Grow Your Staff into a Team of Creative Problem Solvers

As a manager, your employees will come to you with situations they don't know how to handle. When they approach you during these times, they are looking to you to give them the solution to the problem. This is understandable with big problems that have significant monetary and time consequences, or that may have a detrimental impact on your company's standing in the eyes of your professional community.

However, often the problems your employees bring you are neither this momentous nor are they so potentially damaging. Most of the time your staff members could come up with creative solutions on their own if encouraged to do so. The recurring problem I see is employees who do not take initiative in proactive problem solving. Why? Either they haven't been told that this is preferable to bringing their problems to the supervisor, or they have attempted to be proactive in solving a problem in the past and have been told their ideas or solutions were irrelevant. When the latter is the case, what motivation do they have to continue coming up with ideas if the boss tells them their ideas are unworkable?

Often, the problems we experience with our employees are ones we unwittingly help create. In the case we've been discussing, if employees continually look to their supervisors to solve their problems it's probably because the supervisors have solved their problems in the past. Rather than encouraging them to find solutions, these supervisors hand their employees solutions. This behavior drains the creativity from the employee and results in frustration, which leads to reluctance-and eventually refusal-to even attempt to look for solutions.

Part of the reason many managers "solve" their staff's problems for them is in the interest of time. Managers tend to have more experience with solving problems and have already discovered solutions that work. Rather than cultivating an employee's ability to think creatively and allowing time for perhaps one or two unworkable solutions before finding a workable one, the manager will just fix it. The result is a staff that brings even the smallest problems to the manager and a manager who becomes frustrated because the staff cannot work independently. This may feel like parenting a group of small children.

Taking from the example of children, children experience a growing sense of confidence and autonomy when they are encouraged to work problems out on their own. True, not all of their solutions are successful; nor are they necessarily the most cost-effective. But when allowed to attempt to solve their own situations, these children can grow in confidence and experience a greater sense of willingness to try first, ask later. Ultimately, they generally grow into autonomous adults who can think creatively and find workable solutions.

While our employees are no longer children, they need similar encouragement to take a step on their own to find solutions. The most creative, entrepreneurial, and forward-thinking companies are those that are willing to find new ways of doing things rather than sticking with the tried-and-true of their competitors.

Cultivate Their Problem Solving Skills

If you experience frustration at the level of problem-solving ability of your staff, make a commitment to yourself to encourage each individual to find their own solutions first. Do this by asking questions. Questions that begin with how and what are excellent for drawing out an employee's thoughts on a situation and encouraging that employee to think independently for a solution:

? What have you already tried?

? How would you like to solve this problem?

? What would you do if you were me?

These are excellent questions you can ask to begin encouraging your staff to think proactively. A huge element to making this strategy successful is that your staff must be able to trust you with their ideas. In other words, if encouragement to solve their problems independently is a new experience for your staff, they will probably be uncomfortable with it at first and reluctant to step out on their own. You must be willing to withhold your own suggestions-even if you know your way is the best way-and allow them to stumble. Encourage them when they do make efforts to solve their own problems, but resist the urge to fix it for them.

Encouraging them through asking questions and giving them time to come up with their own ideas will help increase their level of trust and ultimately reduce the number of times they bring problems to you without having first tried to solve them themselves.

About the author:

Dr. Tracy Peterson Turner works with businesses that want to improve communication among managers, staff, and clients. She is an expert in written and oral communication. Her presentations and workshops help individuals and corporations meet their communication goals. Find out more about Tracy and her company, Managerial Impact, by visiting http://www.mgr-impact.com

