It is easy to complain about your situation. Anybody can be a whiner. It takes no particular skill to complain. Yet, it can still have widespread effects. A whiner placed even at the lowest level of a practice can poison the well. If a whiner is in a management position, the damage can be extensive. Don’t be a whiner yourself and don’t allow a whiner in any leadership or management position.
Problem Identification
It is often suggested that anyone can identify a problem. This idea is patently false. Listening to people complain frequently may lead you to conclude they have identified a problem. In fact, they are complaining about circumstances. Identifying the actual problem may be far more elusive.
Being able to correctly identify a problem is a vital skill, especially for a leader. Once a problem has been identified, it needs to be dissected and broken down into its elemental pieces. The first challenge is identifying the problem itself. The next step is being able to identify the components of the problem and which components are truly related vs simply appearing related.
Although you can usually count on whiners not identifying problems, it is not always the leader who identifies the problem. Anyone on the staff may identify an important problem. It is incumbent on the leader to
When another team member raises a concern about a problem, that individual should be praised privately and when possible publicly. Do not try to take credit for the identification of the issue. You do not need credit. You need problems solved. When you praise your employees for helping identify problems, you will involve everyone in proactive problem-solving and both decrease the number of problems and increase the likelihood of identifying and correction others.
Problem Solving
Identifying a problem is just the start. The next step is understanding the problem. This is followed by developing a plan to correct the issue. Finally, the plan must be executed. Once executed, the issue should be re-evaluated, and the plan revised when necessary.
Solving a problem can be simple or extremely complex. Likewise, the solution may occur quickly or may require months of incremental adjustment.
Regardless of these factors, the important issue is being able to make a stepwise, logical, and understandable plan. When possible, the steps involved in the problem-solving should be discussed with the subject matter experts. For example, a problem with scheduling should typically be discussed with a scheduler as well as with those performing the task being scheduled. Top down management of a problem without input from the staff is unlikely to yield satisfactory result.
Engineering and medicine both revolve around solving problems. Both of these fields typically have very structured approaches to the problems being addressed. This same approach should really be used with a problem of any type. Essentially, you need to work the problem. Be methodical, attentive, and open to ideas and series. It also helps a bit to be suspicious and cautious with both your own ideas and those coming from others.
Stay Positive
A good leader understands that positivity is important when working through a problem. The problem by its very nature is negative and can foster negativity and defeatism that not only don’t lead to solutions but can also make the problem worse. The leader does not need to be positive about the issue but does at least need to be positive that the team can solve the problem. Avoid making comments like “that won’t work” or implying that suggested solutions are “stupid.” It is far better to ask how a solution can be implemented. If a particular solution does not seem appropriate, instead of belittling it, suggest it is a good start and ask for additional input.
Be a Role Model
Don’t be a whiner. Don’t be a complainer. Ask for people’s suggestions. Help with the solution of a problem. Be present and actively involved when people are working on problems. See our blog on being a role model more on that aspect of leadership.
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