Figuring It Out

Throughout many of my earlier career roles, I often found myself in situations where I wanted a bit of extra guidance from my manager. Some managers were great about giving answers in the form of “here’s what you should do” which made my life really easy. Other managers, however, more commonly pushed back and challenged me to find solutions independently, which made things harder. But those leaders that made things hard for me unlocked the most professional growth for me. They were advocates of the servant leadership model. While this method can occasionally be challenging and even slightly frustrating, its true purpose is to foster our personal growth and autonomy.?

Servant leadership emphasizes prioritizing the personal and professional well-being of the team members, fostering an environment where individuals can truly be themselves and excel. This philosophy extends beyond the pursuit of immediate organizational goals, positing that a team that is nurtured and valued will inherently contribute to a stronger, more successful company. This is achieved through the collective efforts, insights, and unwavering commitment of each team member and when servant leadership is executed effectively, it cultivates an atmosphere of trust, accountability, and a sense of belonging—essential components that contribute to a positive and dynamic workplace culture. ?

So back to that frustration when we ask our boss what to do and they essentially tell us to figure it out… ?

Steve Jobs famously said, "It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do." ?To a degree, Steve was talking about a servant leadership style of helping organizations win. By compelling us to engage in thoughtful deliberation and take ownership of our decisions, we are empowered to dissect complex decisions into more manageable parts, thereby keeping our focus and alignment with the overarching goals of the organization. One highly effective way to do this is the 1-3-1 rule.?

The 1-3-1 rule not only simplifies the decision-making process but also instills a culture of shared responsibility and strategic foresight within our team. It's a testament to the strength of servant leadership and its ability to enhance both individual and collective performance in the workplace. So, what is the 1-3-1 Rule??

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Step 1 – Identify the 1 problem?

• When we meet a challenge, roadblock, or stalemate, it can be confusing. Even worse is when we start chasing solving something, only to find out it’s a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. Albert Einstein said: “If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one minute resolving it.” That quote really paints a clear picture – we must be careful to properly name what we’re challenged by before we start chasing solutions and it’s for that reason that the 1-3-1 rule begins with naming the 1 problem we need to solve. A great way to figure out what problem we are trying to solve lies in these basic questions:?

1. What is the need we are trying to serve? (Keep this super simple and basic)?
2. Why does this need matter? (i.e., What justifies this need as important to what we’re trying to do)?
3. Where does this need/problem sit within the broader context of what we’re trying to do??

Now we can combine the above into our problem statement: 1) This is the need, 2) and it’s an important one to serve because of XYZ, 3) which matters because of our efforts to accomplish ABC as a company.?

Step 2 – Find 3 viable solutions to the 1 problem named above?

• Figuring out our best options is the next step of the 1-3-1 model and it’s important we limit this to our best 3 options that exist. Within this part of the model, we take a special interest in finding the ways we can most fully serve the needs that we found within our first step. Decide 3 options that most fully serve the need & subsequent needs are those we take note of here. This often takes a lot of brainstorming, collective thinking, and broad exploration with people who are close to the problem as well as those who are removed. Talk to a lot of people, work as a team, and think creatively. Then boil this down to the 3 potential solutions that best serve the need our problem statement is anchored on. ?

Step 3 – Create 1 recommendation?

• Creating a single recommendation is a tall order, but gives us action, something most people want when faced with a challenge. Naturally, we want to ease our hardships so concluding with an agreed action is critical to keep moving forward. This also is where we get to flex into our best professional selves and be the smart people that Steve Jobs referenced in his quote above. My method of figuring out the best recommendation is to take the above 3 options and make a t-chart of the pros and cons of each. The choice that best serves the problem on the balance is the one I go ahead with first. And guess what? If it turns out not to be a good approach, I can always go back to the others – that’s still progress! ?

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When used, the 1-3-1 Rule gives us something to go to our leaders with that deepens trust, reliability, and influence. It’s also an amazing tool that helps us manage up and across, especially as we become more senior in our organizations. ?Rather than asking “What should we do about [insert pain-point]?” or “here’s a problem, what do we do?” We can go to our peers/boss/leader and say something like “We have XYZ problem, and I have identified these 3 options with the help of the team [insert options] and my recommendation is that we continue with [insert recommendation]. What do you think?” ?

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If you have other methods for leveling up how you are identifying and solving problems, share those in the comments!?