Be a Problem Solver

Your level influence depends on the problems you solve. More importantly, are you building problem-solving capacity in those you lead? Eric breaks down problem-solving as a leadership requirement: how to do it and how do it better.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Transcript

[0:00] Hey,
All of a sudden because all of your people have a better understanding of the why what you actually did.
Unleashing your best in life and work this is the game changers with Eric Bowls and host Dale Dixon
Rising above the waterline to become a world class problem solver I'm your host Dale Dixon and this is the game changers podcast unleashing your best in life and work
It is a conversation weekly conversation with Eric Bowls an executive coach a leadership expert change consultant and keynote speaker also the author of,
Moving to great. Highly recommend you grab that. Eric as always so good to see you.

[0:52] Hey Facebook
This is our third in a series of conversations about leading with purpose,
This idea of leading with purpose,
Yes, yes, Dale. So, when will we talk about leading with purpose?
Above the waterline in a bowl of waterline is because below the waterline has to do with my character has more to do with what you can't necessarily see. Now, you see it expressed in certain behaviors.
But it's what drives those behaviors and so when I talk about life below the waterline and we've it hopefully those who haven't heard the first two episodes can go back and hear it.
But we're really specific that we talk about what it means to be an authentic leader.
A vulnerable leader being a present leader and a courageous leader and those are good concepts,
But they're very practical. They have very,
But also when they embrace that in every area of their lives one of the things we we talked about early on.

[2:20] Say it again that I I fundamentally the lowest level of influence and leader can have is trying to leave from their job description
Trying to leave from their title, right?
And the reason that question matters so much is it gives you indicator of,
How people like to be led or influenced and when I say buy a letter influence, you know, a title only goes so far. So, when I have real connection,
A real understanding. I have a good friend named Liz Weisman who wrote a book called Multipliers.
And it's such a powerful book because she actually research dug into seeing that you know there's people who have up to 2030 40% greater.
Levels of productivity that they can offer.

[3:12] And.
With who Lisa,
Drive that. I get it. It grows our influence with over leading influence.
When I talk about life above the water line and we use the boat as a metaphor so like below the waterline we talk about the kill of the ship that keeps,
The the boat steady going through the certain difficulties winds and waves and anybody leading right now in this world of uncertainty knows,
But above the waterline that has to deal with the rigging the sales the thing that are obvious and we like to describe that as you know that's problem solving that's being able to prioritize that's developing people those things that you can measure on the scoreboard,
But remember everything above the waterline is a.

[4:19] Lighting indicator. Results are lagging indicators. They're not leading indicators. The scoreboard talks about what habits you've already done which result in a better score. So, when we talk about now talking about life above a lot of waterline
I wanna we're gonna emphasize problem solving that will talk about today but we're also talking about prioritizing and developing people,
Now before we jump into it the I wanna make a imp side one part there's a ton of problem solving processes out there,
No one's listening to this trying to figure out how to prompt. So, I've all you gotta do is Google it, right? I got me there's eight 1 million process.

[5:01] Ultimate goal.
Our goal is to solve problems with our people so they're capacity to solve problems. Our capacity to solve problems at the level of our job description are higher.
Goes up.
Art pay our value many times can only be measured by the size of the prom we're able to solve so there's a lot of people who wanna be rewarded because how much effort it took to solve a problem,
When in reality.

[5:40] The problem we solved,
How many problems or the same problems keep coming your way?
They should diminish overtime. Certain things shouldn't still keep finding you overtime. They're they're capacity to dissolve more problems should be going up.

[6:09] Okay, there's so much. We're gonna get to unpack in this episode. I'm looking forward to it.
The
So is that what you're talking about when this repetitive nature,
Yes. Trying to install the same problem over and over again. So, we're not being effective and really solving the problem. Not at all.
You have a problem you have.

[6:54] We've we haven't got down to the root cops.
And so I'm I don't wanna over simplify it cuz the process of getting down to the root cause is a journey sometimes but the conversation still needs to happen
One of the things that in in October many leaders is that we find this in a sports athletics and we're all guilty of we got these blind spots and sometimes we confuse activity or action as if it's,
Progress like we're making progress because we're on it, right? But many times is action without thought.
And so we need to spend some time having thoughtful action but in sports we call it wasted motion there's nothing worse than seeing a great athlete use all his athleticism,
To make up for a mistake he shouldn't been in the first place. So now, yeah, hey, as I was a wide receiver, great, amazing, one hit, catching you, kept your feet in bounds while I was amazing,
But if I was in the right spot spot at the right time that catch wouldn't had to be amazing and I would still be running and I would have scored a touchdown,
So even though everybody's amazed by the athleticism.

