Leadership is Solution Focused

“Leadership never forgets the problem, but it maintains its focus on solutions.” I noted these words on my recent LeaderPerfect Tweet Tip. Reality has taught us that it’s far easier for directors and staff alike, more so top leaders to identify problems than to work out solutions. But the reason that we need leaders is because we need solutions. We turn to leaders to provide answers or to provide mechanisms for finding solutions. But the reality dawning to us all is this; it is easier to dwell on problems than focus on solutions. It would be interesting to chart our leadership conversations and find out what percentage of time is given to lamenting problems and what percentage is given to seeking creative solutions. It takes no particular genius to point out what’s wrong with things. It takes persistence and hard work to find lasting solutions. Earlier this month Mike Huckabee interviewed three freshman Congressman on his TV show. He asked about their biggest surprises since coming to Congress. Each answer was interesting. But one was particularly intriguing. The Congressman said, “I’ve been amazed at how much time we spend talking about problems and how little time we give to finding solutions.” He went on to say that Congress, of all places, should be where people look for solutions. That’s why laziness is never becoming to a leader. Lazy people can be adept at pointing out problems. But they rarely spearhead solutions. Simply put, if there were no problems to solve, there would be no need for leadership. Leaders are problem-solvers, first and foremost. Let results talk. Leadership is about getting results and not talking about results. When people fail to perform and present the results expected from them, they compensate their ineffectiveness by talking about future results which they never delivered. With each advance in social complexity, the complexity of the leadership challenge grows, as well. Leaders move from being the singular source of solutions to being facilitators who enable a solution-finding process. But the leadership task remains the same: finding solutions. Forty years ago I heard a group of church ministers bemoaning the fact that so many colleagues were leaving ministry. The group began enumerating various church problems which were triggering this exodus. Meanwhile an older man in the group remained silent, never uttering a word. Noticing his silence, the group finally asked his feelings on the subject. He replied, “The way I see it, the only reason that we need ministers is because there are problems to solve. So when people tell me that they are leaving ministry because there are too many problems, it just may be that they entered ministry for the wrong reasons in the first place.” The same may be said of leaders in every sphere. Leaders exist to steer the solution-finding process. When we lose sight of this reality, we veer off course as leaders, leaving problems to fester and organizations to languish. Let results make noise Leadership is about getting results. If you’re not getting results, either you’re not truly leading or your leadership is ineffective. In simplest words, as an individual in any organization what matters most are results. The truth remains: let results talk. Leadership is about getting results and not talking results. When people fail to perform and give the results expected out of them, they compensate their ineffectiveness by talking about future results which they never delivered. This is absolutely wrong because as a leader the best way to predict your future results is to create your actions now. DR. Mike Armour is the president of Strategic Leadership Development International. A renowned leadership & management author and trainer, he is scheduled to be in Rwanda mid September to run Leadership, team building, competency…workshops (www.LeadershipevelopmentAfrica.com) mike@leaderperfect.com.