Problem-Solving to Coaching

Recently, I had a good chat with a colleague and a good friend on the topic of delegation and how to know when to delegate and when to take over. The discussion prompted me to do some introspection – the result is this article.

When I moved from an individual contributor to a leadership role, I didn’t instantly feel - I got this. It took me almost a year to get used to helping others solve problems by holding the urge to solve. This lack of confidence came from my strengths – constantly pushing forward, solving complex technical challenges, considering ambiguity as a challenge to conquer rather than a threat, and the ability to finish tight-deadline projects in time.

One might think, Wait, how can these strengths make someone less confident?. The answer is, they can if they are used in a different context. Your ability to see the whole board can sometimes make you impatient with people who lack this “systems thinking”. When others can’t connect the dots and move as fast as you can, there comes a subtle tension where you become protective, stop mistakes from happening, and try to keep things on track. That is when you become the bottleneck because others start bringing their problems to you instead of bringing their problem-solving hat to you. Additionally, if you are a person who holds high standards, things start to shake a little when you start to help others and expect the same standards. You start to focus on perfection instead of progress and won’t let others build their judgment muscles.

You might ask, Can problem solvers and people with high standards not be leaders?. The answer to that question is, “Absolutely, they can”. If you have these personality traits, here’s how you can channel your strengths without letting them quietly trip you up:

Shift from a Protector to a Developer mindset

Ask, don’t anticipate: When your instincts scream, I know where this is headed, pause and ask, What’s your read on this? Let them show you their thought process, even if it’s slower or messier.

Tolerate the wobble: Growth happens in friction. Let people stretch into judgment zones, even if that means letting a small fire burn to teach someone how to spot smoke.

Create Gaps for Strategic Coaching

Form a daily structure: Build in time for others to catch up and step up. Block pause points in your day to not respond immediately. If someone’s waiting for you to make decisions for them, give them space to take a stab at first.

Schedule “thinking aloud” 1-on-1s: Use time with your team not to give direction but to think with them. Make your framing visible so they learn to do the same.

Shift from a Solution Mode to a Curiosity Mode in your conversations

You’re likely great at articulating what’s wrong and what to do. Instead of laying out the solutions for your team, try asking the following questions

• How would you solve this?
• What risks do you think I’m seeing that you might not?
• If you had to defend this tome tomorrow, what would you shore up first? Those little prompts shift the balance from you-as-solver to them-as-thinker. You can still steer the ship, but now with more hands on the wheel.

If you want to track your progress and change over time, keep a simple note to answer the question every week: “What did I not fix this week so someone else could grow?”

It might feel weird initially, but it’s powerful when you continue practicing - you are welcome!