Leadership Lessons from Politics

What is playing out now between the Republicans and Democrats provides cautionary tale in leadership. Everyone knows we are facing a major, if not potentially catastrophic, economic problem. Congress has to step up to the leadership plate to help solve it. However, their approach to working together is so entrenched; it creates a hurdle to finding a timely and effective solution.

The two parties operate within a framework that is based on drawing the ‘proverbial line in the sand’. Each party stands in opposition to the other, pushing their own point of view and denigrating the opposition’s point of view. From those positions they stay stuck in a quagmire indefinitely, arguing about who has the better or worst solution. The problem wins and we lose.

This plays out in organizations all the time. A problem comes up. People have different points of view on how to solve it. Leaders are pitted against each other, pushing for their agendas and pet solution. There are indefinitely delays and the problem gets bigger. This often leads to making precipitous decisions because time finally runs out and forces your hand.

In both cases, leaders would be much more effective, if they positioned themselves differently in relationship to that line in the sand. If all the problems solvers moved to one side of the line and they put the PROBLEM on the other side of the line, it would change their perspective. It would shift the collective focus of the participants to the problem, not each other. They could collectively look at the problem and address it.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, rather than in opposition to each other, leaders can actually begin to talk about how you see and understand the problem. From that shared understanding, you can generate ideas to solve it. Everything is up for consideration. No idea is red or blue. From that shared platform, creative solutions can be crafted. Result: problem is solved and we all win.

Added tip: I learned a great problem solving framework from Dr. Fosmire, a professor, and consultant that I worked with many years ago. It has been universally applicable in all settings.

The shorthand title is S-T-P. It means Situation-Target-Proposal. It can be used individually or collectively. Here’s how it works:
Situation: What are the characteristics of the problem we are trying to solve?
Target: What is the outcome we want?
Proposal: How can we get there?

Usually, when we try to solve a problem, we randomly jump all around these categories, in a chaotic manner. Systematically moving through this framework significantly increases your effectiveness and potential for creative solutions.