Simple Advice for the New Leader: Bring a Solution, Not a Problem

Credibility as a leader is earned over time, and has nothing to do with your title. John Maxwell says leadership is influence, and I believe influence is earned as the people around you watch you respond in difficult situations. How you respond, think, and make decisions around problems will build your leadership credibility in the eyes of those you will lead, and those leading you, and will determine whether your influence is positive or negative.

With that said, I'm going to let you in on two little secrets I've learned in 20 years of leading others:

1. Your leader already knows there's a problem. The last thing he or she needs is everyone piling on. The leader's responsibility is to keep the organization moving toward the vision, with the mission statement hanging at the front of the ship, using the core values as the guardrails. When something threatens that progress, the leader needs all hands on deck, working together on a solution. Anything else just adds to the chaos and drama.
2. Anyone can identify problems, but few people will bring solutions. Trust me, joining in on the complaining is easy. It takes no effort and most people in an organization do it without even realizing it. But the leaders notice. A great way for an emerging leader to stand out in the crowd is to be the one focusing on a solution when everyone else is complaining about the problem.

But how do you train yourself to go straight into problem solving mode? I believe there are three simple steps:

• Don't join the pity party. It's easy to get sucked in, group-think is powerful and contagious. But as we learned above, it only adds to the chaos. The real power is with the one who will think and respond differently.
• Focus on the possible causes of the problem. Use the core values of your organization as a filter to come up with solutions you can recommend to your leader(s). Getting good at this process will help you develop your skills in critical thinking and decision making, two skills great leaders possess. Now, get in front of your leader and...
• Bring your unique strengths and perspectives to the discussion. If you need a refresher on how to zero in on your strengths, read this. Once you've discovered your strengths, compare them to those of your leader(s). Where you're strong and they are weak, that's your sweet spot for problem solving opportunities. Every great CEO I've met or read about surrounds him or herself with people who think differently, who have strengths that compliment their weaknesses. Don't have another conversation with your leader without knowing this info.

The new leader who can do these things consistently is very valuable to a CEO. You will stand out in the crowd, bring value to the organization, and make the CEO's life a little easier. Let my experience put some context to this for you:

Today my title at Memphis Invest is EVP and CFO. However, when I first met with this team, it was originally in a consulting role, having known the Clothier family for several years (from my banking days). Kent (CEO/founder) was smart enough to know he didn't have all the answers, and knew he needed someone with a financial background in his corner. Six years later, he introduces me as the guy who handles everything he and his sons don't like to handle. What he means is I balance him out. Risk management and critical thinking are in my nature, and are part of what has made me successful. That means I'm prone to think about all the things that may pop up (financial, process, people, etc.) around a decision we're making. He's not giving any thought to that stuff, he just wants to go. He has a heavy bent toward action. It's how he's wired and is what has made him successful. In his mind, all that other stuff is why I'm here. And over time, that's where I've provided the most value. Bringing my strengths to the table every day allows him to use his strengths to keep pushing us forward. Did you catch that? Me using my strengths allows him to use his. The organization needs both. And as long as he trusts that he and I have the same objective (this is where the core values set your guardrails), it works.

Bottom line: though many try hard, the CEO can't do it all. So it's CRUCIAL to the success of the organization that the CEO has a well-rounded group of leaders with various strengths from which to draw. And because it's crucial, it can work in your favor.