There’s security in being needed. That’s probably why we as leaders get addicted to solving problems.
When someone brings us a problem, we begin to salivate. Our minds race through our experiences to identify instances when we’ve conquered this issue in the past. We identify the solution that worked the last time and relay it to the team. The team appreciates our wisdom and experience. We feel valued. Everyone wins.
Then, over time, the number and magnitude of the of problems grow. Initially, it’s exhilarating because leaders are addicted to solving problems. Eventually, though, it becomes overwhelming. We become the bottleneck. The growth slows down, because we can’t respond to everything.
Worse yet, we find that our strongest leaders start leaving the team. Our addiction to problem solving has elevated the role of manager and pushed the leaders away. We’ve elevated the capacity to identify and deliver problems rather than identify and deliver solutions.
Here’s a little trick that I was reminded of last week in my time with Dave Ramsey. This is a process to help your team move from a problem-focus to a solutions-focus.
- Step One: “I bring you the problem.” – Someone brings you a problem. Send them away and encourage them to bring back three or four solutions to that problem. When they return with their proposed solutions, force them to explain which solution they would choose. Then you pick the solution that you think is best.
- Step Two: “I bring you options for a solution.” – Your team learns to bring you solutions rather than problems. When that happens, again, encourage them to explain which solution they would choose. When you agree with their solution, have them implement it.
- Step Three: “I bring you options and a recommended solution.” – Your team learns to bring you solutions with their recommendation for which solution they would choose. By now, they’ve learned how to process decisions within the framework of your mission, values and strategies. Assuming you agree with their recommendation, encourage them to make it happen.
- Step Four: “I process options on my own and implement the best solution.” – Your team learns to identify the problem, process options to solve the problem and select the best solution. They communicate to you what happened and how they solved the problem. If it worked, you reinforce that behavior by affirming their leadership. If it failed, you coach them and encourage them to take those types of risks moving forward.
This is a picture of how we move from managing people to leading people. This is an example of moving from delegating tasks to empowering people to make decisions and implement solutions.
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you sensing you have the weight of every decision on your shoulders? Then it’s time to start at “step one” and begin to raise up and empower other leaders to move your mission forward.
