Does your leadership look to solve the PERSON or the PUZZLE?

Does your leadership look to solve the PERSON or the PUZZLE?

Modern leadership is all about the person.

We hear a lot about compassion, empathy or being people-centric although what that looks like in practise is rarely shared, even in books on the subject.

The tempting thing when leading is to focus on the PERSON and it’s almost always a bad idea.

A member of the team fails to deliver on something (as we all do) so the leaders seeks a PERSONAL explanation in order to determine their next action.

They’re overwhelm, I’ll tell them to slow down, lighten the load.

They’re demotivated I’ll be motivational.

They’re being hard on themselves I’ll be encouraging.

They’re stressed, I’ll be empathetic.

They are treated as diagnosis and treatment when in fact they are neither.

But the interaction has ended.

Both parties feel better.

But the PUZZLE remains unsolved. The puzzle being the specific ingredients that when present result in failure to deliver.

The PUZZLE focused leader supports the person but goes one step further.

They help to bring the cause of the effect into consciousness, create a new strategy and leave the individual not just FEELING better but PERFORMING better.

Ironically the only truly empathetic and compassionate way to lead is to be a PUZZLE focused leader.

People don’t need solving, only puzzles do.

Does your leadership look to solve the PERSON or the PUZZLE?