Assuming the responsibility of leadership comes with a lot of good. Leading people in the right direction and adding value to them is one of the most fulfilling things that life has to offer. On the flip side, leadership also comes with its fair share of unsavory scenarios. One of those is having to deal with problem solving on a higher level than everyone else. If you’re headed down the path of leadership growth, here are a few tips for how to appropriately handle the responsibility of solving problems.
1. Address the Problem Head On
One of the most challenging parts of leadership is leading through adversity. It’s easy to lead when everything is as it should be but learning to handle adversity well is a mark of good leadership. For instance; when you’re dealing with a detrimental conflict between people on your team, it’s important that you’re willing to look the issue in the face and speak directly to it. You have to protect the integrity of your environment and the people within it. If you’re not looking after those under your leadership and working toward resolving threats then you’re not truly leading them.
A leader must be willing to do all that is necessary to bring resolution and potentially even remove the source of the negative energy. It’s the best thing to do for your team and in the end you’ll gain respect from your team for being a leader that executes justice when necessary.
2. Break a Culture of Exclusivity
If you’re leading your team or organization into a place that lacks the responsibility to be a team player, then you’re setting yourself up for frequent issues. You can begin the problem solving process by simply removing the cause for most of the problems.
Create a culture of transparent communication and develop an environment that doesn’t allow silos to exist. This will reinforce a team player mentality and halt the growth of a self-promoting culture where everyone wants to be the star. Ultimately the people who are unwilling to be a team player will not fit the culture and will end up weeding themselves out.
3. Develop a Strategy
Understand that a problem is simply and indication that change is needed. Instead of focusing solely on the problem itself, identify the necessary change that the problem points to and develop a strategy to create that positive change. Understand and evaluate your resources, connect the dots and chart out a realistic action plan. If you’re flying by the seat of your pants, you’re not truly executing good leadership. A good leader identifies issues, gets organized and stewards the resources will to deliver the optimal results.