Bring me a problem, not a solution
Sometimes, a John Elway bobble-head doll can make all the difference.
Ah, I guess some context might be helpful...
At my former business – which provided video streaming services to collegiate athletic departments – we frequently put out software updates. In one particular case, we'd discovered more than a few major bugs after the update was released. We were quick to come up with language for our customer support reps when they fielded a call or e-mail from a frustrated client.
But a few weeks in, as we started to squash the bugs and push out more stable updates to the software, one of our customer support reps (we called them Customer Champions) made us aware of another issue – many of the clients who had reported the issues to us had no clue the problems were resolved! They had simply given up trying to use those features, figuring they were still broken. This led to a cycle of frustration that created more than a few unhappy customers.
In response, we quickly created a robust follow-up system that helped us track which clients needed to be made aware of the fix – and when they were notified. But, even more importantly, we found a way to create a win out of the situation as well.
Our leadership team collectively discussed the problem, and decided to encourage our Customer Champions to spend up to $50 on a custom gift for any client who was especially upset. One of our harshest critics even backed down and sent us a thank-you note after he received a John Elway bobblehead doll (kudos to our Customer Champion for discovering he was a Bronco fan).
A bobblehead doll won't solve every issue. But some of the lessons out of that narrative will certainly help with a lot of problems.
Our breakthrough was made possible by two factors:
We empowered (and even encouraged) our team members to document any problems, opportunities or challenges they observed (even if it didn't impact them directly). We were made aware of the issue, but our Customer Champion didn't feel like he had to "solve" the problem because we had already created a culture of collaboration.
Our leadership team had established a discipline of identifying the 2-3 most critical issues and working to collectively resolve those during our weekly meeting.
The mantra, "Bring me a solution, not a problem," is perhaps the most over-used, mis-guided directive in organizations today – business organizations OR ministry organizations.
But most of us have been there:
You don't want to hear that the audio on your on-line worship stream is cutting in and out and leading to a less-than-optimal experience; you want your A/V person to "just fix it."
You don't want to hear that there's a low click-through rate on your donor appeal e-mails; you want your marketing people to "just figure it out."
You don't want to hear that school parents are getting frustrated with the amount of time they have to wait in the drive-thru pick-up line; you want your assistant principal to "just take care of it."
Organizations that adopt the "bring me a solution, not a problem" philosophy generally say they're seeking to empower team members and keep the focus on the things that are more important.
But there are quite a few potholes on that road:
The philosophy doesn't allow for group think, which might provide an even better solution. Not everyone is a master in every area. Maybe the problem you've discovered can be better addressed by someone with a different area of expertise. As former Pixar CEO Ed Catmull says in Creativity, Inc., "Even if it were possible to learn every discipline and master every profession, we'd still have blind spots. That's because there are other limitations – many of them rooted in the dynamics of human interaction – that keep us from having a clear picture of the world around us."
In my earlier business example, it was the power of group brainstorming that led to multiple approaches to our problem – not only the solution of creating a better follow-up system, but also establishing the "gift" program, which empowered our Customer Champions to to be literally that: customer champions.
It creates silos. People tend to put boxes around problems. If it's in "my" box, it's "my" problem; if it's in "your" box, it's "your" problem. Empathy is lowered. Teamwork becomes unimportant. Innovation goes out the window.
It can create fear or apprehension of bringing a legitimate problem (without a clear solution) to management. As Harvard associate professor Francis Frei says, "It actually encourages employees to turn a blind eye to problems they see but cannot figure out how to fix. When you say 'Don’t bring me problems—bring me solutions,' what you’re saying, in effect, is 'Of all the problems you find, I only want to know about the ones you can solve.' "
Take the examples above. If people think they have to be the ones to provide solutions, would the business manager of a church take note if she heard choppy audio on the on-line worship stream? Maybe not. After all, what does she know about technology, and how could she fix that?
It inhibits the discipline of questioning. "Solution-only thinking creates 'a culture of advocacy instead of one of inquiry,' where each person comes into the situation locked into their way of solving the problem and lobbies hard for that particular solution rather than considering multiple perspectives." writes Wharton professor Adam Grant.
A more effective way to solve problems includes a healthy dose of questions – and an equally healthy dose of listening.
The good news is there's a better way, and it starts by telling your people to "bring me a problem, not a solution."
Develop a POC List
The first step in creating a transparent and collaborative approach to organizational issues is to develop the discipline of documentation.
At Seven Marches, in our “Map” march, we prescribe a "POC List," which stands for "problems, opportunities and challenges." Anyone and everyone in the organization is provided access to a digital list (we suggest using Asana, but a shared Google Docs file does the trick as well) where they can document any observed problem, opportunity or challenge – big or small. Their job is to simply report or document the item – NOT to solve it.
In his book, Catmull talks about how Pete Docter, who directed Pixar blockbusters Monsters, Inc., Up and Inside Out, used a similar strategy. "I tend to flood and freeze up if I'm feeling overwhelmed. When this happens, it's usually because I feel like the world is crashing down and all is lost. One trick I've learned is to force myself to make a list of what's actually wrong. Usually, soon into making the list, I find I can group most of the issues into two or three larger all encompassing problems. So it's really not that bad. Having a finite list of problems is much better than having an illogical feeling that everything is wrong."
Here's an example of some items that might find their way to a Christian school's POC List:
Not enough time to get cafeteria prepared between lunch periods
Kids don't seem to be inspired by music in chapel
Some teachers not leaving sufficient notes for substitute teachers
Christian school two miles away is closing after this year – how can we reach out to their families?
On-line parent portal is not easy to navigate
Some off-site part-time coaches don't fully understand our mission
Gym is overbooked for practices and games
You might find the list grows to be 50+ items long, but as Docter acknowledged (and as we've found to be the case as well), many of the items on the list can ultimately be merged or are organically solved before they need to be discussed.
Dedicate team time to solving problems
Secondly, work to build in dedicated time in your weekly leadership team meeting to addressing items on your POC List. In our "89 Minute Momentum Meeting” (one of the meeting types we teach) nearly two-thirds of the meeting is devoted to identifying the 2-3 most pressing items on the POC List and working as a team to identify solutions.
For each issue, the group can use root cause analysis to get to the true “heart” of the matter and ensure you’re not just addressing a presenting symptom. We like using the "Five Whys" to get to the root of any problem, opportunity or challenge.
The TOPS (Team Oriented Problem Solving) framework – also know as 8D (8 Disciplines of Problem Solving) was popularized by Ford Motor Company in the 1980s, also stresses the importance of root cause analysis.
After discussion, the group ultimately should arrive at a solution (or a specific way to seize an opportunity) within 20 minutes. It sounds unrealistic at first, but with practice and persistence, you’ll be successful. Keep in mind that there can be different “kinds” of solutions – you might actually emerge with a game plan for addressing the issue, you might decide you don’t have the bandwidth to address the item now and identify it as a “long-term” item, or you might identify that there are two or three people who need to have an ad-hoc meeting to finalize details. The goal is to systematically make forward progress and leave the meeting with momentum on your side.
Discover the hidden
Catmull, the former Pixar CEO, was so dedicated to a team-oriented approach to problem solving that he even created a “Notes Day” – the entire company would shut down for one day and create brainstorming sessions where anyone in the organization was free to suggest solutions to current problems.
”What makes Pixar special is that we acknowledge that we will always have problems, many of them hidden from our view, that we work hard to uncover these problems even if doing so means making ourselves uncomfortable, and that when we come across a problem we marshal all of our energies to solve it.”
Uncover your hidden problems. Empower your people to report them. And then bring your people together to solve them.
