Three tips for improving subordinates' problem-solving skills long term

The goal of any team manager should be always to ensure their subordinates have the necessary knowledge, skills and authority to be able to solve the problems they face in the swiftest and most effective way possible. When delegating work, you assume subordinates can cope with the challenges the given task poses. But what if you cannot fully rely on your subordinates in this way? Would you rather they be more independent in their work, make better decisions and improve their problem-solving skills? Here are three tips on how to achieve this.

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These tips were published by Entrepreneur.com.

Do not ignore problems. On the contrary: discuss them

The very first step is to start talking about problems. For many managers (and subordinates), it is easier simply to ignore problems, not talk about them or just automatically solve them the way they have always been solved without a second thought. It is the task of the manager to make subordinates think more about problems. Thus you need to discuss problems openly, start talking about possible solutions, and not criticise team members for not knowing how to deal with issues.

Give employees sufficient authority and freedom

Without sufficient authority and a certain breathing space, your employees can never learn to solve problems on their own. Make sure subordinates have all the necessary tools to be able to make their own decisions and come up with new solutions. Also, ensure you are not guilty of micromanagement and not interfering too much in the decision-making processes of your subordinates.

Create a structured system that will help team members deal with issues

You may also improve the problem-solving skills of your subordinates by providing them with manuals on how to behave in certain situations. This applies especially to teams that repeatedly encounter similar issues. In this case, you might create scripts – or routines – that will help employees make better decisions, ones they can then subsequently improve or adjust based on their own experience.



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