At our Company we have a dream employee, I will call A. When I have a problem I will discuss it with A. We will brain storm the problem for a few minutes and then we will each check out a few more facts on the problem and discuss our findings an hour later. At that time we will make a good decision on solving the problem.
A is an “indispensable member” of our team. A is intelligent, well- organized, is honest, full of integrity, fair- minded, always listens to others carefully, will always do the right thing and can be relied on to help solve problems and take responsibility for his or her actions at our company. In other words A is a leader.
Do you have a team member like A on your team at work? Wouldn’t you like all your team members to be just like our “team member A?”
Remember leaders take responsibility for their actions and when a mistake is made they admit it and correct it immediately. A leader takes a stand for honesty and integrity and accepts responsibility for his or her actions and does not pass the blame on to someone else. President Harry Truman said it best. “The Buck Stops Here!”
What are the five things you can do to solve problems and promote leadership at your company?
1) Be a leader who has the courage of your convictions, the honor, integrity, morality, is fair- minded, well-organized, listens to others, will always do the right thing all the time, has a code of ethics and a clear and decisive passionate belief in the right way to conduct business.
2) Always have a paper and pencil ready, where ever you are, in case you think of a solution to your problem. Think of yourself as a detective like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and look for your solutions at work or at home.
3) Every day give yourself time to ponder your problems. Be observant and a good listener. Start thinking how to solve your problems today! Have a burning desire to solve your problems and Never, Never Give Up!
4) Continue to increase your knowledge in your chosen field by taking continuing education courses each year to improve your skills in your chosen field and read books by experts in your field each month to improve your expertise in your field. Never stop learning. As Dr. Einstein says, “The most important thing is not to stop questioning.”
5) Surround yourself with experts your “Brain Trust”, competent people who know your business and markets are of like mind, and have a strong firm intellectual capacity to help you accomplish your goals. When you have a problem ask your experts what they would suggest by going around the table and listening carefully to your experts. Then make informed decisions.
The next time you decide to whine and complain instead of being a problem solver I want you to ask yourself the following question: “If I take this action will it make me proud?” This is the No. 1 question I ask my children and my students to remember to ask themselves before they make a serious error in judgment.
So, train your team members at your business to be problem solvers and before hiring a new team member for your business ask them how they would solve a particular problem. What steps would they take to solve a difficult problem? Their response will tell you if they are the right person for your company, a problem solver, a leader.
Real Leaders Are Problem Solvers
One of the most essential requirements of effective leadership is having a positive attitude to view things as challenges rather than problems. However, when what is commonly referred to as a problem does arrive, as it inevitably does, the great leaders find ways to minimize the negative impacts and use the challenge as a further motivation, as well as a way to gain valuable expertise. In my over thirty years of qualifying, training, developing and working with over a thousand leaders, I have found that far too many of those in positions of leaderships fear taking decisive action, or appear unable to do so. They often come up with numerous excuses why they couldn’t do something, including blaming others, or not enough time, or any number of other factors. All of these actions are simply manifestations of poor leadership, which leads to the tendency to procrastinate. Henry Ford wrote, “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.”
- When one views something as a problem, it conjures up in the minds eye something extremely unpleasant and nearly impossible to overcome. During my training programs, one of the first things I insist upon is eliminating negative terms such as problem, blame, can’t, don’t, impossible, etc. When, instead we visualize a challenge, we see something that is a contest, and thus by its very visualization, something that will take effort, but can be overcome. One can never be an effective leader without eliminating negative words and images.
- A primary reason that I believe that professionally designed leadership training is so very essential is that it prepares someone with the needs of leadership. Leaders must be able and willing to act preemptively so as to avoid many issues. This requires that a leader be knowledgeable and comfortable with the entire decision making process, and the need for a leader to prioritize, and see the big picture. There is no true leadership if an individual does not have a vision that drives him to set important goals, and that the leader keeps his eye on the target, prioritize, and be able and willing to make difficult decisions, take needed and necessary timely action, and have a through understanding of the ramifications in either circumstance.
- Many things that end up being crises could be rather easily handled if acted upon early on, rather than having a weak leader procrastinate. When many items are not acted upon in a timely manner, they become “cancers” upon the organization, that fester and destroy.
- Instead of taking action, many weak leaders emphasize delegating things. While delegating is quite helpful when done carefully and properly (making sure that whoever the item is given to is prepared and trained, and understands the expectations and the larger picture), unfortunately, many unqualified leaders simply use delegating to provide themselves with an excuse, and someone to blame.
Great leaders are always hands- on. They are preemptive problem solvers, rather than a part of the problem. The most effective leaders are always the driving force behind the solution!
