Regardless of what business you’re in, business basically boils down to solving problems. A customer has a need, and you provide them with a solution. If you own an apartment building, you solve a problem for someone who doesn’t have a place to live. If you own a restaurant, you feed people that are hungry. At Madison+Main, we solve clients’ marketing and PR challenges. Why? Because we are a team of creative problem solvers. That’s what we do.

It’s really kind of simple when you break it down. We are all in business to solve problems.

Teamwork makes the dream work, but if you take a good, hard look at who is on your team, you’ll probably be able to see that there are essentially three types of teammates:

1) Problem Solvers. 

2) Problem Spotters 

3) Problem Creators.

Problem Solvers are your team all-stars. They see things and immediately work to fix things. Keep them close, don’t let them go, and reward them.

Problem Spotters are players on the team, but not yet team players. You can call on them when needed, but they need more practice and training. Coach them up and turn them into problem solvers.

Problem Creators are the biggest problem. They’re not in the game. You know one when you spot one. They might be difficult. They might take credit for others’ work. They gossip and start rumors. You can never rehabilitate a problem creator and it’s best to let them leave…or ask them to leave. Remember the old adage, “A bad apple spoils the bunch.”

The ability to spot a problem is often very easy. The ability to solve a problem can be more difficult and usually requires effort — either mentally or physically (sometimes both). For some, problem-solving comes naturally. Others may need guidance and a process. Either way, it’s helpful to understand your team and what role they play. It’s the basis for a winning team. Agree or disagree? Always love hearing from you. Email me your thoughts.

And by the way, thanks for all the great feedback last week on outsourcing versus offshoring. 17 email replies from people in agreement and one who didn’t. We’re still friends. 🙂