Managers: Your Solutions Are Always Wrong

As a team lead, it is common to have my team members ask me about coding problems. The hardest part is not figuring out the solution; the hardest part is not telling them. I face the same challenge when close friends ask for advice during hard life situations. It’s a high compliment, being asked for advice. The person needs help. They are literally asking for it. I always have at least some ideas that I think could really help them. So what kind of cold-hearted animal am I to withhold seemingly valuable information and insights that my friends and coworkers are (sometimes desperately) needing? Because, dear reader, I have learned that my solutions are almost always and necessarily wrong. Here’s why:

Lack of Full Context

I only think I know the problem. I don’t. Not fully. Not in the way I’d really need to. Despite the best explanations I’m getting. I don’t understand the surrounding code or background story. By definition we are talking about a problem that is so difficult that I am being asked for advice. That’s a significant problem. It’s so hard that someone has struggled with it long enough to believe it is a decision that they either can’t or shouldn’t make on their own. And I—after hearing a 15-minute description—think I can slam dunk that with the first ideas that come off the top of my head? I have now come to believe that such ideas border on narcissism—if not fully cross over.

Believe me, I’ve tried to advise. I’ll pitch a solution, and the person will say, “No, that won’t work because the transaction has already closed at that point,” or “No, early termination skips this needed later section,” or “No, she’s staying with her mother that weekend.”

This concept, as well as some of the below, generally falls into what is called the Principle of Subsidiarity, which, if you’re not familiar with, is well worth some homework on your part. In short, those closest to the problem have the best ability to govern it. I have tried to violate this principle enough times to realize the answer to my suggestions is almost always “No…something.” And even when it isn’t wrong, even if it is “right,” it’s still wrong. (We’re only on bullet #1 here.)

Personal Bias

Because I’m me, my solutions are custom tailored in my mind to fit my unique personality, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. “Just go up and tell him, if you’ve got a problem with it.” Easy for me. Not easy for some. For some that more direct approach would go poorly and perhaps be significantly counter-productive. “Just implement Kahn’s algorithm here.” Kahn-what?? I think they talked about that in college once. What’s better, someone poorly implementing a solution they don’t fully understand and have the skill and practice to accomplish, or a “lesser” solution that they can?

Responsibility

Whatever advice you give someone is, at least in your mind, devoid of responsibility. How about this: the next time you give your sage marital advice follow it up with “…and if that doesn’t work, I’ll cover all your attorney fees and child support.” Dodging the repercussions of bad advice is bad enough. Worse is you wanting to claim the victory. This is why giving advice is so tempting. Fight the temptation. Don’t do it! Do not rob people of their ability to come up with their own solutions, work it, and glory in their deserved success. Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that in any situation there is a best solution. If you really care, if you really want what’s best for your coworker or friend, who should you really want to come up with that solution? The answer is: not you.

Buy-in

Finally, and most importantly, your solutions will never be followed with as much enthusiasm and buy-in as their own. This, ultimately, is why your solutions are always wrong: they are yours. That does not mean that the other person’s solutions are always right. Not by a long shot. But I have learned this: A poor solution executed with fervor and commitment can often fight its way across the goal line when the “perfect” solution dies on the scrimmage line due to lack of motivation. ?Especially if you are in a position of power—manager, team lead, coach, mother, father—a solution pushed on a subordinate always has the uphill battle of perceived imposition. You can almost hear the person think, as they slam down the keys on their keyboard, this is stupid; this will never work. Their new actual goal is now to prove you wrong. Ok, that’s not everyone…but it is some. For those better employees, I think the best we can generally hope for is neutrality. So what is best? Usually, the best solution is just a good solution proposed by the person who will be executing it with complete ownership. When a person has proposed the solution, and the boss has approved it— “If you think it will work, let’s give it a try.”—they know the weight of failure or success is 100% on their heads. You just watch how people will fight like hell to push their good solutions over the finish line. Give them full credit when they do. They deserve it.

So, What Is My Role?

Much!

I take a very active role in the decision-making process. I do a lot of listening and I ask a lot of questions. I at least want to understand the problem as best as possible. Questions help me understand, and questions help the other person clarify their thinking. Instead of ruminating over the problem, they are forced to vocalize the details of the issue in logical terms. When they do this, they are literally using different cognitive processes. (More homework: “Rubber duck debugging” as referenced in The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas). You’d be surprised, or not, to see how often a person will come up with a great solution halfway through just explaining the problem. They’ll pause mid-stream and then they’ll say something like, “You know what? I just need to do this!” Most times I still don’t even fully understand the problem yet…but I know what just happened.

Once I get a handle on the problem, I ask the most important question I have in my arsenal:

• “What do you think you could do about that?”

They’ve already thought deeply about the issue. What have they come up with so far? This helps me see how they are thinking and helps me get further insight into the problem. Then I beat the hell out of their ideas. Their ideas, not them.

• I’m concerned about the side effects here, and here.”
• That solution violates these principles, is it worth it?”
• “That’s been tried before, and it failed due to this. Is this different?”
• “What happens if…?”
• “Will that really accomplish the goal we are after?”
• “It seems like that would just be hiding the symptom not really fixing the root problem.”

These thoughts and questions force them to re-think and adjust their solution. ?My job, as an experienced leader, is to provide as much insight as possible so that their solutions are as informed as mine would be. I might even offer generalized options that they can solidify into specific concrete solutions. I might tell them approaches that have worked in the past under similar scenarios. I poke as many holes in their ideas as I can, while keeping forward momentum. I avoid discouragement but make darn sure they are not stumbling blind into the pits I at least know about.

Set them and their ideas up for success. You should not approve of any solutions that you think are actually bad. “I’m not comfortable with that. I still have these concerns. Do you have other ideas or ways to mitigate those concerns?” It’s perfectly fine to say, as I have many times “I’m going to let you think about that for a bit.” I’m not expecting people to come up with genius solutions on the fly right in front of me. They need space.

The result of all the above is usually not one great solution but often several good and viable solutions that each have their own trade-offs. At this point, if I really do think the solutions are good and viable despite the trade-offs, my job is done. Except for one thing: to make it perfectly clear that the final decision is theirs! “I’m excited to see what you do.” And I am.

Emergencies!

There occasionally arise situations that call for immediate and directed action. These are not the times for the Socratic method and lengthy team strategizing meetings. When time is critical, "A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan executed next week." — U.S. General George S. Patton. We’re hoping—depending—that pushing solutions now, in this time sensitive situation, will compensate for the lack of ownership on the part of the doer. With a good team, this is generally understood and even valued. “Thank God someone is taking charge.” This probably deserves its own article, but I think it’s safe to say that when emergencies emerge, good people are less susceptible to letting their pride interfere with success…especially if they are following someone who has earned their respect as a competent leader in the past.

Nothing New to See Here

None of these ideas are mine. These are old ideas, time tested and proven. Much credit goes to Jocko Willink in his valuable book Extreme Ownership, but he’d be the first to tell you that the ideas are older than him. He does give these principles his own flavor learned from combat experience which make them as entertaining as informative. So, this is just my take, mixed with some of my personal experience and flavor. These are general concepts. My questions or approaches may not work for you. You’ll need to adapt these ideas to your own personality, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s OK. You may need some time to digest and think about it. I’ll give you some space. I’m excited to see what you do.