Present Possible Solutions to Problems
A wise C-level once said to me, “Don’t present me with a problem, include potential solutions to the problem.” This was simple, yet elegant advice that I’ve received as a knowledge worker. Have you ever sent an email or told your boss only the problem without possible solutions? Have you told your boss a solution, acted on it, without sharing the problem or any derivative of this situation?

These situations are Dumb Lemming moments. For example, when an alarmed direct report freaks out, recommends a hasty solution to their boss without even saying what the problem was. I’ve seen emails where a direct reports says, “I bought this software program but it doesn’t work!” The boss reads the email and wonders, “Why did you buy it? What was the original problem you were trying to solve?” Most likely, the boss would have been able to recommend the right solutions if only the direct report would have shared the problem.

Choose C, Don’t Do A or B
Common sense? Yes, it is; however, you’d be surprised how many people do only A, B, or A and B, but not C:

A. Present only problems with no solutions.
B. Present solutions, completely skipping the problem they were trying to solve.
C. Present problem with possible solutions.

Problems with Solutions Approach
So they next time you have a problem, do the following:

1. Identify the problem statement, thinking it through to understand underlying causes and effects, etc.
2. Identify proposed solutions.
3. Choose a solution that you’d recommend, noting pros/cons to each solution.
4. Write it down/write the email (subject should be obvious like “Competitor Issue, Proposed Solutions”).
5. Meet with your boss if you have to, but chances are your boss won’t have the time. Email it. If you’ve completed steps 1-4, then your boss will probably sign off on it unless your boss have ideas they want to kick around with you or if they have to approve something.

I appreciated problems with recommended solutions approach when I was at the C-level. It was a huge time savings. I trained my direct reports to use this approach. If my direct reports had a problem, they thought it through, and then identified possible solutions. They would pick one solution to recommend to me. I’d receive an email with a specific subject heading.

If they needed a decision, the subject header would read: “Lori tasks - Review/approve X,Y, and Z.” The email would be flagged with a due date so it would remind me to act if I didn’t. In the email body, the problem statement was brief and to the point. They would list bulleted possible solutions, recommending one. If they need to review it with me to make a decision, great. We would review it together, often coming up with a new solution or going with through the solutions and identifying the best one.

Smart Lemming Tip: Don’t just tell your boss what the problem is, think it through. What are the potential solutions? What makes sense? What would you recommend? These are starting points for discussion and decision making. Also, it shows you aren’t just reacting, saying the sky is falling. You’ve identified possible ways to keep the sky from falling.

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