Subscribe
Previous Post
Good friend and awesome manager Terry Starbucker shared 10 Surefire Ways to Impress Your Boss (and Get What You Want). His 10 ways are spot on and the article should be required reading for anyone looking to get ahead:
- Be on time
- Keep your promises and over deliver too
- Display common courtesy and over deliver too
- Show quiet confidence, and take "can’t" out of your vocabulary
- Use the language appropriately – both verbally and in writing
- Disagree and challenge respectfully
- Get the big picture, then figure things out on your own
- Tell the boss your ambition
- Audition for your future role by being a thought leader
- Focus on the task at hand like a laser beam
I’d add one more, and to me, it’s the most important one, and instead of just getting what you want…you’ll get ahead!
Come to me with solutions, not problems
Too often folks haven’t thought about a situation enough to know what is or isn’t possible. The best people are always in solution mode, looking at the angles, and thinking how different choices might impact things differently.
I don’t expect the players on my team to have ALL solutions, I expect them to have A solution…or maybe 2 solutions if they’re really good at what they do.
And I set this expectation when they come to me with problems. I ask questions to get them to think about the solutions. Here are a few to start you on this path.
- “What else have you tried?”
- “What are some other possible solutions?”
- “What do you think is the best answer?”
For you: What are your best rules for your employees?
Ashes of Problem Employees photo credit to mio_pls
“Come to me with solutions, not problems” While I agree Collen Powell once stated that if they stop coming to him with problems he cesses being a leader. First, go to you management with any issues that you may have. Second, have possible solutions (of YOUR choosing). This makes it easier for your manager as well as getting your ideas air time and possibly implimented.
As to the other suggestions … You are boss of yourself – act like one! Lead by exapmple.
Phil – Great article by Terry and a brilliant addition from you.
When there is a designated manager, people generally pass-the-buck to their managers for finding solutions. If a manager encourages this, he would always be the last point in team from where solutions would come. Not a very desirable situation to be in.
Instead, Manager should strive to align the team members to also think of solutions when they have a problem. When I was a team member, I used to escalate a problem to my manager with atleast three possible ways of handling it. This not only saved my managers time, it also helped me in finding ways to tackle difficult situations on job.
Even if people come back with stupid solutions, that is still a good indication that they are thinking “solutions”.