All of us solve problems in our daily and professional lives. Although we perceive some of them to be ‘big’ problems, most are not.

What if you had the following problem to solve: You are asked to “fix” an IT (information technology) problem in your $250 million company. It seems all of your order processing and product distribution systems are unable to cope with your business volume and you expect to triple your volume in the next two years. This will require you to completely redesign a new system, somehow transition out of the old one, train everyone nationwide on the new system as you implement it, and coordinate the entire process between seven different departments.

That is the good news. Here is the bad news; you have one year from the start date to design this custom, state-of-the-art system, write the code, test it, put together a training and transition program for 2,500 people nationwide, and have it fully implemented, ‘bug’ free!

Here is the worst news, you have no experience or knowledge of IT projects or the technology involved and you have to put together the team that is going to execute this program, starting NOW! The clock is ticking.

This is exactly where I found myself some years ago. I did have a track record of solving difficult problems for the company in a variety of departments. But, I had never undertaken this type or size of problem before. In fact, after getting my marching orders from the Chairman of the Board I thought I had committed professional suicide. So did my staff!

I had only two things I had secured from the Chairman: unlimited budget and the ability to transfer anyone I selected from any department to be on my team, with one week’s notice.

Looking back, I believe the “lack of knowledge” was actually a distinct advantage for me. I was not concerned with systems limitations but with user limitations. I believed, and still do, that the system should be designed around the users which would include customers.

So, the first three months were spent designing the system from a user’s/customer’s perspective entirely. Then, we began to incorporate the common and most desired functions from the various corporate departments. We tried to provide the users with the maximum amount of features and functions and then do the same for the corporation.

I had one rule: never place a corporate function/feature as a higher priority over the user function/feature. When push came to shove, and it did at times, the user always won.

Having put together a great team and kept their focus on the overall goals, we were able to have most of the system completed in 8 months. Concurrently, we were developing user manuals and training programs with the flexibility to change details as the system evolved. In addition, we were coordinating with all the departments, especially IT, to have a hardware and software implementation plan that everyone could live with.

In the last 4 months of the year, clock still ticking, we were able to fully implement the system and train all the users. To our occasional amazement, it actually worked as it was designed to.

You do not have to be an expert to be a leader. It is more critical to be able to select the best people, form a cohesive team, and provide clarity of vision and then communicate it!

I had a vision of the final product that I believed in; I selected only the best people from many departments to join my staff, I forged them into a cohesive working team, and then stayed true to our mission throughout the process. I never lost sight of our vision and never stopped repeating its tenets. Whenever there was a question of what to do I would ask “Does it serve the users best? Does it provide them the tools they need?”

That was it. If they could pass that simple test then we would do it. If not, it may get eliminated or put on a ‘wish list’ for future enhancements.

By the way, the system went on to handle the order and fulfillment processes as the company grew to over $1 billion in sales. If you build a solid foundation the building will continue to stand.

Stephen A. Burgess is founder and CEO of Corporate Toolbelt, a premier business strategy, business planning, leadership and advisory firm. He has served as a 'C' level executive, is a noted speaker, and has his MBA. He currently serves on several Boards of Directors. Steve is also a partner in the Power of 8 and the co-founder and Managing Partner of Speakers Alive!, a southern California speaker’s bureau.

He is the Co-Author of the #1 Best Selling book, Purpose, Passion, Abundance, On an Enlightened Path and Business Successes. He is also author of the forthcoming book, Legacies of Leadership, as well as numerous published articles. Steve’s advice is highly sought after by entrepreneurs, business owners and companies of all sizes. He works together with clients to uncover the power to maximize their growth and profits!

Discover more at http://www.thebusinessprophet.com

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