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- Stop Solving Every Problem For Your Team
If you're always solving your team's problems, you're not helping, you’re holding them back.
It’s tempting as a leader to swoop in and save the day. But real leadership isn’t about doing. It’s about developing. The best leaders don’t create dependency. They build capability.
Here are three principles to remember about problem solving:
I. The best leaders don’t outsource all of the critical thinking and problem solving to themselves.
What it means:
It’s easy to fall into the trap of being the one with all the answers. But when you make every decision and solve every problem, you unintentionally send the message that others can’t or shouldn’t think for themselves. You become the default brain for the team instead of a leader who builds other brains.
Great leaders resist this urge. As Adam Weber said, “Great leadership is asking your team to come up with the ideas. They are the ones closest to the problem.”
II. When a leader responds negatively to problems brought to them, the team will get better at hiding the problems.
What it means:
Problems are inevitable. But if your first reaction is frustration, blame, or negativity, your team will stop bringing problems to you altogether. Instead of surfacing issues early, they’ll delay or hide them, which leads to bigger problems later.
You must see problems as opportunities for progress. Respond with curiosity and calm, not criticism. This creates a culture where people feel safe raising issues and more importantly, working together to solve them.
III. Leadership is about making other people stronger because of your presence.
What it means:
Your job as a leader is to make your team better, not busier. When you constantly step in to fix things, your team doesn't grow. They become dependent on you. Their confidence drops and your capacity shrinks.
The best leaders understand that growth happens when people wrestle with challenges and learn to overcome them. They coach, ask questions, and stay close, but they don’t take over. Their presence brings strength, not solutions.
Use your gifts,
John Eades
CEO | LearnLoft | The Sales Infrastructure
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