Our day-to-day lives, at work and socially, are full of numerous challenges that just never seem to end. At times, it may look like there is not enough time to handle all of them, and it gets overwhelming. The problems could be so many to a point we take short cuts to handling them, which at the end of the day results in a continuous cycle of complex never ending problems.

To avoid this vicious cycle, leaders are elected or appointed to solve problems, among other things. They reduce chances of problems taking place hence the reason why they should be strong, courageous and creative. But things are just easier said than done, there are some people who are just out to make it impossible for leaders to do their work. There are those who dwell too much in politics, envy, power plays, self-promotion and ploys to a point that practically nothing is done at the end of the day. There are also circumstances like lack of resources, lack of money and silos among others that result in numerous problems reducing productivity of the people involved.

Leaders ought to be the best problem solvers. They see the problem from a broader perspective; around, beyond and beneath the problem, let’s just say they see beyond the obvious.

Problem solving strategies

Strategy #1

Transparent communication is the easiest strategy, yet not so many people actually think it would work. The leader should consider viewpoints from all members. Encouraging people to speak up makes it possible to get to the root cause of the problem, and fast. Have you ever wondered why the guilty would rather remain silent? It is because they know the power of communication; they could lose their job, friends and much more. The leader should therefore be able to encourage open dialogue by creating a safe environment. And how can this be done? Assure everyone that no harm will befall them when they open up. You will be surprised at the effect of this.

Strategy #2

Boundary-less organization is yet another strategy that has worked, but mostly in small institutions. Making it clear to everyone that there are no sub-divisions or hierarchies and if they are there it is just for protocol purposes, they will feel more included and can open up more. The moment a company has too many departments each with a head and so many bureaucratic processes, complications arise. People are tempted to have hidden agenda the moment they feel there are groups within the organization. It is just a way of creating identity, which would be good under different circumstances, but not this one.

Strategy #3

People are complicated creatures. Bringing together open-minded people or changing those who are not is practically impossible. There are those complicated elements that will just never cooperate. But a leader has to try, right? At least if a good number of your followers are cooperative, then it will not be so hard to work with them towards a common solution.

Strategy #4

For anything to work there has to be a well laid out plan in place. Every problem is a trigger for change. Experiences within the organization will lead you towards identifying what the change that lies within the problem is. The leader should inspire people to collaborate and bring out their true potential while taking care of a problem. It is all about connecting the dots and coming up with a realistic and strategic plan towards a solution.

Challenges that come with being the “nice” leader

At times, you will have to take the bull by the horns, step on a few toes and push people past their limits. It has to be done anyway. Too bad, it has to be the leader doing all the dirty work, really. There are times being the nice leader helps, it brings out the best in people, you are able to hold them together, they work as a team, but it has never worked when solving problems.

Being nice will be bad for you as a leader. You will end up being worked up over trivial things instead of the bigger picture. Moreover, how has worrying ever solved anything anyway? It is even worse for the organization. The team will start to break up when you cannot hold them together, there will no longer be any progress and definitely, you do not expect to solve anything under such circumstances.

It is bad for the bad guys as well. So you think being the cause of the problem is fun, right? Not when your leader is the nice guy. You will never develop your full potential, you are always afraid of being caught and there is no success that comes from being bad. Quite fulfilling, right? I don’t think so.
So who said that being a leader is easy or fun? But it can get better with a few skills you will learn with time, though some are inborn.

You will have to be honest, with yourself and with the people around you. How else would expect people to be honest with you while solving a problem if you cannot be? Stop trying to be a super hero by doing all the work yourself. Delegate duties, this gives people confidence in you when you show that you have confidence in them.
Encourage free and open communication. It would be impossible to get to the root cause of anything if your colleagues were to decide to keep mum.

Even if you are feeling down and defeated, the last thing you should do is letting your juniors see it. Confidence in you instills confidence in them hence they will cooperate better with you, at anything, and even the problems that were proving impossible to solve will slowly get a solution.

Never think that anyone will try to solve anything if you do not show the slightest interest in it. Your juniors are watching you closely; it is like they want to imitate everything their boss does, so be a good example. Be committed, positive even in tough times and creative. Nobody wants a boss who cannot do anything by himself or herself occasionally.