Most first-line managers solve problems alone.
A territory that will not grow. A new rep who is slow to settle. A key account that has gone cold. We think about it in the car, try something, and try something else.
Meanwhile, a few districts away, another manager has already solved the same problem. Nobody asked.
What I try to do instead:
- Name one problem. Not "everything". One thing my team has not solved on its own.
- Find who has solved it. My own manager usually knows, and so do peers at the cycle meeting.
- Ask for a field day. A phone call gives you the answer. A day in their territory shows you how it works.
- Watch, do not judge. Their territory is different. I look for the idea underneath, not the details.
- Ask how it started. "What did it look like before it worked?" is the most useful question of the day.
- Adapt one thing. Borrow the idea, then fit it to my own team.
- Credit the source. My team hears where the idea came from.
- Return the favour. Invite them to see what my team does well.
The only thing it costs is admitting you do not have every answer.
“Someone has probably solved your problem already. Ask them.”
Lesson 3 of 6 in Step 8: Managing up and growing, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.