Why I Don’t Lead with “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions”
Organizational problems are complex and effective problem solving, which is one of my favorite things to do, requires more than a single person’s brainpower and abilities to navigate through often complicated relationships. If you expect your people to only bring you solutions, you might be missing out on a whole lot of opportunities to help your team or your organization flex, change, evolve or simply efficiently collaborate together. If you only want to hear the solutions, you might learn about the problems until it’s too late, as problem discovery process takes time and so does coming up with solutions. So, how do I deal with problems and problem solving with my team?
The first step to solving a problem is to recognize that it exists.
This first step is always critical for me. Very often, problems can mask themselves as complaints. Complaints are grievances and may not need a solution. Problems are opposite of complaints and require action. Action requires a plan, and a plan means change. I pay attention to how my team describes the problem. I empathize. I want to acknowledge that the problem exists. Experience has taught me that recognizing a problem is only the beginning of a journey, and you will typically need a brain trust to break it down.
A problem shared is a problem halved.
Some problems may seem bigger than they really are. When you ask a person to deal with a problem alone, and they are simply not in a position to solve it due to various circumstances, the problem starts to outgrow them. It compounds. It builds on frustration and in the end, it can leave someone feeling totally helpless.
On the other hand, when you discuss a problem with someone else, you may end up reframing it in a way that it becomes an opportunity. While problems tend to be seen in a negative light, opportunities bring positive connotations. Suddenly, the vision starts to shift, and the conversation may be lighter. Don’t forget that by letting people speak and share their problems with you, you create a trust bridge upon which you collaborate more effectively. Honest conversations can be healing and, frankly speaking, can make the issues less daunting for both of you as you discuss the next steps.
It takes a village.
I love this quote from Frances Frei, a Harvard Business School Professor: “Identifying problems can be a solo sport, but finding solutions rarely is.” Many problems that occur within organizations require a great deal of collaboration and engagement with the right stakeholders. While you may end up asking the person who flagged an issue to lead the change, that person may not be the right person to singlehandedly address the issue. As a leader and manager, your role is to simply understand the issue and help figure out a plan, identify the right people to help solve it, then empower the people to make the necessary changes. As “it takes a village to raise a child”, it can take an even bigger village to bring about a meaningful change.
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created the problems” A. Einstein
I do not avoid problem-focused conversations with my team. I encourage them. However, instead of focusing on the problem for too long, we try to do these 5 things:
- clearly define the problem statement
- focus on the facts, look at the data, be as objective as possible
- share the perspective — decide how critical the problem is and how big it is compared to the organizational problems the company is dealing with
- zoom out and look for cause-effect relationship — reframe the problem to understand how it’s impacting the client, the business, or maybe team’s morale
- brainstorm and think who should be involved in solving the problem.
The way forward.
Problem solving brings me joy. And when it’s done right, a great satisfaction and a sense of achievement. “Bring me problems, and let’s solve them together” is a motto I choose to lead with. I encourage you to do the same and experience creating better relationships with your team.
