 25% …” Statements like this make me cringe and I hope my fellow Californian's can see how this goal will accomplish nothing. It would be like coming down with a cold (you know: the cough, sniffles, stuffy head) and setting a goal of "…curing myself by getting rid of the sniffles!" Sure, your nose might feel better, but the cough & congestion are still ever-present, and the bug that got you sick in the first place is still inside you. You have accomplished nothing towards making yourself not sick.
Our current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying “Right now the state is paying a lot of attention to how much money we spend, but not enough on accountability. We must be accountable …” This makes more sense. At least it will help us track down the root cause(s) of our failing education system. I appreciate that, while this is not what most Californians would want to hear, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not making ineffective goals.
So what does this have to do with being an entrepreneur? One of the lessons I have learned along the way is that I do not have the time or money to chase down symptoms. If I encounter a problem I must quickly and accurately identify the root cause of the symptom(s). Any effort before the root cause is identified will waste resources. Success is dependent on identifying the root cause and making its solution the goal. Curing the symptom(s) is the benefit of, or the natural outcome of, successfully solving the root problem. Like the cold we discussed earlier—when you get rid of the bug causing the cold then the symptoms will also disappear.
Source of quotes:
“Issues in the Governor's Race: Education.” The Tribune, San Luis Obispo. 28 October, 2006. A6.