Problem-Solving Falls on Shoulders of High School Athletic Directors

In the ideal world, everything is well-organized, operates smoothly, is effective and efficient, and everyone is content and happy. However, in the real world of high school athletics and performing arts, problems occur, and administrators have to deal with them. Some issues may be small and insignificant, and others may be huge and totally encompassing, but it falls on the athletic director’s shoulders to find a solution. It’s part of the job.

The process of solving a problem starts with gathering the facts. Many incidents, situations and settings may be unique, and this necessitates trying to determine what actually occurred. If the issue involves individuals at an event, for example, start by having witnesses write down what they observed, and this should be done as soon as possible because memories fade. In those situations that may not involve actual, live interactions with people, you may need to locate and refer to records, email messages, invoices and other written documents, but determine what actually happened.

To assist in sorting through and annualizing the facts, the Journalistic Cues, as they are sometimes referred to – the who, what, when, why and how – can be invaluable. These triggers help you to focus on the important aspects of what may have occurred and precipitated the problem. The better you can answer these questions, the clearer and more accurate picture of events you can obtain.

With the facts in hand, you are ready for the next step. This involves analyzing the reports or documents, and developing a list of possible solutions. A common starting point is to write down the two extremes – ignore the problem and do nothing, or totally eliminate the individual, situation or event which was central to the problem. Realistically, these two will never be the answer, but with the boundary choices in place on your list, you can now add creative alternative possibilities in between.

If you are struggling to come up with possible solutions, you can also ask for some guidance or input from other administrators in neighboring schools. After all, they may have encountered the same or similar problems. By doing this, you might gain a possible alternative that hadn’t occurred to you. Tapping into the experience of others can be extremely helpful when an answer isn’t obvious.

As you begin to narrow down the possible alternatives, there is one more consideration that should be added to the mix. You also want to analyze if there are or will be any ramifications with any of the alternatives, because you don’t want to create additional problems if you can help it. It might come down to what will cause the least disruption or negative effects, and possibly involve the smallest amount of damage. But you still want and need to solve the problem.

Once you have decided upon the best solution, the last step is to share it with those who have been affected. This could be an individual, groups or even the community at large. While you want to use tact and discretion, try to be as clear and concise as possible to explain your efforts as to how you reached your decision, what is involved and when implementation will take place. The importance of this effort is to head off any additional or future problems that could arise by the lack of understanding or misunderstanding.

If additional facts or details come to light after you make a decision, you can revisit it. After all, you do want to make the best decision and to do what is right. Also, you should be upfront and admit that the original decision is no longer the best option, and because of additional information, it is now clear that a different direction needs to be taken. You should be transparent and straightforward, and let everyone know what has changed, and why you altered your original decision. Most individuals will understand, support, and totally appreciate your efforts and approach. And those who don’t most likely wouldn’t have agreed regardless. Therefore, do what is best for your program, and make any corrections that are necessary.

It is also important to understand that not everyone will like your decision regardless of how much care, thought and effort you put into the process. This is, unfortunately, simply a fact of life. While this may be personally an uncomfortable aspect of solving problems, it is essential to understand this phenomenon. Why?

The next problem may be right around the corner even though you have no idea what it is or what is involved. Problems don’t always appear when it is convenient and you have plenty of time. This means that you need to make a well-thought out, sound decision and move on. If handling a problem is taxing and difficult, and it often is, it becomes even more so when you have to deal with multiple ones at the same time. Therefore, there comes a point after you have analyzed the alternatives and ramifications that you do have to make a decision.

There was an expression that David Glasgow Farragut, a Naval commander in the battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War, reportedly used that fits this situation well. He uttered, “Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.” And this order was given after preparation, understanding the situation, and having done everything possible to be ready, but also recognizing the need to take decisive action at that point. You’ve done your best, make a decision and get going!