This Element is an excerpt from Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems Before They Happen (ISBN: 9780131568150) by Michael A. Roberto. Available in print and digital formats.

You can’t solve a problem you don’t know exists! Learn how leaders can uncover problems while they’re still small enough to solve easily!

Great leaders do not simply know how to solve problems. They know how to find them. They can detect smoke, rather than simply fighting raging fires. Leaders at all levels need to become more effective problem-finders. To discover the small problems and failures that threaten your organization, do the following....