Effective Leader = Problem Solver vs Problem Identifier

I get to work with all kinds of staff from experienced professionals to younger, millennial staff (bless their special little hearts!). One thing I noticed is how they approach issues and problems. This got me thinking out loud about problem solving and leadership.

Some people are good problem identifiers (usually represented by younger staff). They can diagnose an issue, articulate the impacts, and clearly describe in excruciating detail why this situation is bad. The problem is that often they just stop there. Nobel Prize winner and author Edward de Bono describes this as "Black Hat" thinking in his book, Six Thinking Hats. Black Hat thinkers often see the downside of ideas or situations. Now, it does not mean they are wrong, but it does mean they are not on the right leadership track. On the other hand, de Bono describes “Yellow Hat” thinkers as those that approach life by seeing possibilities and opportunities. These are problem solvers!

The difference is that leadership requires us to close the "problem" loop, otherwise problem identification just becomes an exercise in complaining and learned helplessness. In other words, effective and powerful leaders are problem solvers (or even better, problems dissolvers!). Sure, you recognize there is an issue but then thought, energy and effort quickly starts moving to ACTION.

In my mind, this is a huge differentiator between leaders and followers. It is what identifies a staff member who you want to nurture and reward versus one you need to develop. It is also an area for coaching and encouragement among those who stay stuck in problem identification mode. They are hard workers, but they need to become hard thinkers!

 
Here is one quick intervention you can use next time one of your team members is presenting you with a lengthy problem identification monologue. Listen patiently and then simply ask:

What do you think? Or What will you do?

The last point is this. If you want more problem solvers, then you have to empower them to do so!

So, what will YOU do?!

As always, if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

One way or the other, everything is a learning experience!

Let me share a true story. I went to college in eastern North Carolina and one night, I took a young lady I was interested in to a play held on campus. It was a great production and we were walking back to our residence halls after.

It was one of those soft Carolina nights that only happen in early spring! A gentle, caressing breeze was coming across the lake and the intoxicating smell of azaleas were gentle in the wind. Every star that was ever created and that would ever be was blazing in the night sky. A soft, full moon was rising in the distance.

It was magical! One could say, a perfect night for romance! And here I was walking hand in hand with this beautiful, blue-eyed, blond-hair southern bell. Youth could have not been sweeter at that moment.

All of a sudden she looked at me and said “Bill (pronounced “be-ill” because in some parts of the southeastern USA it is perfectly legitimate to make one syllable words into two!), what are you all thinking about?” Now as every guy knows, this was a pivotal moment!

What I SHOULD have said is something like this:

“Darling, I’ll tell you plain. I was just thinking about how all the stars in this sky tonight cannot compare to the beauty in your eyes!”

Pretty good huh? I don’t care who you are, that’s a good line! Again, that is what I should have said. Instead, I said something like this:

“I was thinking about how effective the lighting was in the third act. I was really impressed by the metaphor of the tree. I thought the blocking was a little off but the good dialogue made up for that. I really was not expecting that plot twist” . . . and so forth.

Now I went on and on . . . . and on . . . like this for a few more excruciating seconds and then I finally stopped. I saw her staring at me as if to say, "you brain donor!" But she just looked up at me and in her honey sweet voice said, “Bill (be-ill) not everything is a learning experience!” But EVERYTHING really is one way or the other! You see, this is what I learned that night:

• First, when a significant other or potential significant other asks you what you are thinking, it’s a trap (but I am getting better at it as my wife will attest to!)

• Second, some lessons are more painful than others because I walked the rest of the way back to my room by myself!

• Finally, don’t MISS the MOMENT!

The point is we often miss the opportunities of the present for the concerns for the future. We need to pay attention to the joy that is right in front of us! Life does not always give us breaks, so we need to enjoy the gifts we are given, as they are given to us! In other words, according to author Dr. Rick Hanson, we need to marinate in every great moment!

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

What does the world really owe you?

Recently, I was reviewing some coaching training provided through my association the John Maxwell Team. Christian Simpson is one of the world’s leading experts on executive coaching and he states in this training that, “The world does not give you what you WANT, it gives you what you ARE!” This powerful statement got me thinking out loud about a few things.

First, the world does not owe you anything because in the words of Mark Twain, “it was here first!” I know that may sound harsh but it does not make it less true. In this age of entitlement and quick everything, it is easy to fall in the trap of thinking we are somehow owed something by the mere fact we just take in oxygen! In truth, we need to turn the paradigm around and ask ourselves what do we owe the world? In my thought, we owe a life of purpose. A life that involves using the formidable talents and gifts we are born with in service to others and worthy endeavors.

The second thought I had around this is that the life we get is the life we earn! In other words, if the world gives us what we ARE, then what we get is a reflection of ourselves. For instance, if we ARE people of grace, generosity, patience, etc., then that is what the world gives us. On the other hand, if we ARE bitter, petty, envious, etc. then that becomes the world we live in. It is your choice and we are always defined by the choices we make.

Finally, if there are certain things we WANT out of life, then we need to become the kind of person who is equipped to achieve that. In other words, if you want to be more, have a life of intention, and/or achieve to your highest potential, then we must alter who we ARE by becoming who we want TO BE. This involves:

• Building our capacities
• Engaging in continuous growth
• Practicing what we learn
• Seeking new opportunities

As always, if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

First, Treat Everything As It Were The Last!

Recently, I was viewing author and sales guru Seth Godin’s presentation at the 2015 Leadercast event. Seth presented a scenario that got me thinking out loud about several things. This is important to your success so stay with me!

Seth said assume that due to some strange reason, the last child on earth will be born next year. If we were to know that, would we fail to provide that child the best care, education, etc.? Of course not! Now let’s take the scenario a logical step further. Assume that your next customer, client, patient, student, etc. was your last, however, a successful interaction with them would lead to thousands more. How would you treat them then?

You see, that is how I view my clients. I do not take anything or anyone for granted. I treat every client, presentation, or training like it could be my last. Such a mindset inspires me to provide my very best effort, to follow-up with my sponsor, to make sure I am meeting needs, and to provide as much creativity as I can muster.

• How would your results change if you held a similar mindset?
• What would be your return on just a little more investment?
• How would you feel about yourself?
• What new skills, attitudes, or capacities would you gain by looking at the world this way?

Try this approach for just one solid week and let me know if anything changed! Also, I strongly encourage you to attend the 2016 Leadercast event live in Atlanta, GA or at one of the simulcast sites (go to www.leadercast.com). 

As always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc