Some managers keep playing the same leadership game over and over again. This game is hard to break. It’s an old-school-leadership thought process that often is taken to be “the way it should be.”

What is it?

It’s about HOW you relate to your employees.  And when it comes to relating to employees, most managers think in terms of problem solving.

What does that mean?

This is how a problem-solving manager works: 
an employee comes to you with their issues and you give direction or solve the issues on the spot.  Yay, you got that communicated! You’re done. Employee is happy because they know how to tackle the issue. And you’re ready for the next employee and next set of problems.

You feel good because you served the employee by solving the problem. The employee left your office happy because they know how to address the issue. Now you’re done and you’ll do the same thing with the next employee.

This is all well and good. And it works for a while.

But a problem will pop up quite soon.

Your time. 
Even if you excel at problem solving, you’ll get so busy. You’ll run out of hours to solve all these issues. And this problem won’t go away because you’re making your employees depend on you.

So, don’t translate serving with problem solving. Don’t feel only valuable as a leader if you solve problems.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a supervisor, a team leader, a senior manager or an emerging manager … if you want to be a successful leader you need to be the Anti-Problem Solver.

An Anti- Problem Solver leads from this philosophy:

You lead to help others grow.

An employee is someone whom you will help grow. You create a culture of learning and growth.

How do you do this?

Well, you start by doing what most managers never do…

You schedule time to become strategic about creating and leading this culture of learning (by the way, my most successful clients are the ones who exactly do this). Next you implement the ideas that you have come up with.

Here are five action steps to create that culture:

I. Leadership presence

A leadership presence is not a little mysterious magic that happened once upon a time not that long ago. Every employee taps into your presence. Learn how to have such a leadership presence at the snap of your fingers.

II. Ask the right questions

Amy Pressman – president of Medallia – recommends in an interview in the New York Times to ask the following question if you want to grow an organization that has a fast learning culture:

“O.K. what’s not working? Tell me what you’re struggling with.”

III. Step it up by shutting up

It’s a wonderful expression: Sit on your hands. Well, if you want to create that culture of growth then you need to slow down another body part: yes, your mouth. Don’t fall for the temptation to give the answers. Instead, coach.

IV. Let employees make mistakes

We learn from our mistakes. Contrary to a popular thought, you’re not serving your employees by rescuing them. Let them make mistakes and afterwards be courageous about it.

V. Don’t allow victims

Employees who come to you with arguments why something can’t or couldn’t happen, don’t show ownership. Coach that person into ownership.

If you follow these five action steps, your leadership will become not only more effortless, but also more rewarding. You’ll become a leader who grows others. Your organization will blossom.

Note: See my Oct. 27, 2015 blog for more on employee learning.