[8:04] Bad use of all that energy because we don't get that energy back. So, one of the things that helps with this deal is the clarity of understanding, okay? We need to really discuss the problem.
So, I always challenge you to sit back and go. What's the problem that keep showing up over and over and over again, right?
You need there has to be some time where we get thoughtful,
Were we debated? What is this problem? Now, I know many leaders are looking and go, hey, I know what the problem is is this.
This is where I was challenged you used to pause a little bit. Don't be in a hurry.

[8:49] I see your grandma and she goes,
But you're gonna find out is you're gonna have to make the time to do it again.
And so, it all begins with a simple classic. Let's discuss the problem. What do we actually believe the problem is and not just from the one person look out but having the dialogue
Together.
That were solving the problem that is and not the problem that isn't because we may just simply be dealing with symptoms,
Of a much deeper issue.

[9:36] My background is innovation and that's the space we work in and when we start addressing this concept of truly understanding the problem,
We use a tool called the seven wise so,
Ask why at least seven times to keep peeling the onion back,
Dale you just hit it and using that so I love it,
Sitting at that it's sitting in that place and everybody's asking that why question if all that all of a sudden it it it means we're all looking at something similar almost the same
Especially the leader in the business age I listen to me right now this is a discipline.

[10:24] This is a discipline because you can grow really impatient. Thinking that I already know what it is, right?
Everybody seen the same thing is actually the most important thing. So, you want to walk through the process. There was a quote by, man, I forget who said it but he goes, it was great like he goes,
People are more convinced in in the value of their opinions.

[10:51] So it's so important those kind of settings that you make sure that what you're saying the problem is that might just be your opinion.
It needs to be challenged and so if you have others around who are doing the same thing and you keep asking why with finally get to a spot where we could this is what we believe the real issue is.

[11:10] Yeah I I think back from a parenting perspective and,
Worked on the fact that anytime my very young kids back when they were young they're adults now but when they were young and asked why over and over again I would never ever I mean it was
Like swearing if I would have said because i said so.
That's awesome.
We would have to sometimes I didn't know the answer but we would go find it together,
I would invest the time to answer the why which has been a mass
Yes I've got a lot of gross in that to I still have a lot of growth in that area
To your point don't get impatient answering the Y questions with your people.

[12:21] The 5 year old asking why is the sky blue and we're gonna find this answer together we're gonna dig and we're gonna keep answering why why why,
And one of the benefits that happened when we answer why questions I like to call it this is a cathedral level thinking right all of a sudden because all of your people have a better understanding of the why what you actually did,
Was multiply their intelligence.
All the intelligence of the group got amplified. They got multiply. Now, I'm just not doing stuff. I know why i'm doing stuff or why I'm asking additional question. That means people are thinking.
Because anytime we're trying to solve problems many times in order to solve problem it's gonna require change.

[13:13] And anytime you tell me to change but we haven't got clear why we need to change it is my nature to push back is my nature to I wanna fight.
But because I'm not really engaged strategically I'm just doing my job once I discover that my job is beyond just this task,
My job is actually,
All of a sudden, when you engage me in the Y conversations, I mean, we've all heard the analogy of, you know, the three guys doing the same job, one guy is laying bricks, the other was building a wall, but the third one's, you know, building a cathedral, but they're task is exactly the same.
But why is the third one who's realizes he's beating a building a thief cathedral
So much more open to we might have to change materials we might have to change this and never argues about that why because he understands the task was the build something that people were worshiping for hundreds a year
The other ones. I'm just doing my job, man. Laying down bricks and you change it on me again.
That is not a attitude issue of the workers. That's a lack of clarity that the leader hasn't engaged everybody with. So, these Y conversations are game changers.

[14:28] Okay we need to dive into that deeper because you just hit on something.
But you're saying it's because there's a lack of clarity in the organization and they don't understand they don't have ownership and they don't see what their,
Their task of how their task relates to the big picture.
But every time you have these conversations
You get a chance to get their focus back on what is you all are actually attempting to do wanting to do there's a quote by by exuberant that in a I love it this is,
Don't go about assigning wood and task and tools to all the people.