taxi to O'Hare Belle Rive .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Toll road text scam: Fake messages claim unpaid fees, seek payment via fraudulent links. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this scam is becoming increasingly sophisticated and widespread.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says these steps ensure that your friends and family get to the exact moment you want them to see. Try it out and streamline your sharing experience.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers tips on how to protect your identity: Be vigilant, monitor accounts, use smart security, know theft response.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says cybercriminals are exploiting iMessage phishing protection, tricking users to reactivate links.
It's hard to imagine life without in-flight Wi-Fi these days – but sky-high web surfing comes with its own set of privacy concerns. Here's how to protect yourself.
Over 400,000 cases of credit card fraud were reported in 2024 to the Federal Trade Commission. The CyberGuy explains how to protect against becoming another victim.
A nondescript metal box transforms into a fully functional electric motorcycle that blurs the line between vehicle and urban infrastructure.
Many apps unrelated to location still ask users for tracking permission, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit seeking to end this alleged practice by Allstate.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Melody, the artificial intelligence-powered robot, is life-sized and represents a move toward creating robots that resemble people in appearance and interaction.
Here are five easy smartphone rules from the National Security Agency that you can follow to better protect your mobile device from hackers and scammers.
A U.S. robotics company has developed "Jennie," a robotic pet powered by artificial intelligence that's designed to comfort those facing mental health challenges.
Healthcare records for more than 184 million Americans were breached in 2024, but you can take steps to minimize that risk. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.
The Skyrider X1 from Rictor claims to be the "first amphibious flying passenger motorcycle," and it combines land and air travel in one sleek design.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Home inventory and restoration apps help itemize and track every item in your home in the event you have to make an insurance claim after a natural disaster.
The White House launched a new cybersecurity safety label, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, intended to help consumers make informed decisions on smart device safety.
Today's tech can help make life so much easier — if you know how to use it. Here are a few tips on the quickest and best ways to make your phone, laptop and other devices work for you.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers Windows 11 restart fixes: Update drivers, run system scans and check hardware.
Sony and Honda's Afeela 1 EV launches with advanced tech and entertainment for $89,900. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives his takeaways.
With limited hard drive space, tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers these tips for storing large video files and photos.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the $236,000 Yangwang U9 electric hypercar boasts 1,287 horsepower and can jump obstacles.
Flip phones are harder to block spam calls from, but it's not impossible. Kurt the "CyberGuy" explains how to stop incoming robocalls on your flip phone.
With so many notifications buzzing our phones these days, it's tough to distinguish between legitimate messages and possible scams. Kurt the CyberGuy helps unravel the mystery.
Scammers have a new trick where they pretend to be job recruiters to plant malicious apps on your devices. It all starts with a deceptive email.

Recruiting Government Workers As Franchisees

Many believe a leaner government promotes better freedoms with respect... Read More

What Do Trainers Do When They are Not Training?

In the new corporate environments where everyone wears more than... Read More

Resolving Workplace Conflict: 4 Ways to a Win-Win Solution

The effects of conflict in the workplace are widespread and... Read More

You are Excused from Training

Trainers, please picture this... You are presenting in a new... Read More

Building a Successful Team

Once you've set a goal for yourself as a leader... Read More

Building Your Dream Marketing Team

The Fantasy: Your marketing budget is packed to the brim... Read More

Empower Your Trainees

One of the most memorable quotes that I heard from... Read More

Building Successful Work Relationships--Playing In The Same Sandbox

Remember playing in your childhood sandbox? If you enjoyed being... Read More

Why Is Teamwork Training Important?

"When teamwork kicks in, nobody can beat you." Don Shula,... Read More

Virtual Team Work

At a time when many companies are scaling down their... Read More

Hand Out Warm Glows

Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction... Read More

Story Telling With a Purpose

For a brief time, I tried to sell life insurance.... Read More

Downsizing Your Team

Team Building Question:Our office has recently learned that about 20... Read More

You, Your Team, and Your Coach

The grand purpose of coaching is to help your managers,... Read More

Safety First - Five Reasons to Hold a Routine Safety Meeting

Workplace safety is important to all businesses for ethical, legal... Read More

Teaming - How to Build a Team

Team building takes work but the results are worth it.... Read More

Top Ten Things About Team Building

People who lead the best teams realise early on that... Read More

Team Building Celebration Plan -- Perfect For Any Time of Year

When was your last team celebration? Have you been way... Read More

Whats Your REAL problem??

When was the last time you spent excessive time and... Read More

How To Encourage Ideas From Your Team At Meetings

You're at a meeting with key staff. You want some... Read More

Marche, or How Teams Work.

On the trail in Northern Canada "Marche" was the word... Read More

Teamwork in the Workplace: A Definition

A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More

Raising Issues In Your Group or Offline

In a recent group coaching session, a client mentioned that... Read More

A Team That Gleamed

Too many techies get a bad rap for lacking teamwork... Read More

How Leaders Unlock Potential in Teams

Leaders are faced with unlocking the potential in the people... Read More

ohare limo service Bristol ..