“Give me a lever long enough and I will move the whole world” is attributed to Archimedes of Syracuse a Greek Mathematician who lived nearly 2,000 years ago. While the specific example is preposterous the concept points to the awesome power of tools. Tools enable a person to do something spectacular. In most cases tools give us abilities we would never possess with just our minds and hands. Successful organizations are built with tools of all types yet this reality is sometimes overlooked which can create substantial downsides.

The downsides I refer to are situations like trying to recover after a major account walks away suddenly and the pipeline isn’t healthy enough to replace the lost sales fast enough to avoid a layoff. Or it’s when a new product is proving disastrously difficult to get through the supplier base or the shop floor and the crisis begins to consume the organization so nearly everything comes to a halt. But why is that an appreciation for the reality of tools is something that could help avoid these two scenarios?

The first reality to appreciate is that there are all kinds of reasons for why tools are needed in an organization. The most obvious reason we need tools is to get the work on our desks and workbenches done and into the hands of the customer. Allowing the organization to function as a cohesive unit is another good reason. Learning from mistakes and preventing reoccurrence is vital. Answering the question of “How are we doing?” is a must to stay competitive. And every organization needs a way to build its future because nothing is forever. What does your tool inventory look like when considering these reasons?

The second reality to keep in mind is that when the right tools aren’t readily available and can be substituted using the human mind, all manner of situations become tolerated that shouldn’t. For example, processes without the right tools will be performed differently by each person assigned. This in turn creates all manner of variability which sometimes requires Herculean efforts to overcome later when they’re ultimately discovered. What processes in your organization are highly variable or take a long time to train? This is a telltale sign of a relying on the human mind over the right tools.

The third reality, that’s likely one of the most important, is that humans will diminish the need for tools when they can master something well enough through effort alone. There’s great pride in doing something difficult to the point of mastery. It becomes a badge of honor when only a few or even a single person in the organization is capable of doing a needed difficult task.

When that challenging task comes around and they perform it successfully, they get a chance to go home with their head held high and even if they struggle at it, they know they’re the only Gladiator that could be sent into the ring to do battle. Either way, that person with the mental ability to get the job done without the right tools wins. The only loser is the customer and the organization because there’s a better way and not using the right tool may ultimately cost them in the marketplace. Do you know of tasks that you trust to just one person to get done right? Do they seem to really enjoy those jobs? That’s a sure sign new tools are needed.

It’s not an easy task to find, test out and create demand for a new tool in most organizations. It’s uphill and not for the faint of heart. But in every change effort there’s the possibility that some people will find the process of growth through tools to be invigorating. When this occurs, momentum will start to build and then the next tool search, test and implementation round will be dramatically easier.

Challenge your organization to examine itself in the face of these tool-based realities. If you see gaps, make a plan and go for it. It’s the right thing to do and even in failure, a lot will be learned. As a relative of mine once said in the process of commercializing the light bulb, “I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2,000 step process.”

Good luck!