Problems Accepted
Photo by Ariel Besagar on Unsplash
“Don’t bring problems - bring solutions!” Have you heard this sage advice? The idea is that you shouldn’t raise issues up the management chain without a prescribed solution. The underlying assumption is the executive is so busy they can’t be bothered to creatively engage in the issue. Instead, you must provide the cellophane-wrapped answer. Spoonfed management.
The most insidious part of this advice is how it shuts down the very thing leadership needs in a company - unvarnished information flow from those who know. Even under the best circumstances, it’s painful to deliver bad news, and as humans, our nature is to recoil from even potential pain. Since we can’t be sure how people up the chain will react, we clam up. “Nothing to see here boss.” Our livelihood (ie. paycheck) is on the line after all. You can see why requiring a solution as a ticket to entry adds undue friction to an already viscous process.
The ‘solution required’ approach is also ineffective - many problems require solving at a higher level in an organization! As you move up the management chain, operational latitude expands. A CEO, by nature of their role, experience, relationships or resources, has more levers to pull than a line manager. Through executive involvement, creativity can be unlocked and new possibilities might emerge. That’s the whole point! The optimal solution to many problems often resides higher in the organization.
Years ago, I had a manager tell me as we walked into a meeting with our then CEO, “You won’t be promoted in this meeting, but you can get fired.” At the time I thought it humorous and given this executive’s reputation, worth noting, but consider what that mindset does to a culture. Does the raw truth ever make an appearance in that boardroom?
‘Bring me solutions’ insulates leadership from the truth of their own company. Hard-won, dirt under the fingernails knowledge, as it rises through layers of bureaucracy, becomes well-manicured bullet points on a glossed over Powerpoint slide. This is exactly how most companies operate, and precisely what you do not want if you run a company.
Good leaders seek the truth. This is why at Intel, Andy Grove worked in a gray cubicle along with everyone else. It’s also the driving idea being Tom Peter’s Management By Walking Around (MBWA). The truth is out there, and if you want it, head to the shop floor, not the boardroom. Don’t attenuate the signal, tap into it, amplify it.
If you’re a leader, encourage your team to bring problems - solutions not required. Your goal is to increase the probability of hearing what is really going on. After all, you can’t fix what you don’t know is broken, and I guarantee your team knows what’s not working. They just haven’t decided if you’re ready to hear it yet.
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