Want to be given problems to solve instead of solutions to implement?
I have this theory about one reason people hand you solutions to implement instead of problems to solve. I think it’s because they don’t see you suggesting better possibilities fast enough. It’s certainly not the only reason. Sometimes they think they know the right solution, or just need to get something done quickly, or I’m sure you could come up with a bunch of other reasons why this happens. But, if a person is on the hook for delivering a result, the buck stops with them. If nobody on their team is coming up with great suggestions for how to get there, it seems only natural that they’re going to come up with solutions on their own. Because, they’re responsible for the outcome.
If that’s happening to you — you’re getting handed solutions instead of problems — the best defense is a good offense. Don’t ask those people to stop giving you solutions. Don’t wait for them to come to you, or give you a perfectly framed problem to solve. Start putting ideas in front of them before they even have a chance to ask. Share your suggestions and potential solutions early and often. Show them that you understand the problem you’re trying to solve, or are working hard to build that understanding by developing and pressure testing potential solutions. Take their suggestions and show them why it doesn’t work (if it doesn’t) or show them what’s great about it if it does. And if you have alternate ideas or suggestions for how to solve that problem, even better! Throw those into the mix. At the very least, it will help ensure your team is solving the right problem and has the best possible solutions to work with. At the end of the day, the best solution usually wins.
If you become someone who regularly generates great solutions to problems that people care about, if you’re someone who helps the people around you come up with even better solutions, they will start to look to you more and more often. They will want to hear what you have to say. They will include you in those early conversations. People will start looking to you to solve problems instead of handing you solutions to implement.
