The Problem with Problem Solving Managers

I remember my first job as a manager nearly 20 years ago. My strong work ethic had produced good results so I was asked to take over as the manager of our sales team. Despite my best intentions, it did not go well.

As someone who was new to managing, I assumed that I needed to do more of what got me promoted so I doubled down on working hard and navigating through problems at warp speed so that they didn’t slow down my productive momentum. I defaulted to pacesetting - showing my team the example of relentless work that I wanted them to follow. I also showed no tolerance for mistakes or delays, telling them to bring problems to me so I could solve them more quickly and efficiently.

It didn’t work.

Within weeks team productivity plummeted and employee morale faded...

The unfortunate thing is, this is not an isolated story. I now work as an Executive Coach where I see this pattern play out over and over in organizations around the world. The Best-Selling Author and Thinkers-50 Contemplative Marshall Goldsmith famously noted, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”. Front-line employees who do well often get promoted, only to fail as managers. Why does this happen?

There is something counter-intuitive that happens when you start leading other people, and it even effects some managers who have been responsible for teams for years. The employee who had the strong work ethic and achievement orientation eventually learned how to skillfully navigate the organization and the workflow process and soon they are consistently achieving great results and exceeding expectations. Their competitive drive allows them to showcase their results relative to others, which is why they stand out, and how they get recognized. 

But once they find themselves promoted into a position of responsibility for a team, a few predictable things can undermine their success...

No i in Team

The same strengths that made an employee successful as an individual contributor can become the same skills that hold them back as managers and can harm their team. As an individual contributor, these competencies often develop in a competitive, rather than cooperative manner. 

Achievement orientation and a strong work ethic need to become re-focused from personal results to team success. Managers who can’t make this transition tend to become Pacesetting Leaders who want their team members to pick up the pace and work harder. In the short term, this style can be great to meet an important deadline, however, if this becomes a Manager’s predominant leadership style, people will be overwhelmed and may give up.

Be their Leader, Not the Boss

Another preventable issue that can trip up new and veteran managers is low emotional intelligence. According to the Daniel Goleman, the Harvard Professor who coined the term Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, managers who have low self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness and relationship management skills tend to default to the Commanding management style. If they are not good at the nuances of reading and influencing people, they resort to telling and yelling rather than listening and inspiring. When the risks are high and timelines are short, this too can be an effective temporary leadership style, however, if used too much it can lead to leadership toxicity, particularly if that candour is not balanced with care.

The Perfect Storm

One of the most damaging management scenarios happens when the boss develops a habitual combination of Pacesetter and Commanding styles. These managers have high expectations, low tolerance and are empty of empathy. They become a Problem-Solving Boss.

From their perspective, they are best positioned to solve problems quickly and efficiently, certainly better than anyone else on their team. But Problem-Solving Bosses are overly focused on results so they tend to overlook the potential of their team in the mistaken belief that it will be better for everyone if they themselves solve all the problems personally. 

People who work for Problem-Solving Managers are able to fly under the radar, never needing to use their own critical thinking skills and therefore, never needing to be accountable for outcomes. Put another way, they stop developing as professionals, and this saps motivation like a sponge, leading to team disengagement, low morale and poor productivity. If a Problem Solving Boss quits or gets hit by a bus, nobody can jump in and take over managing the team because nobody has developed themselves sufficiently. 

People who are Problem-Solving Managers think that they are more experienced and effective at making decisions and finding solutions. They believe in their hearts that they are doing what is best for their organizations, however, they fail to see that they have become the choke-point that is slowing down team efficiency by not developing their staff. 

A Better Way

Leadership Contemplative Daniel Pink’s research suggests that motivation required three key elements to flourish: 

• Autonomy: To be self-directed rather than micro-managed. 
• Mastery: To try, fail, learn and improve
• Purpose: Understanding the team’s goals.

According to this research, if we want our employees to be motivated participants in our organization’s success, we need to stop being Problem Solving Managers and allow people to figure out how to navigate from A to B. 

Cultivate growth, not compliance

To do this, we need to challenge and support our employees, communicating the bigger-picture goals so they can aim well, and then get out of their way so they can figure out how to solve their own challenges and take pride in their success and growth. After communicating the goals and objectives, try asking your team members “What are you inclined to do?”, “What else?” and “What could go wrong with your plan?”.

We also need to let them know that they are not alone, that we are there to support them as they push themselves out of their own comfort zones en route to stretching their skills and growing as professionals. Statements like “Let me know how I can support you” will go a long way to show support and let your people know that they matter

Being less of a Problem Solving Manager means taking your hands off the wheel and allowing your team to make the small adjustments while you set a bearing for the promise land, scommunicating the benefits of full participation and supporting their full engagement. Only then will we start to see the exponential growth potential of our teams.

“Rising Tides Float All Boats” -Ancient Mariner’s Motto

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Terry Lipovski is the Founder of Ubiquity Consulting, an international Executive Coaching and Leadership Training firm based in Canada’s National Capital Region, Ottawa. For further information, visit www.ubiquity.coach