Bringing Solutions vs Complaining
Welcome to the #culturedrop. Every Tuesday, Galen Emanuele emails tools to advance leadership skills, team culture, and personal growth. No spam, just great content. Sign up now to get it in your inbox.
Bringing solutions vs complaining, and the ‘magic wand’ prompt.
Most workplaces are full of smart people who see plenty of ways things could be better. Processes feel clunky. Decisions don’t make sense. Something that once worked no longer does.
Noticing those gaps is a good thing, the crux is what we do next.
It’s very human to complain. Venting feels productive in the moment, but it rarely moves anything forward.
“It’s very human to complain. Venting feels productive in the moment, but it rarely moves anything forward.”
There’s a simple shift that helps: when you notice yourself complaining, pause and pivot to solution mode. Ask what you would do instead.
Move from frustration to responsibility.
Showing up with a problem and expecting someone else to fix it puts all the weight on the other person. It can come across sounding like, “This is broken, I’m upset, you fix and deal with it.”
A more effective approach is to make the conversation feel more collaborative. Share an observation and pair it with a few possible solutions. That might sound like:
Here’s something I’m experiencing that isn’t working well.
Here’s feedback on the process.
Here are one or two ideas that I see could improve it.
That small shift changes the tone of the conversation. It can reduce the feelings of the person on the receiving end that you’re just coming to complain. Which can make them less receptive, or cause them to get defensive.
This approach is more likely to result in the other person being more open to what you have to say by showing like you’ve put thought into the issue and that you’re willing to share responsibility for improving it.
Solutions make people more receptive.
“When you bring ideas along with feedback, the person on the receiving end is far more likely to engage positively.”
When you bring ideas along with feedback, the person on the receiving end is far more likely to engage positively. Instead of feeling attacked or overwhelmed, they’re invited into a collaborative conversation.
It also shows respect for the complexity of real work. Some problems are straightforward and the fix is relatively obvious when brought up. Others are layered, nuanced, and harder to address or solve than they look.
Offering solutions doesn’t mean you think that your ideas are perfect. It means you’re willing to contribute to the solution instead of stopping at the complaint.
The “Magic Wand” exercise.
If you’re stuck and can’t think of solutions, here’s a simple mental trick that can help.
Ask yourself: if I had a magic wand and could fix this any way I wanted, what would I do?
Ignore budgets, timelines, and constraints for a moment. Picture the ideal version of the process, team, or outcome. From there, pull out one, two, or three concrete changes that would move things closer to that ideal.
Those ideas might be ambitious or unrealistic at first. That’s fine. They’re a starting point. Creativity tends to unlock better, more practical solutions once it’s allowed some space.
Better conversations, better outcomes
Approaching problems this way builds accountability. It nudges you out of frustration and complaining mindset, and into problem-solving mode. It also creates more empathy for leaders, teammates, and systems that are often more complicated and intricate than they appear from the outside.
Most importantly, it makes conversations feel collaborative instead of adversarial.
“Don’t just show up to the party, bring some dip.”
So bring the feedback, gently. Name what isn’t working, share your experience and perspective. Just don’t stop there. Bring a few ideas, even rough ones, and use the magic wand prompt if you need help getting started generating ideas and solutions.
Problems are everywhere. Progress usually starts with someone willing to imagine a better version and say it out loud. But don’t just show up to the party, bring some dip.
Related Blogs:
5 Tips for Better Brainstorming Meetings
Upward Brainstorming: How to Brainstorm Effectively with Your Team
Want more?
This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
MORE