[15:29] Because everyone to in love with the mid city see well find a way to build a ship,
Right but we sometimes begin with the task and not it's purpose. We begin with the like we talk about, here's the problem.
But why should it be fixed why is it important what are we actually trying to do and then when you help me with that clarity all of a sudden I realized man
My job's bigger than this. It's you one of my social
There it's Carlton Hotel you know in four seasons different place like that very high in hotels where we had the opportunity to stay and do some work with.

[16:12] What was the aha moment we always had was one time we walked in.
Changing eyeball.
Says no problem talks us all the way escorts us all the way to the front desk I mean all the way
Tells the lady at front that's who you know it's like hey please can you help my friends here now and I was sitting there just looking at him amazed and I was like man I wanna thank you man that,
I mean, you were on the task he was like, hey, man. Our role, our job.
Where ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
They're purpose was way beyond his job description.
Like his job description.

[17:17] I was so,
But it's stuck with me for years because isn't that ultimately,
Take in someone or order this is bigger than just in a providing telling somebody worth something,
Deeper level.
For a leader to test that they're truly is clarity around the table.
Sometimes it's good for a leader just to simply ask the people.

[18:14] It's not a complicated question, some question. What matters most?

[18:18] And don't judge the answer. Just hear the answer. Do it with a smile. Thank him for what you heard. But the reason that is so important.
But you start understanding what you said and what they've heard and what they walked around,
Until I say hey even though we talk with words,
We're not really on the same page until our pictures match, right? Until we really are pictures Matt. And so when you ask people, you know, tell me what matters most and what we do. Tell me what and you're hearing from them.

[18:53] That's the time where we can go okay no that's good,
But let's get all I wanna I wanna court let's get on one page and this is what it means this is why I say all the time how all this stuff fits together,
Hey fish together because in the absence of that it's like a quarterback again getting in the huddle with 10 great players and saying just get open,
That doesn't work no matter how talented those players are. So, when a leader can sit at the table and ask people, okay, tell me what matters most. Okay, what do you think matters most here? And if there's something off, we can align there. Now, we're,
Community. Now, we're on the same page and we need to do this frequently. This isn't a semiannual event. This is a, I mean, every single, there's a reason football we huddle after every play typically unless circumstances require us to go fast.
Typically, we need to help, right? Because we need to be reminded of what's paramount.
Rarely I believe this I believe is rarely,
A lack of desire. I believe it's really a competency issue. It's really an issue.
A communication challenge is just a lack of being on the same page and we got a lot more control over that than we realized.

[20:15] Absolutely. Alright. So, we have clarity. We fought. I mean, I I would say it's safe to say you gotta fight for clarity.

[20:24] Yes. Yes.
You guys have the here's some practical questions that sometimes actually work pretty darn good. I mean, you know, if you, if somebody really wanted to evaluate, you know, are we right down to the root cause?
And I would like to say not only do we need to discuss prompt. We gotta actually measure the impact. Now, these are little subtle things but they're real. Like, we gotta measure the impact. And so, with the group or by yourself, ask the question like, okay,
What has this,
Write like a what what's been the consequences of it cuz we wanna make sure we're solving real problems not just inconveniences cuz some things can be personal preference like I think this is a problem.
But really what has it cost us? Here's another question I ask people to ask. Ask this question which is,
So, that really gets us to kinda look ahead, right?

[21:33] I mean with these kind of questions and they're simple but man.
That's gonna be prom cuz it's gonna show up again. And so what we wanna do is get down to the root. I say the leaders in all of us leaders know it.

[21:54] Our attention.
So anytime we're solving problems that may not be and it's not just who I wanna get down to the root of the problem there's another reason we wanna go to these questions.

[22:13] Man, it's a bad use of energy. Solving a problem.
That isn't.
You're not spending your time on problems.
That have a much greater impact,
But let's make sure it's thoughtful action. So, going through a process and these don't, even though it was taking me a while to talk about it. The process is self doesn't take long. I mean, you just have in this conversation because of the question. People start really asking like,
It could be.
The the impact can't just because it inconveniences a few people like we wanna make sure it's a measurable impact that it actually has a difference and once we know what that is and we can get down to what we believe the root causes. Now, we can turn around and say,
What does better look like? So, if this is the problem, what does it look like when is right?
Our goal isn't just to get rid of the problem. Our goal is, yeah, we wanna get rid of the problem but we wanna get rid of prom cuz we wanna get to something better. So, what does the better look like on the opposite side?

