Don’t Bring Problems…Bring Solutions

There are leaders who want to know everything.

I’d rather have great people and turn them loose.

There’s a difference between management and leadership. Both of them are important and both of them are necessary, but they are different. Managers ensure that work gets done. Leaders ensure that the right work gets done.

Because I’m not wired to manage, I prefer to trust people and empower them to succeed. I prefer freedom over time clocks. I’m a fan of goals and feedback mixed with releasing control.  Honestly, this style has downsides and I need to grow in the area of management.

People who need managers wait until their supervisor points out a problem and tells them the plan for getting it fixed. I’d rather have leaders who recognize problems before I do, and come up with solutions and recommendations ahead of time. AFter all, it’s not all that hard to identify problems, it’s solution-finding that counts.

T.D. Jakes says (in a sermon that I listen to at least once a year), “Don’t come to me and say, ‘Pastor, the tent for the revival blew over. Come to me and say ‘Pastor, the tent blew over but I’ve contacted another company and they can have a new tent here at this price, or I’ve talked to the school and the auditorium is available at this price.”

That’s the sign of leadership. Anybody can point out problems, leaders bring multiple solutions, not just based on personal preference, to fix them.