I was interviewing a candidate the other day for a position at a non-profit organization I am involved with. As with many non-profits, this was a volunteer position. I could tell he was a man of good character. I knew he was willing to help in any way he could, but I was also looking for a leader. I asked him if he was more comfortable in following direction or taking charge and he informed me that he was “an army guy”. He had been trained to lead. I wanted to know more about what that meant to him and he said, “There are no problems, only solutions.” I had heard that before, but this time it caused me to think long and hard about how important of a philosophy that is in today’s business world.

As an entrepreneur, I tend to get giddy when a problem or challenge arises that needs immediate handling. I know that may seem odd, but I know that what will emerge will be a better process, a better solution or a more profitable way to handle things in the future. When things are running smoothly, most people take the approach of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, instead of being proactive and innovative.

What are some simple ways you can change your mindset from dwelling on problems to embracing them with open arms?

1) Create a culture that encourages problems to be brought to the forefront versus swept under the rug. You may have worked for or with a manager who became visibly angry when a problem was brought up. That response causes the rest of the team to hide as much as they can! That can be detrimental to running your department or company. Post a white board in a common area and ask customer service, sales, operations and accounting to use it to post a problem, question or challenge that can be addressed by the group. Gather one or two people from each department to brainstorm possible solutions that can be presented to upper management or the team as a whole.

2) Take a fresh approach to customer service issues by coming up with a solutions strategy that targets key areas important to your customers. Customers don’t want to get caught up in explanations about why something happened or a defense. They want to know what will be done to fix what they perceive as a problem. Keep your focus on what you will do, not on explaining why it happened or how a customer caused the problem. Using “I will” as a part of your wording gives the impression that action will be taken.

3) Give your co-workers and the other departments the same excellent service you provide a paying customer. It is draining to hear empty apologies for recurring mistakes, especially when they cause issues that create extra work for someone. Your teammates don’t want to have to make exceptions for the fact that you aren’t detail minded. They want to know what will be done to prevent problems in the future. Be clear about how you can improve your checks and balances to be more accurate with important details.