Managers get a lot of training on how to solve problems. They get no training on their role in problem solving. Many managers have come up through the ranks and it is most likely that their skill at solving problems and the knowledge gained from solving a lot of problems got them promoted into a management position.

This happens continually in the management chain. What leads to success in one role is often different in another role. We cannot take a super worker and make them a supervisor without changing his or her role and skills. So what happens to managers when they get promoted? How do they start to engage in the problems of the organization? Many experience what I call “The 25 Problems Problem.”

If you have five direct reports and each of them has five problems they are working on, how many problems do you have? If you didn’t think I was setting you up, most would answer 25 problems. But that’s the wrong answer. Your team has 25 problems. But those are not your problems. Those are your team’s problems. If you see them as your problems, you will do everything wrong. 

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