“We have a problem – what should we do?” VS “There’s a problem, and here’s our recommended approach to resolving it.”
See the difference?
We have all observed someone who has a solution-driven mindset. They are productive with a real buzz and energy about them. Instead of viewing problems as insurmountable difficulties, they see them as puzzles to solve and challenges to overcome.
People want to work for (and with) a solution-driven organization. When you nurture this mindset in your entire team, you create a real company culture that appeals to outsiders, including top industry talent. Businesses empowered by this mindset also give their customers and clients an exceptional and seamless experience that is friendly, positive and helpful.
Becoming solution-driven
In any business, there will be things that go wrong and mistakes will be made; it’s how you deal with them that’s the game-changer. When you are solution-driven, you are working proactively to resolve your problems rather than looking for excuses.
A solution-driven team bands together, gets creative and tries to resolve the issue as soon as possible. They use their time to overcome challenges instead of passing them on to a colleague to deal with, or avoiding the issue completely by burying their heads in the sand.
How can you empower your team with a solution-driven mindset?
It takes time, discipline and dedication to develop a solution-oriented team but the first steps are allowing them to evolve and encouraging them to work towards a resolution together.
Are you leading by example?
A solution-driven leadership style increases employees’ decision-making skills and motivates them to focus on what is working, what isn’t and how to remedy inconsistencies. As a leader, it is up to you to create an environment where team members look for solutions rather than avoiding problems. Your actions speak far louder than your words. Show your team that you will support each other when faced with challenges and that finding solutions requires a group effort.
If you are ready to shift your team from a problem-identifier mindset to a solution-driven approach, there are some simple actions you can take to foster the right environment.
Foster critical thinking
Too often, teams don’t break a problem down to understand its “whys,” which makes it hard to focus on (and find) solutions. Instead, encourage your team members to tackle a problem head-on by reviewing the situation critically and asking:
- Why is this problem happening?
- Why do we need to solve it?
- Are we considering all angles?
- What tools are available to us?
One important point to keep in mind is your role in this process. As a leader, you’ll want to support your team as they work critically, which can mean letting them lead whilst you provide feedback and keep the discussion on track, if necessary.
Encourage open communication
If you want your team members to think critically, you have to create a space where it is safe to communicate honestly and with transparency. Promote involvement by everyone and show you value your team’s thoughts and suggestions by truly listening to what’s being said. Open the floor to debate and allow your team to develop a solution and test its feasibility.
At the same time, you don’t want to create a situation where any one person dominates the discussion, so establish guidelines from the beginning and enforce them consistently. For example, let your team know that no one is allowed to interrupt another team member. Make sure that you monitor the time each person spends speaking so that you can gently move the conversation along if one individual begins to dominate the discussion.
Provide real-time coaching
You’re building a team and mentoring a diverse group of individuals, so there will be some obstacles to overcome as you all work towards creating a solution-driven mindset. For example, you might have a team member who is reluctant to change their problem-identifier approach. It’s your job as your team’s leader to help them understand why they struggle with this issue and brainstorm ways to move past the problem.
Essentially, through real-time coaching, you’ll be helping your team implement and adopt a solution-driven approach to the issues that may be affecting their personal, or the group’s, professional performance, as well as problems the organization faces. With your guidance, everyone will understand the importance of this more proactive and effective mindset as well as how to apply it to their own career objectives.
The idea behind a solution-driven approach and this article, is not to discourage approaching the senior team with a problem. In fact, this mindset encourages leaders to create a team that identifies solutions because they are comfortable thinking critically, communicating openly, and they understand how this approach effectively supports the organization.
Having worked with many fantastic teams throughout my 30-year career in Germany and the UAE, it’s clear that none are quite like my 200-strong team at Al Masaood. We have people from all over the world of all different ages, nationalities, and experience levels – but they are all engaged, positive, solution-driven and give 100% every day.
Each team member focuses on how we can work together to resolve problems, which means we overcome obstacles together – making our team and Al Masaood, stronger and more resilient.
With a solution-driven mindset, you and your team can transform your organization’s problems into opportunities – and enjoy long-t