[23:28] Okay. So, the three questions I've taken notes with our listeners are gonna feel like, you know, what is the problem costing us? How has the problem impacted us and what does better look like? Yes.
Yes. Okay. And now, one of the things I wanna add it, I did it. I did throw it in.
You know, it's so and the reason I say different ways is when you may discover that.

[24:02] It might fix a number of things.

[24:07] So, you know, it's it's I'm a golfer. Like, and I tell you right now, like, please don't try to break down every single part of my swing.
Because it once I'm swinging,
I can't control all those moments so is there something at the root of my something
We wanna swing our ax at the root every swing counts and so we wanna make sure whatever problem we're solving has
A multiple impact on things like.

[24:47] Fantastic.

[24:53] I'm clear on clarity.
That have I don't know surprised you in the last year on this this factor or that you see on a regular basis.
Probably the thing that I.
Continuously.

[25:28] The way they feel when they come out the other side with clarity with their team. Right, like, there's so many additional benefits that go beyond just getting clarity of the problem.

[25:38] It's how you got there.

[25:43] For people that before you didn't know how vested they were even in the success of the organization but because they were included because they get to be part of that dialogue,
How significant that works and and just for those business leaders who are out there listening.
Can have a similar conversation with their team,
So, this isn't a we have a conversation in this room where the big brain exists and then we just go out telling people what to do. No, we got action items but remember,
Every time you come out of this you can create levels of clarity throughout the organization. So I always challenge leaders. Hey, just don't make sure we're all in the same page. Make sure we're all using a similar process.
The process helps us ensure that we're all at the same page. Now, once we get clarity, we just said, hey, clarity is important.

[26:36] You know, there's an execution part, right? There's a focus part of this. So, I've said before, babe, we can
Do you know the one thing we gotta ensure we don't do is have a great conversation about the problem is an identifying everything and here's what I say for that's also dangerous
Right like we walk out of work.
Prior or a problem solving means this is what we're gonna do. Oh, we're all excited about it. But there cannot be a problem solving conversation.
Being taken so once you get to the point we got to the root car okay what action how do we plan and perform what are the action steps we believe need to take place.
And and what we talked about action small actions that make a big difference right our goal isn't to take actions that require another meeting and another meeting and another meeting another meeting actually we need,
Movement. We wanna be able to create momentum with actual action.
And so, we come out with some basic, simple, action steps. Really, are they super complicated but we wanna impactful.
Everybody will have ideas about what actions you would take and you want to go through it with everybody and whoever people are there you know yeah this but here's where it really counts.
There's action steps.

[27:57] Who will be responsible,
Meantime, people are thinking that they have to go out and actually do it. I say many times, look, you're responsible making sure it gets done. It doesn't mean you're the one who has to get it done.
There are certain leaders who will run out of a conversation like this and start trying to do it all themselves that's defeating the purpose our goal is to help our people solve on with them not for them,
So many of these leaves when you come out and party your action up is to engage your team.
To really leverage into this. Get understanding in the okay, here's what response but go out and do. Now, what's big about that is is not only when or who's responsible for rejection. Step and I believe this. All accountabilities individual. There has to be a name.
It it doesn't work that oh marketing is responsible this action steps so no who's the name.
Here's the action step in when should we hear.
That you know when are we gonna hear or have it reported out what happened when the action was taken,
And I know I'm I'm being a real prescriptive here.

[29:12] I always believe in a begin day to completion day for an action step but more importantly when we get back together and you report out,
We don't wanna hear whether you took the actions what we wanna hear is what happened when the action step was taken.

[29:27] Too often I hear leaders get in a meeting with their people and say okay so so did you do this or did you do that just as soon they did the question isn't did you do it the question is what was the result from doing it.

[29:41] And if they didn't do it or they're like, oh, well, we haven't got the outcome yet. Well, that's telling you information around. I know this much they won't come to another meeting.
Not prepared,
This is where the sports dynamic really gets to have an influence,
I I don't score a lot of points when I come home in the evening and say hey honey I thought about buying a flowers tonight.
These sound like,
These are so obvious, right? There's nothing we're seeing here that's rocket site but we don't realize how much waste.
Hey,
Put out direction steps in in identify who will be responsible and then finished. I was like, okay, so, when will we hear from you?

