When it comes to solving a highly complex or knotty problem, leaders would sometimes be wise to ask others to generate a creative solution without their assistance.
This is especially true when a practical solution seems nearly impossible, and team members don’t have a clue about where to start.
Leaders who swoop in and assist team members in solving the problem miss a critical opportunity to develop and grow mastery in those they lead.
Sometimes the most powerful statement a leader can make when handing over a problem to a team or select team members is to refrain from getting involved.
When those who are now responsible for solving the problem bemoan that they have no idea how to navigate the challenge, a great leader will sometimes say, “You’ll figure it out,” and then walk away with a mischievous grin.
“I’m sure you will find a way,” “I know you’ll think of something,” or “I have high confidence you will solve it,” suggests the leader has the utmost faith and confidence in the problem-solving abilities of those who must now grapple with the issue.
By avoiding getting involved and helping others address the problem, good leaders also promote the creativity and the self-reliance that is so critical to independent thinking.
It’s astounding how often talented people rise to the occasion when left alone to conquer a hard problem. After the frustration subsides, they see it as a challenge that will test their skills.
In the process, they show themselves to be highly capable, industrious, and innovative in their thinking and approach, sometimes finding a solution they would never have landed upon while wearing the leader’s life jacket.
Giving team members the autonomy to wrestle with a difficult problem while at the same time instilling them with confidence is how people learn, grow, and develop.
While it’s exceedingly hard for some leaders to do, having the faith that team members can tackle a tough problem without their help is how initiative blossoms.
Leaders often say they desire team members who will step up, own a problem, and wrestle it to the ground without being asked to.
“You’ll figure it out,” is how resourcefulness gets taught.
Leaders who purposively stay out of the way, even when it makes people uncomfortable, are often rewarded with inventiveness.
People are at their most creative when solving a gnarly problem a leader believes they can. So, good leaders leave them alone to do it.
