Problem-solving is a vital skill that should be exhibited not only by a leader but also by an effective team. If you want your team to rely on you, their leader, to solve their problems, you are handicapping your team. You want each member of your team to be a problem-solver.
Successful leaders have strong problem-solving skills. If you do not have these skills, then I challenge you to follow these steps and train yourself to become a problem-solver.
You cannot train a problem-solver if you do not have the skill yourself.
This post will cover three ways to teach someone how to become a problem solver. A team full of problem solvers works efficiently.
1. Ask for solutions
Most people are really good at recognizing problems and pointing them out. This is why you can’t go on social media without seeing someone complaining about something. We are good complainers.
Most people are good at recognizing problems; a strong team member goes one step further and develops a possible solution.
When someone brings you a problem, challenge them to develop a solution. Ask them how they would solve it, or what they think about the problem. Don’t let them get away with identifying a problem; give them the opportunity to solve it.
2. Include them in your process
Some people learn through instruction, others through execution, and still others through demonstration. If someone is not a problem-solver, it may be because they have never had the opportunity to observe the problem-solving process.
Everyone has their own technique for problem-solving; some operate through intuition, others have a very strict set of steps. Include your trainee in your process; walk them through it. Do not expect them to follow your technique exactly, because everyone is different, but allow them to see how you solve problems on a daily basis. Alternatively, have them follow someone else on your team who is an accomplished problem-solver and have your veteran mentor the other.
3. Task them with problems to solve
Tackle the issue head-on. If someone doesn’t know how to solve a problem, make the problem unavoidable: give it to them.
By this point you should have some degree of trust in them, and you have to be willing to run the risk of it backfiring. Don’t give your untested trainee the biggest client you have and tell him to fix their problem. It’s not a smart risk. But if you have already prodded the person in question to come up with solutions to routine problems and have shown them how you solve problems, it is a worthwhile risk to give them their own task that will require them to solve their own problems.
The simplest way to do this is find a non-essential task that needs completing. Provide the task without instruction and tell your protege to figure out how to do it on their own. If they complete that, then give them more complicated tasks or problems to resolve. Continue to build their confidence.
The key to problem-solving is believing that you can solve the problem.
Dynamic Lessons
A strong leader empowers their team to be problem-solvers. It isn’t always easy to teach others to problem-solve, so here are three simple steps you can take.
- Ask for solutions. When they come to you with problems, ask them for solutions. Make them consider the options.
- Include them in your process. When you have something important to decide or a major issue to clear up, involve them in the decision-making process. They don’t have to add value, but let them see how you problem-solve.
- Task them with problems to solve. In other words, provide them with opportunities to problem-solve on their own. People learn best by doing.
Have you ever had to teach someone to become a problem-solver? How did you do it?
