business problems certainly have an impact on people problems. revenues falling? market uncertainty? it will have an affect on morale and behavior, that’s for sure. but fixing your business problems does not imply that the people side is automatically solved as well. you solve people problems by focusing on the people and their concerns. you engage with them, have conversations, understand what drives them, learn what scares them.

and after all that hard work is done—after you do the kind of work that truly matters as a leader—perhaps then you’ll actually start seeing the business problems start to work themselves out.

hint: they’re not working themselves out. it’s actually your people solving the business problems when you take care of them and get out of their way.