Leadership Note #3
The Best Leaders Don't Solve Every Problem. They Define the Right One.
Organizations are incredibly good at debating solutions before they've agreed on the problem they're trying to solve. Should we hire more people? Buy new technology? Reorganize the team? Those can all be valid questions, but they're often premature.
Before debating solutions, I've learned to ask one simple question: What problem are we actually trying to solve? Instead of defending positions, people start challenging assumptions. Instead of debating solutions, they begin defining success.
Technology is rarely the hardest part. Alignment is. The best leaders make sure everyone is solving the same problem before anyone starts building the solution.