Are You A Problem Creator, Bringer or Solver?

“Don’t bring me a problem without a solution.”
– Ryan Blair, Co-founder and CEO of ViSalus Sciences, and  Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the US in 2012.

This is what Ryan Blair says to his team.

Here’s something to consider:

People get paid in proportion to the size of problems they can solve.  The better you get at solving problems, the more value
you bring to the table.  And not all problems are created equal. If you’re good at solving problems, the world is your oyster.

And as someone who works with entrepreneurs and CEOs, I can tell you that this insight is true. Yet it’s rare.

In fact, more than once I’ve had conversations with my clients about the fact that many of their team seem to
delight in coming to them with problems, with not even a hint of a solution…. Yet a good problem solver will always be seen as being highly valuable to the leader.

So if you’re a business owner or leader, maybe this week if someone comes to you with a problem, tell them to go away until they have a solution.And if you have a boss, do them and yourself and favour by solving the problem in the first place.

So, are you a Problem Creator’ (the worst kind…), a Problem Bringer, or a Problem Solver?