admin No journey is a bed full of roses, thorns are encountered at every step of the way. What determines whether you’ll be successful in your journey is the fact how you deal with these thorns and move forward. This is where the role of the leader assumes paramount significance where how they deal with a particular problem has the power to make or break the organisation. Not only this, the leader alone does not solve all the problems that she/he faces, rather they prepare the team thoroughly for any obstacle that might deter them from the designed path. Why some leaders are not effective is greatly because of the fact that in the face of adversity, they choose a short-cut. This creates a never-ending cycle for them, where instead of truly dealing with the problem, only a temporary solution is reached. What this results in is no real resolution and the problem will sooner or later crop out again. Now, what do some leaders do to effectively solve whatever comes their way is what we’re looking at:
- Transparent Communication
In anything that is a team effort, transparency is the single most important factor. The three most important pillars of any organisation- trust, productivity and success are achieved when all members are well-aware of the decisions being made and in general whatever is happening in their workplace. Transparent communication is something that leaders need to establish right from the beginning and not when encountered with a problem. Effective leaders establish a rapport with their employees and it makes all the difference in the world.
- No Finger Pointing
What leaders need to absolutely clear with is that finger pointing will lead you absolutely nowhere. There is no I in the team and this is followed by the best of leaders. Whenever there are troubled waters, they know that the best solution can only be reached if everyone collectively works as a team. The leaders teach the group members that they are a team, members of the same family. They understand that we are all humans and mistakes are bound to happen, so instead of focusing on who made the error and pointing fingers at them, a good leader will rather focus on how to deal with the problem at hand.
- Optimism
A leader will not be threatened by how big a problem is. No matter how big of a crisis hits you, you never loose hope. Being optimistic can lead the organisation ways. A good leader will always understand that by being a pessimist will not decrease but only alleviate your problems. Make sure that there is positive energy and the team holds on to every shred of hope present. This way there is no problem in the world that cannot be solved. Problems are meant to test you.
- Being Open-Minded
Being a leader, you have to be inclusive and go beyond the normal. Thinking out of the box and inviting non-traditional approaches to a problem are the hallmarks of being open-minded. Respecting everyone’s opinion even though you might not necessarily agree with it and giving all members a chance to speak their heart out is also extremely essential to solve the problems. The best things happen in the least expected places and that should be the mantra of any good leader. Don’t shut any door, open yourself even to the wildest opportunity available.
- Build A Strong Base
To build a strong foundation is the first step towards success and in order to build such a base, having a clear strategy in mind is essential since without it any change that you inculcate will merely serve as a substitute and not as evolution. A lot of leaders look at their base and then solve any problem that hits them instead of having a different approach for each problem. While being flexible is important, having a base of ethics and ideas is also a prerequisite without which the danger of a wrong decision looms large.
A statement by Tina Fey, exactly enumerates something that each one of us should follow: “Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles.” Problem-solving is a skill that each one of us strive to excel upon. In any form of work, problems are bound to arise. In the beginning, it may seem as a task that you cannot perform or may just feel frustrated with the amount of trouble that comes with it. But what is important here is to not give up and learn from every obstacle you’ve faced. No problem comes without a solution, you just need to look deeper. No leaders are made overnight, it takes strength and perseverance and a whole lot of problem solving.
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