If you’ve been following along with this series, you know the saga of my 2015 Hyundai Genesis and its absolute refusal to give me a smooth ride. For those just joining us, the short version is this: I spent months, and way too much money, trying to fix a "bumpy" suspension by replacing parts I thought were the problem, only to realize I was ignoring the one piece of data that could have saved me from the whole mess.
That piece of data? A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB).
In the automotive world, a TSB is basically the manufacturer raising its hand and saying, "Hey, we noticed a trend. This specific thing is prone to failing, and here is exactly how to fix it." It’s not a full-blown recall, but it’s a heads-up. It’s the data-driven map to preventing a total breakdown.
But here’s the kicker... I didn’t look for it. I was too busy "feeling" the problem and trying to white-knuckle my way through a solution based on my own assumptions.
If I’m being honest, I do this in business more than I’d like to admit, too. And if you’re reading this, I’m betting you might have a few "ignored bulletins" sitting on your desk right now.
The Data is Already Talking to You
In our organizations, we don't usually get a literal "Service Bulletin" delivered to our inbox by a manufacturer. Instead, our bulletins come in the form of data, feedback loops, and what I like to call "Independence Indicators."
The problem is that most of us treat data like a scorecard rather than a diagnostic tool. We look at the P&L at the end of the month to see if we "won" or "lost," but we rarely look at the micro-deviations: the small vibrations in the steering wheel: that tell us a failure is coming three months down the road.
I was reading some research recently about something called the "P-F Interval." It’s a fancy engineering term for the time between when a failure could be detected and when the machine actually stops working. In my Hyundai, the P-F interval started the moment the ride felt a little "off." In your business, it starts the moment a high-performer stops speaking up in meetings or a client's "onboarding" process takes three days longer than usual.
If we ignore the data: the "bumpy ride": we miss the chance to fix things under "warranty." By "warranty," I mean the window of time where a fix costs you a little bit of effort and a conversation, rather than a massive hit to your budget, a key resignation, or total leadership burnout.
Are You an "Independent" Leader?
When I consult with Executive Directors or business owners, one of the first things I look for is how independent the organization is from them. This is the ultimate "Service Bulletin" for operational health.
If you are the only one who can make a decision, if all the key relationships with donors or clients are held exclusively in your cell phone, and if the work grinds to a halt the moment you take a long weekend... your shocks are blown. You’re just waiting for the axle to snap.
We use specific Independence Indicators at Solved. Operations & Management Solutions to see if a failure is imminent:
- Level of Delegation: Are decisions being made at the lowest possible level of competency? Or does everything "run up the ladder"?
- Relationship Distribution: Are key stakeholders connected to the team, or just the leader?
- Process Accessibility: Are your core rhythms documented? If the ED gets the flu, does the "Sunday morning" (or the Monday morning meeting) still happen flawlessly?
- Succession Thinking: Is there a "next man/woman up" mentality in every department?
If these indicators are flashing red, it’s a service bulletin you can’t afford to ignore. You can find more about how we help leaders navigate these shifts on our coaching page.
The Triage: Reduce, Route, Resolve
When the data tells you there’s a problem, the natural instinct is to try and fix everything yourself. That’s what I did with the Hyundai. I was under the car, grease on my face, getting frustrated.
But as an owner or principal consultant, my job: and yours: is to move through a specific triage framework: Reduce → Route → Resolve.
- Reduce: Look at the data. What are we doing that doesn't actually move the needle? If the "ride is bumpy," maybe we need to stop carrying so much extra weight. What tasks or projects can we simply kill because they no longer serve the mission?
- Route: This is the big one. Once you’ve narrowed it down to the essential work, who is the natural owner? Not the person who is "least busy," but the person whose role and talents actually fit the task. Route the work with the necessary context and then get out of the way.
- Resolve: You should only personally handle the work that requires your unique judgment, your specific expertise, or your legal signature.
If you spend all your time "resolving" things that should have been "routed," you’ll never have the bandwidth to look at the service bulletins that actually matter.
Evaluations: Tools, Not Scorecards
We need to talk about evaluations for a second... because they are often the most misused "data points" in a company.
Most people view an annual evaluation as a punitive scorecard: a time to list out everything someone did wrong over the last 12 months. Yikes. No wonder people dread them.
In a healthy culture, an evaluation is an actionable tool. It’s a "Service Bulletin" for a person's career. It should be a collaborative look at the data: “Here is where the vibrations are happening. How can we tighten up the suspension so you can perform better?”
When leaders start looking for help: when they stop trying to be the "expert" who knows it all and start being the "investigator" who looks for the truth in the data: it empowers the whole team. It creates a culture of accountability where it’s okay to say, "The ride feels bumpy," before the car is in the ditch.
Using tools like DiSC assessments can be a game-changer here. It gives you a language to discuss those "vibrations" in communication style before they turn into full-blown team conflict. (I’ve written more about resolving team conflict with DiSC here.)
Final Thoughts: Don't Be Stubborn
The "Hyundai Shocks" saga ended when I finally stopped being stubborn. I stopped assuming I knew more than the manufacturer's data. I looked at the bulletin, I bought the right parts, and suddenly... the car drove like it was brand new.
It was a humbling lesson. I wasted a year of driving comfort because I thought I could out-think the "Service Bulletin."
Don't do that with your business.
- Don’t ignore the high turnover rate and call it "industry standard."
- Don’t ignore your own burnout and call it "the price of leadership."
- Don’t ignore the messy processes and call it "the startup phase" when you’ve been in business for ten years.
Look at the data. Listen to the feedback loops. Check your Independence Indicators.
If your organization feels like it’s bouncing down a gravel road and you’re struggling to keep it on the pavement, maybe it’s time to stop trying to "fix" it yourself and start looking at the actual bulletins.
If you aren't sure where to start looking for those indicators, or if you feel like you're trapped in the "Resolve" phase of your day-to-day, let's talk. You can reach out through our contact page. We’ve spent years helping leaders find the "bumpy" parts of their operations and getting them... well... Solved.
Stay smooth out there.
( Brett)
