Free the Boss, Don’t Task the Boss

Will you bring problems today or solutions?

“There’s no use talking about the problem unless you talk about the solution.” Betty Williams

“Bring solutions, not problems.” I live by that philosophy. It was ingrained in me through my decades in the U.S. Army. I see it violated all the time where subordinates bring problems to leaders without proposed solutions or, what is worse, drop tasks or projects on the boss’s lap. To the day, I’m on the receiving end of subordinates bringing me problems without solutions. In essence, they are bringing me work and I already have a large pile of work to be done. “Hey boss, we need to order more printer ink,” I might here. Stated this way, the problem – one which can be solved by the subordinate without any of my help is now mine to solve. Of course, a leader must create the environment where the subordinate is empowered to solve the problem. If I have not delegated and provided the means to buy printer ink, it will remain my problem to solve and buying printer ink is not in my ‘leader’ job description. Creating the environment for subordinates to solve problems is. If all I need is to approve the printer ink expenditure, this scenario may sound something like this. “Hey boss, the printer is getting low on ink so I’m going to order more. I just need your approval.” Of course, I could provide a budget for this and divorce myself of this task all together.

Subordinates can and should ask for the help of their leaders, but they must bring solutions to the table. Moreover, leaders must create the environment where subordinates are comfortable presenting a problem to them. It is a leader’s job to coach them toward adding proposed solutions when they do present problems. If a mechanic was asking for his job description to be rewritten following a series of cases where he was performing tasks outside of its scope, he could (and should) offer suggested tasks and descriptions for the document. He might even offer a draft job description to prevent creating more work for his leaders. Sound unfair? Is this an attempt to keep the boss free of any work so he or she can play golf while the rank and file do all the hard work and heavy lifting? It is not and here is why.