[30:46] You guys don't this is a close the loop.
Like when are we sitting down and you're gonna you're saying this action step here's what's great next week we're beating in the same place and you're gonna let us know what happened when this took place guess that creates a different urgency when they leave the room,
Versus I'll let you know we're scheduled meeting for the next one. No, man. This is serious. This every week that goes by where this problem isn't solved. We already identified earlier.
The impact of this problem not being solved and the reason why we have the measure the impact conversation,
We want people we want them impact to be monetized we wanna be emotional we wanna feel like what we've lost from it too often,
Too few leaders leaders carry the weight of the cost of a problem but they don't wanna allow their people they lead to feel the consequences of their weight of it they're almost it's almost as if we have this belief that,
If I carry the weight myself that's being a real leader. No, that's that's not. That's been a murder.
We're trying to get somewhere and the only way to get there is when the group carries away. So, look, allow them to carry the way, allow them to get stronger, understand, there's consequences if we don't do this. There's a costume and an action. We don't make this happen.
But there's great benefits when we do make it happen. So, let them experience that same thing that every leaders expect.

[32:11] Fantastic. Any final words for us?
Take action on this and see how your people becoming engaged in the process.
And I absolutely love the idea of it's beyond an action step and having somebody check a box but they've gotta come back and tell us the result of taking that action step that is.
That's I think that's a profound difference in the way a lot of people approach,
Hey it is I last point I make on this deal is I have a an executive I coach right now.
He had.

[33:05] And I ain't in a session I was in with him and he received a complaint that when all the way up to you know not all the way up is one of his peers but their chief HR executive,
Received that it got to them in reference to him.
And it was amazing. I I just sat there and I went,
Why did they take it that way I said because until you showed up.

[33:28] Clarity was not something that existed,
When you tell somebody what you're gonna do and then when you show up and it isn't done and you said why isn't it done when you said it was gonna be done in front of everybody and you did a casually not that just the weight of accountability,
Is also intimidated. It's it's it's uncomfortable,
People who are clear.
Hey it's important that you mean what you say now you don't have to say it mean.
But it's important people know what you mean when you say and one of the greatest ways to show that you mean what you say.
Is follow through on what you talked about the previous time.
Most of the time we we don't we don't bring it along with us we just move on to the next thing,
Forgetting what we talked about the last meeting.

[34:21] That's a problem to be solved right there we go
Podcast coming up in the next episode we're gonna we're gonna dive in we've got a few more pieces on this,
Living leadership above the waterline both prioritizing and people development
Along with casting the vision so,
Tell us where we're gonna go. Okay, so on the next one, we're gonna talk about prioritizing and,
When we talk about prioritizing for everybody know we are really gonna dive into the 80 20 rule,
And it just means there is an imbalance between inputs and outputs,
Right wrong in different every leader got to know everything is an equal everything doesn't matter.

[35:07] Actually only a few things matter,
But those few things matter a whole lot so it's pretty important we know what those are.
But we're gonna talk about the prioritizing, but not only when it comes to assignments times, all those things, but also when it comes to our people.
Not necessarily in environment of exclusivity but who are some of your.

[35:26] High potentials who need direct
Is is there really getting poured into then we're gonna talk about poke,
People development and we're really talking about coaching there. How did we develop our people? Many times we think we hold on to people or we
People love it because we pay him well or we don't know really it's hard to leave a place you're growing at
I say that a lot to leaders. It's hard to leave an organization or a company that you're actually growing at. And so how did we grow our people on purpose? And so we have give simple practical ways around that. And when we talk about sharing the vision,
That's happening the whole experience. So, we wanna make sure sharing your vision isn't an event.
It's a continual process that keeps building itself. So we go into those things when we get back on our next one.

[36:11] Alright.
Eric folks can find you on LinkedIn do AA search on LinkedIn for Eric Bowls,
Can find you there. Also, the website, The Game Changers Inc as an incorporated, the game changers inc.
Dot com is where you'll find Eric. Also, Eric Boles is coaches, trains, and inspires leaders to unleash their potential and the potential of those around him,
We're gonna be back with the next episode this is the game changers unleashing your best in life.

[36:43] The game changers unleashing your best in life and work with Eric Bulls and Dale Dixon.
Eric is an executive coach leadership expert change consultant and keynote speaker,
Read his book moving to great and find him at eric bulls. Com.

[36:59] Connect with Dale at Dale Dixon Media. Com.

[37:02] Music.