Solving The Problem With Problems
Navigating Leadership Challenges with Clarity and Perspective
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How many problems do you solve every day?
Whether you’re a new manager or an experienced leader, encountering problems is part of the job. Some are big, some are small, some are easily solved, while others are more challenging.
The journey to great leadership is strewn with potholes, blockades, and re-directions that demand careful navigation.
It’s easy for leaders to feel they should have all the answers. Yet, sometimes, problems require a fresh perspective.
Take Claudette, for example. As an HR Director, she excels in advising leadership teams and her Board on maximising their people’s potential. She’s adept at supporting her CEO with complex staffing issues and is often praised for her clear advice. However, in a recent coaching session, Claudette shared her struggle with a team member who isn’t meeting expectations after a strategic reset and role change.
Claudette’s expertise as a people manager isn’t in question. During our coaching, we identified two main obstacles. First, she was too close to the issue, making it hard to view the situation objectively. She cares deeply about her team member and knows their work intimately. Second, her internal voice kept telling her, “I should have sorted this by now.” This self-criticism created a vicious cycle, intensifying her frustration and clouding her ability to find a clear solution.
Creating headspace to think is one of the biggest challenges for busy leaders today. And Claudette is not alone. Many leaders struggle to see the forest for the trees, placing immense pressure on themselves, especially those with high standards. This frustration and impatience can impede effective thinking and performance.
Problem solving is inherently difficult. However, understanding your natural strengths, approaches, and blind spots can enhance your problem-solving skills and make you better and faster at it every day.
Here are five things to consider to help you reflect on and improve your technique:
Reflect: Think of a tricky problem you’ve faced in the last month.
On a scale of 1-10, how easy was it for you to resolve?
Where did your natural strengths help you?
Where did your weaknesses become evident?
If faced with the same challenge again, what could you do differently and better?
Reframe: Understanding your natural preferences can help you identify when a different approach might be beneficial. Coaches often assist clients in reframing situations to view issues from new perspectives. This tool is particularly useful when feeling stuck.
For example, if you naturally move fast, try slowing down and creating space to think. Consider the following pairs and choose one word from each pair that reflects your natural instinctive self - and then reflect on their potential impact:
Start Fast/Go Slow
Logic/Emotion
Short term/Long term
Possibilities/Risks
Data/Principles
Looking inward/Looking outward
Scale out this exercise to your leadership team. What would be the dominant behaviour, and what would be the impact, risks, and opportunities?
Rotate: Everyone has natural ways of thinking and approaching challenges. Some approach problems logically, breaking them down systematically, while others rely on data or follow their intuition. To gain different perspectives, think of a current problem, big or small:
Imagine the problem as a big dot in the middle of the floor. Walk around it and pause on the opposite side.
What do you see looking at the problem from this new angle?
What solutions would appear, different from those that instinctively come to you?
What would be the craziest thing you could try?
Coalesce: Problems can often lead to conflict, hindering relationships. Instead, make the problem the focus of your relationship and tackle it jointly. Liz and Mollie’s illustration captures this approach perfectly. What current problem could benefit from this method?
Read: Creativity and innovative thinking are crucial for problem-solving. A book I frequently revisit is Edward de Bono’s Lateral Thinking. Check it out for more insights on how to tackle problems differently.
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