10 Problem Solving Practices for Becoming a Better Leader

Leadership is one of the most fascinating studies a person can undertake. You find people in specific situations, in nearly impossible circumstances, faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. It takes truly remarkable people to step forward during times like that and put themselves into the fray. 

Not all leaders are guiding nations through world wars or countries through the industrial revolution, many lead quietly and will not have books written about them or movies filmed recounting their lives. 

Still, no matter the leader, whether famous, infamous, or reticent, there will always be one thing they have in common: challenges. And, as the job description goes, it falls on their shoulders to find solutions. 

Leaders are by nature problem solvers and as luck would have it, according to a recent Huffington Post article, “good problem solvers are good thinkers. They have less drama and problems to begin with and don't get overly emotional when faced with a problem. They usually see problems as challenges and life experiences and try to stand above them, objectively.”

It means combining logic and intuition to find the best solutions and making good use of both sides of the brain to be “reasonably open minded but logically skeptical.” 

Here are 10 practices of solid problem solvers, courtesy of the Huffington Post: 

1. They focus on the solution, not on being right. 
   
2. They break free of any preconceived notions or fixated mindsets to explore options. 
   
3. They see the problem as a learning opportunity. 
   
4. They know how to shift their thinking between complex and quick/simple in the interest of time and in finding the best solution. 
   
5.  They have a clear understanding of the problem at hand. 
   
6. They understand the power of words and that words can connect or sever relationships. They choose to use their words for good and to build things rather than to destroy— to find the compromise. 
   
7. They adopt a do-no-harm attitude with others. 
   
8. They see power in prevention: intervention is too late, prevention is key. Mitigation is the keyword for stressful situations and finding solutions despite challenges. 
   
9. Contingency plans are always in place because they are always seeing multiple solutions as options. 
   
10. There can sometimes be a disconnect between expectations and what can be realistically delivered, problem solvers understand this. 
    

Google “leadership book” and you will find over three billion results. Leadership has been pivotal to the success of humanity and of modern civilization as we know it. Granted there are different schools of thought in leadership: are some leaders born with intrinsic motivation and traits that automatically make them more successful in leadership roles? Or are they simply more motivated to learn about human nature, motivating others, and learning about themselves in order to be the best versions of themselves and the best possible leaders? That debate is ongoing. What I am going to say is that it can’t hurt to study it, to absorb some of the wisdom from it and to apply some of the principles in the quest to be better leaders and better people.