I was sitting in my office at the end of a long day, listening to an experienced consultant we’d brought in to help us execute our growth strategy. (For privacy, I’ll call him Sam.) Sam had spent a few days with our team—observing, asking questions, and getting a feel for how we operated. We were a fast-moving group, full of talent and ambition, and we’d called him in to help us keep growing while addressing a few key obstacles.
As the day wrapped up, he looked at me thoughtfully and said, “I’ve noticed a few areas that could use improvement.”
Then Sam started listing them—one after another. He pointed out inefficiencies, flagged areas where we could upgrade systems, and outlined processes he felt weren’t keeping up. And with each new point, I felt myself sink a little deeper in my chair. It wasn’t that his observations weren’t accurate (they were), or that I hadn’t noticed these issues before (I had). But I hadn’t brought him in to recite a list of pain points—I’d brought him in to help us navigate through them with ideas and strategies.
When he finished, I took a deep breath, looked at him, and simply said, “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I could tell Sam was surprised I didn’t want to discuss it further, maybe even taken aback. But the reality was, I didn’t need another list of what needed to be fixed—I needed solutions.
The next morning, as I arrived at the office, there Sam was, waiting for me. He stopped me as I walked in and asked, “Do you have a minute?”
“Of course,” I replied. “What’s on your mind?”
He hesitated, then said, “I wanted to make sure I’m aligned with what you’re looking for.”
This was the moment to be direct, so I laid it out clearly.
“Everything you shared yesterday was spot on,” I told him. “But here’s what I need: I didn’t bring you in just to highlight our challenges—I brought you in to help us tackle them. The real value you bring is not just in identifying what could be better but in proposing how we can make it better.”
Right there, I was reminded of an essential leadership lesson I’d learned early in my career at General Electric: don’t just identify areas for improvement—bring solutions. Over time, I refined this into a simple rule: “Bring 3 Solutions.” Asking for three ideas pushes us to think beyond a single fix, without overwhelming the team with too many options or taking up too much time preparing them.
And here’s the key: the solutions don’t have to be perfect. We may not end up choosing any of them. But even a handful of options changes the dynamic. Suddenly, we’re not just talking about what’s missing—we’re brainstorming how it could be fixed.
This rule is simple: if you’re leading a group, working in a department, or trying to improve a process, don’t stop at naming what needs attention. Next time you spot an area that could be better, bring it up with a few ideas on how we might tackle it, even if those ideas aren’t fully baked. Show that you’re not just focused on identifying obstacles—you’re committed to moving past them.
The truth is, leaders don’t want to spend all day listening to a recap of problems. They want to work with people who can not only see challenges but also bring the first steps toward solving them. If you want to make a real impact, try adopting this mindset: For every opportunity for improvement, bring three possible solutions. They may not be the final answer, but they’re the first steps that can turn insight into action.
And that’s how real progress begins.
See you next week,
Brent, your Rivr Guide
