The Problem with Saying “Don’t Bring Me Problems, Bring Me Solutions”
Curated from: hbr.org
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The “bring me a solution” approach
Advocates of the approach “don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions” believe it increases empowerment, helps employees manage up and boosts careers. However, it is fraught with challenges.
- Not every problem has a quick solution.
- Solution-only thinking creates a culture of advocacy instead of inquiry, where each person wants their own particular solution instead of considering multiple perspectives.
- Employees may shut down in fear, breed a culture of intimidation, and prevent raising serious problems.
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Encourage your team to bring up problems in a more productive way
- Make it safe: Change your behaviour so that people won't be afraid of giving you bad news. When you receive bad news, pause, paraphrase the concern, then ask quations about the problem.
- Require problem statements instead of complaints. People need to learn how to distinguish between raising a valid concern or just complaining. Complaints lack accountability and have villains and heroes, whereas problem statements provide objective facts.
- Find the right person to solve the issue or coach them on how to think about the situation and broaden potential solutions.
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