Own the Problem, Bring Solutions - MAC084

The other day on LinkedIn, there was a post (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lenareinhard_many-bosses-like-to-say-something-along-the-activity-7305950821341380610--N5o?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACwlk8B_aCb2SXpDbHHORaRrI9SsfHvBMs) by Lena Reinhard, host of the Leadership Confidential podcast (https://www.lenareinhard.com/leadership-confidential), about the saying "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions".  That post got me thinking.

In her post, Lena (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenareinhard/) expresses that she is not a fan of that phrase because it make the target of the statement feel like they are left to do all of the work themselves.  Her suggestion is clarification through communication.  Does your boss really expect you to solve the problem on your own or how you can align the way you work and ask for help with the way that they work and offer help.

An example of how your work styles are not in alignment could be that in your one on ones with your leader, you may spend a large portion of the session complaining about a specific problem you're facing.  Your manager may view that as asking for help but you just needed someone to vent to while you worked through conflict with another team.

As a natural problem solver, I often had a similar response with my wife.  Sometimes, she just wanted to vent about things going on with her job and I would often offer suggestions on how to proceed.  Because our styles were in conflict, this would lead to frustration on both of our parts.  Being able to communicate and align work styles with your boss (or spouse) can eliminate the frustration and turn things back to being a productive relationship.

When everyone is on the same page when it comes to work style, what does your manager mean when they say "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions"?  Your leader has a lot on their plate.  They are responsible not just for keeping the members of their team productive and growing, but they also must take on tasks for THEIR leader.  This often means that they are not able to spend a large portion of their day solving every problem on their team.  They are looking for people to step up and own problems so that they don't have to.  Unless they are a micromanager, they often only need to know about a problem under three specific conditions.

Sometimes, when you have a solution to a problem, you need either approval or authority to proceed with the solution; you may have considered the alternatives and formulated a solid plan, but you need your boss to sign off on the final decision or to champion it to other teams.  This is the perfect time to engage your boss; just be prepared to demonstrate the alternative solutions you considered and why this is the best path forward.  If this solution impacts other teams, you may even need to refine your presentation as you communicate your solution beyond just your manager.

The next situation is when you have narrowed down the options but need your manager to make the final decision.  This case is a good opportunity to make yourself stand out.  Instead of asking your leader to make the decision, ask for clarification on the criteria that they would use to decide.  This will help you solve the current problem but also set you up for future success when you face a similar problem in the future.  When your manager believes that you will make the same choice that they would make, you grain trust which leads to more autonomy as well as more strategic assignments.

The final condition when you would bring a problem to your manager is when you have explored options but don't know how to proceed.  When you find yourself without a clear path forward, you would do well to ask your manager, not for the answer, but for some strategies on how to proceed.  Show them that you are interested in learning and growing and that you have a desire to solve problems on your own.

If you are highly demanding of your manager's time because they have to solve every problem for you, they will come to dread every interaction they have with you.  When you face a problem, instead of immediately taking it to your manager, use the problem as an opportunity to build trust and gain standing by showing independence.  Work to think like your manager so that your solutions align with theirs.  When you do this, you're bringing your manager solutions and not problems.

I would love to hear some stories of how this podcast has helped you in your pursuit of career advancement.  Go to the ManagingACareer.com website and leave a message via the Contact form (https://www.managingacareer.com/contact/) or click the button to leave a voicemail via your computer.  Tell me which episodes have had the biggest impact for you.  If I get enough feedback, I'll start including them in upcoming episodes.

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