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When Being the Problem Solver Becomes the Problem
You built your career by solving problems.
You see what others miss. You make decisions when others hesitate. When something goes wrong, people know they can bring it to you.
That ability helped make you successful.
It may also be making your team dependent on you.
Every time you solve a problem someone else could have solved, you may unintentionally teach the organization:
When things get difficult, take them to the leader.
Do that often enough and your strength becomes their habit.
Eventually, the person who is best at solving problems becomes the person everyone waits for before solving them.
That isn’t a delegation problem. It’s a development problem.
How Capable Leaders Create Dependency
Dependency rarely starts because a leader wants control. It usually starts because the leader is good.
Someone brings you a problem. You see the answer immediately. Giving it takes five minutes. Coaching them through it might take twenty.
So you give them the answer.
Efficient today. Dependency tomorrow.
Over time, people stop asking, “What do I think we should do?” and start asking, “What does the leader want me to do?”
More and more judgment flows upward.
You experience this as being valuable.
The organization experiences it as needing you.
Those aren’t the same thing.
Stop Solving. Start Developing.
The next time someone brings you a problem, resist the instinct to solve it.
Instead, ask:
What do you think is really happening?
What options have you considered?
What do you recommend?
What would you do if I weren’t available?
These questions take longer than giving the answer.
That’s the point.
You’re not just solving today’s problem. You’re developing the person who will solve tomorrow’s.
The Real Measure of Leadership
The real measure of leadership isn’t how many problems you can solve. It’s how many problems your organization can solve when you’re not in the room.
Your experience matters. Your judgment matters.
But the higher you climb, the less your value comes from having all the answers.
It comes from developing people who can find their own.
About the Author
John Seville is the Founder and Managing Principal of Ascent Leadership Group® and creator of Ascending Your Inner Summit™. A former CEO, CIO, COO, entrepreneur, board advisor, and executive coach, he brings more than four decades of leadership experience and 7,300+ hours of coaching and consulting to help leaders strengthen their effectiveness while developing greater capability in the people around them. His work is grounded in a simple belief: Leadership is not only about what we achieve, but who we become along the climb and who becomes stronger because we led.
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