A Leader's Problem-Solving!

If you’re interested in living the life of your dreams… professionally and personally… you must first choose to become a leader! The good this is, anyone and everyone can be a leader; depending on how we choose to show up…. Show up in our job, our relationships, our lives! Do you have a vision for yourself, your team, and your lifestyle? Are you positive, optimistic, ready, knowledgeable, willing, and consistent in good and hard times? If yes, great! If not, now you know the formula! As leaders, two things are inevitable; change and problems. I’d rather view problems as opportunities, but either way… problems/opportunities are coming! For leaders, professionally and personally, I have found it always seems to be a problem or two that’s been long-standing and ignored that’s currently poising professional culture or relationships in their life. Most people can play the role of leader and tolerate these problems when things are great or even OK, but what do you do when you’re ready for change, ready to address it, and evolve?

Announcement

A leader must first be aware that a problem exists in order to be willing to address it. Without initial awareness and willingness, the dysfunction will continue and rarely gets better on its own. This next step, Announcement, is an important first step and many individuals sitting in positions of leadership forget it; becoming even more responsible for the dysfunction.

Once you are aware of the problem, it’s impact, and are willing to address it… it’s now time to ANNOUNCE the process of change! This announcement can be made 1-on-1 to people or in a group setting. Realize… your team at work: co-workers, employees, employers, etc. have been doing the dysfunction for a long time and for a very simple reason… because they can! The people in your personal life: significant other, kids, and family… have been behaving in a way that is unbecoming to you… because they can!

It starts with a leader accepting they have allowed dysfunction to occur and MUST accept full responsibility before taking another step. Yes, it would be great if the people on your team and in your life would do the same… but true leaders accept the hit and the process of moving forward. In a loss, the star coach or quarterback does not blame their team… they accept full responsibility in losses and none of the credit in the wins!

The announcement may sound like, “I understand _____________ has been occurring and it’s been this way for a while. As a leader here, I accept full responsibility for not addressing it. Things will be changing as we move forward. The new rule/standard/expectation is _________________. I’m aware this may not be easy for everyone. My vision is __________________ and I hope you will be a part of it.”. In a professional or parental setting, it may be appropriate to explain expectations and consequences for lack of follow-through. In a personal setting, asking for a commitment and plan to work together as a team may be a more beneficial approach. The point is to share the new way, a new day, and be sure everyone is aware. It would be unfair to suddenly penalize someone for something they have always been allowed to do under your poor leadership. Set a new standard, make an announcement, and lead!

Boundary

As mentioned above, your team is depending on you to set boundaries, keep them, and enforce them. The biggest complaints I here working with companies and leaders are:

1.    Our leaders don’t know how to lead

2.    We are in a state of change and “Busy”

Two of the biggest complaints I hear from employees is:

1.    “There are no consequences given to people who don’t follow the rules.”. The fact that employees are not receiving any consequences may be true or untrue. That uncooperative employee may be reprimanded behind closed doors as the company or team follows company policy. Not everything is every employee’s business to know. The important thing to note is… your employees, teams, kids, and love-ones all know the rules, when they are broken, and what to expect! Why should anyone change if they continuously get to do what they want, how they want, and when they want. As a leader, boundaries are a necessary roadmap to get to your definition of success!

2.    Lack of consistency

Consequences

What are the consequences for an employee coming in late, not following rules or standards, etc.? What are the consequences for your kids not doing the dishes or bringing home poor grades? If there is a hard and fast rule in place, are they aware? Is the consequence reasonable and fair for both you and them? Be mindful… many hard and fast rules don’t always do justice to real-life situations. Also, can you actually do the consequence… firing all staff and having no company to run typically is not the best business strategy. Parents, can you exist in your house with your kids with no Fortnite or technology for them to play for a month? Sounds funny, but it’s the truth! Be sure the consequence fits both of you!

If the consequences can fluctuate and can be different for different people… be sure to be clear about it upfront. Jimmy Johnson, ex-Dallas Cowboys football coach, is a great example. He was upfront and said to his team that he cared about everyone, but everyone will not be treated equally. If a star player made a big mistake, there was one type of consequence. If a third-string player made the same mistake… he’d be cut! He also informed star-players before practice he was going to be extra hard on them on a particular day in efforts to motivate other players; explaining to the star… if they see me yelling at you; they know they have no chance to mess up… only enhancing the quality of the team! Fair or unfair… he announced it, set boundaries, and explained consequences… leading us into the last step!

Consistency

As a leader, professionally or personally, be sure to be consistent! Your people can deal with almost anything… as long as they know what to expect! Be consistent in your vision, your standard, your expectations, and how you show up each day! Have you ever engaged with someone that was different from day-to-day? They say “Hello” some days but not others? They give great effort one day and not others? They are present some days and absent others? Eventually, we tend to stop talking to these individuals, we expect nothing from them, and we eventually do things our own way because we can’t count on them. That’s how your team, your employees, and love-ones feel about you when your leadership is inconsistent.

Whatever problem you are facing or problem that will arise, evolve with these steps to become the leader you are meant to be. Here’s a recap:

Announce – Become aware of what the problem is and best ways to solve it. Then announce a new day has come, you accept full responsibility, and set a new vision and standard!

Boundaries – These are expectations of how to do tasks and engage in relationships. Be sure the boundaries can actually be done by the people you are asking. If so, great! If not, what’s a more reasonable way to begin collecting smaller wins?

Consequences – This is a leader’s least favorite thing to do. Consequences sound like such an awful word and can become a potential abuse of power in the hand of a negative leader. But remember,  a vision without expectations is just hope, and expectations without consequences are merely suggestions!

Consistent – Pick a way and do growth consistently; allowing evolution to take it’s course as you move forward!

“A vision without expectations is just hope; and expectations without consequences are merely suggestions” – Andre Young

written by: Andre Young

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