Joel was worried about his granddaughter, Bobbie. He worried that she and her husband spent too much time gaming. He understood that it was entertainment but for all the time and equipment they had invested in their home they could have created a small online enterprise. They could have run the business right out of their home in the very space where their computers hummed. Free enterprise did remarkable things for people. He’d always been good at motivating people and showing them how to stretch their potential. He was just worried that perhaps he’d lost his touch with Bobbie.
Yet for all his concern about his kin, he believed in a simple premise he had learned long ago, “Let them solve the problem.” He believed if a modest leader kept putting the challenge in front of people, and then held them accountable to arrive at a solution, most would do just that. He was still mulling over how to present the problem to Bobbie. On one hand he could frame it as “career transition.” On the other hand it may be better to frame it as an opportunity which required collaboration and competitiveness – two things he knew Bobbie handled quite well from her descriptions of how she managed her gaming.
As he had done with any number of protégés that he had mentored in his long professional life, he had explained to Bobbie the principle of “Let them solve the problem.” She had gotten it. And he knew she would. But what he hoped she’d get now was that she was the one facing the problem. And she needed to solve the problem for herself.
Many years ago, when Joel was just a few years older than Bobbie was today, he served as vice president of a large bank in St. Louis. It’s where he learned to “let them solve the problem.” At the multi-state bank holding company where he worked there were about a hundred vice presidents. Banks were notorious for handing out titles in lieu of pay although as a commercial loan officer his pay was pretty nice.
One day the two top leaders of the bank called him to the executive suite. One was a no-holds-barred, chairman of the board with a gravelly voice who spoke his mind confidently. He didn’t pull too many punches. The other leader, a man just a few years older than Joel, was the president. The president was a well-groomed salesman. His talent for working with people had already increased business for the bank exponentially. Both of these leaders were well respected in numerous professional circles. And Joel certainly had respect for them even if he hadn’t already reported to them via a couple of other highly talented players in his chain-of-command. It was a bit unusual for Joel to have a conversation like this without the chain-of-command but he knew these men had exceptional business skills. He was curious to learn why he had been summoned to the C-Suite.
“Joel, we have an opportunity for you,” The chairman boomed.
Joel had been around the block a few times. He knew this phrase could have connotations both good and bad. He knew that many times people uttered the word “opportunity” when what they really meant was “problem.” He understood that in many cases an “opportunity” meant that the one taking the opportunity would probably have to relocate to some remote location. And of course there was always the scapegoat issue – if the one receiving the problem, err opportunity, didn’t handle it well they often served as a scapegoat when it was necessary to blame someone for the consequences.
Joel knew all this. And he also understood in moments that what the two credible leaders where telling him is that yes, they did mean problem but it was a legitimate opportunity for Joel to prove himself. What they explained is that after looking at all possible candidates for the situation they were convinced that he was singularly the best candidate for the job. Sure, he’d have some tough days ahead but if anybody could pull this thing off it was Joel. Joel rose to the occasion.
He seized the opportunity.
For Discussion or Reflection:
Suppose that one or both of your grandparents was worried about you. What, specifically, do you think they might be worried about? What do you need to do differently to allow the insight of their experience have a more profound impact on your life or career?
In the arena of talent development there are remarkable things that happen in protégé-mentor relationships. How might you benefit by having a mentor? How might you benefit by having a protégé? What action can you take in the next ten days to move forward to a protégé-mentor relationship?
What is one of your greatest challenges or problems right now? How can you re-frame it into an opportunity? What is the first thing you need to do to seize the opportunity?
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