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Managers Must Solve Problems

Things go wrong. That’s just how it is in any business. Something will happen and you’ll be in trouble. You may be getting yelled at by internal customers – these are anyone that have a stake in your actions – and by external customers. What action should you take if you find yourself in this situation?

How Can You Improve The Situation?

Most companies have timelines or due dates by which things should be done. We’ll assume you are aware that there are problems with a given job. You may tell your boss about it, and you think the problem is out of your hands now. The mentality of “I told the boss, so its not my fault” will do you no good.

Simply telling your boss about it doesn’t always solve a problem (in fact, it rarely solves a problem). When a due date looms, superior managers figure out a way to get things done! Just kicking it upstairs doesn’t get it out of your lap. If you have kicked it upstairs, you have failed – and now your manager has failed, too. You look bad, and your newly tarnished boss is not happy about it, either.

Solve Problems

Look for ways to solve a problem! If you see things are not going well, look for a way to head it off early. Discuss issues with various departments as soon as you realize things are not going as quickly as they should. Maybe options can be created when time is still on your side. As you wait longer and longer, alternatives become more and more limited. Eventually there are no options left but to fail, or be late. This is unacceptable! This means you have waited too long to take action.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Don’t wait for you subordinates to come to you and tell you things are not going well. Keep in constant contact with them, especially on high priority jobs or customers. If they are having difficulties, they will be afraid to report them and that will make things worse for you. Jump in there! Ask them how things are going. Ask when they’ll be done. Ask if you can do anything to speed them up. Your job is to get as much out of your team as possible. If that means moving materials to them, or making copies for them, etc… so be it. Maybe you’ll have to get in there and do the job yourself. So be it!

The end result is a happy customer – and a happy boss. Sitting on your hands and spouting that you told the boss about a given problem doesn’t help anything (least of all, your own position). Figuring out how to get around problems is what makes for a successful manager. This will help in leading your team if they can lean on you to help get things done. It will also make you shine to your own boss. When they know they’ve got someone on their team that solves problems and makes their job easier, you become very valuable.

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