It’s better to prevent problems than deal with crises, but all leaders must solve unexpected problems. Here are a few things it took me 30 years to learn.
Some problems just never seem to get solved. We talk about them repeatedly. Another problem may hold our attention for a time, and then we circle back to the old problem. This is when you need to ask yourself this question: “Are we having the conversation we need to have, or the conversation we want to have?”
You’ll find that we often want to have conversations which by design can’t lead to a solution because:
· We might be held accountable for a result
· We don’t like the changes we ourselves would have to make
· There is a long effort required before we would experience benefits
· We would prefer to get the credit for a solution but don’t want to take any risks
· It’s frankly more fun to complain about “them” or “that”
Stronger leaders move away from these “want to have” conversations to invest more time in “need to have” conversations.
A somewhat related theme is “Am I solving a problem or managing a tension?” Not everything is a problem that can be solved, especially when there are people involved and economic factors. Instead, use the framework of managing a tension between different elements (methods, perspectives, modes). We get into serious trouble when we think that we are always solving a problem.
Finally, a word when you are solving problems: Resist the temptation to create “big” solutions. Prefer to create solutions to a narrowly-defined problem. Poverty is a big problem. Finding more men willing to spend time with boys in struggling households in your immediate community is a narrowly-defined problem.
