As you may or may not know, I used to work at a flower store in high school. No, I did not make arrangements professionally, I loaded/unloaded the trucks, cut the flowers, and put them into buckets for us to sell them.
It was a very fun job considering most of us were 16-25 and interested in a different kind of flower if you know what I mean. Not a vase, just a pot…if you know what I mean… There is no third joke here.
I tell you this because while working in the back, there would be only 1 or 2 of us and we would usually listen to music. So I know almost every song that was on the radio from 2003-2006.
So of course when it came time to write a newsletter about problems I couldn’t not think of Jay-Z. But instead of being sexist about it, let’s go with this as the main lyric.
If you havin’ work problems, I feel bad for you son, I’ve got (less than) 99 problems, ‘cuz we act on ’em. And yes, this is the extent of my Weird Al parody.
But seriously, encountering problems is as inevitable as Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark side. But the real question is: What do you want your team to do when they stumble upon a challenge? And really…do they know what you want them to do when they find a problem?
So join me as we explore the different paths they can take, with a sprinkle of wisdom from our favorite 80s and 90s heroes.
1) The R2-D2 Directive: Immediate Alert and Analysis 
Pros: Just like R2-D2 delivering Leia’s crucial messages to the right Jedi, immediate reporting (or at least as quickly as you can when you’ve crash landed in the desert, been locked into slavery by Jawa and then escaped some farmers to find a random hermit allows you to) ensures you’re informed about issues without delay.
Cons: This may create an ‘alarm-only’ mentality, where team members only bring problems, not solutions – a bit like C-3PO giving the low odds of every situation but without any help on making the odds better.
Pitfall to Avoid: Avoid becoming the sole problem-solver. If you always step in and just do it for them…they’ll never learn AND they’ll be more likely to come back to you for the next thing they could have done, but you didn’t let them do.
2) The Indiana Jones Method: Solve Then Report
Pros: Encourages a culture of independence and problem-solving, akin to Indy cracking his whip and finding solutions on his own.
Cons: Risks of mismanaged situations. Not all problems are as straightforward as escaping a temple with a golden idol. And seriously, if anything he helped the Nazi’s dig in the right place to find the Ark, and then had NOTHING to do with them opening it and their faces melting…so thankfully the situation resolved itself without any help from him. Maybe if he had asked his dad for advice the whole thing could have been avoided. You can also force the other person to waste a TON of time trying to find the solution to something that you know in 10 seconds.
Pitfall to Avoid: Lack of oversight. Without guidance, small issues can snowball into boulder-sized problems (and we remember how Indy feels about boulders).
3) The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tactic: Collaborative Problem-Solving
Pros: Promotes teamwork. Just like our favorite turtles, staff come together to brainstorm and tackle issues.
Cons: Time-consuming. Not every problem requires a full-blown pizza party discussion. In fact, there isn’t nearly as much research to back the amount of time spent “brain-storming.” Plus, if the default is groupthink you have slowed everyone down from just handling the problem and instead made them find a time (or wait for a recurring meeting) to let everyone else chime in.
Pitfall to Avoid: Too many cooks (or ninjas) in the kitchen can lead to confusion and inefficiency. Sometimes, a singular, decisive Raphael is needed.
4. The Batman Protocol: Empowered Autonomy
Pros: Staff are empowered to act independently within set parameters, much like Batman’s controlled yet autonomous approach to crime-fighting. This is similar to the Indiana Jones way…but with some slight oversight.
This might be as easy as letting people handle any problem if it can be resolved for less than a certain $$$ amount, or giving everyone a KPI or two for them to take ownership of so they can make decisions in service of that #.
Cons: The risk of rogue decisions that might not align with the firm’s vision (we’ve seen Batman’s unilateral decisions cause chaos in Gotham and even get Robin killed).
Pitfall to Avoid: Failing to define clear boundaries and checks. Without a Commissioner Gordon-type figure (or even Alfred), autonomy can lead to anarchy. You also NEED to have the right people for this to work. Robin does a better job following the lead here than Nightwing (and yes, I know what I just said).
5. The Marty McFly Strategy: Report, Reflect, Then Act
Pros: A balanced approach. Like Marty assessing that the first time he tried to make things better he almost stopped himself from existing…and then realizing it was safer to only give him 10 minutes to save Doc, it involves assessing what just happened or researching what will happen, creating a plan, and then acting.
Cons: Can be slow and might miss immediate action opportunities. After all, not everyone has a time machine or flux capacitor.
Pitfall to Avoid: Paralysis by analysis. Overthinking each step can lead to missed opportunities and delayed responses…sometimes Biff wins if you do this.
I can’t give you an easy blanket answer that works for everyone in every situation. But I hope by thinking through these 5 options you will see the best way to balance the demands on you with the execution of your vision for your firm and decide when and where (and with who) each situation is RIGHT.
Remember, the goal is to build a team that’s as cohesive as the X-Men, as daring as the Goonies, and as wise as the Jedi Council – ready to tackle any problem, big or small.
Until next time, may the force of excellent problem-solving be with you!