Don't be a problem-solver

Absolutely terrible leaders tell their staff, "don't come to me with a problem without a solution." In contrast, good leaders teach their teams to come to them with problems.

There's extraordinary value in the definition of problems.

Einstein said that if he had an hour to solve the world's most difficult problem and his life depended on it, he'd spend the first 55 minutes figuring out what the right question is, because then answering it would be easy.

This is because well-framed problems have straightforward solutions. They are easy to answer. Poorly-formed or wicked questions are difficult or impossible to answer.

As an example, everyone thinks "homelessness" is a hard problem to solve, but it's not. If we just buy everyone a house, there will be no more homeless people — done! The problem of "homelessness" seems hard to solve because it's the wrong question.

The biggest way you can add value in the world is by learning how to define a problem by asking the right question. In any organization, the A team creates value by asking the right questions, while the B team answer them.

The A team defines problems. The B team solves them.

Don't be a problem solver. Be a problem definer.