“Why the long face?” I asked.

Meredith looked up. “I’m a bit overwhelmed,” she replied. “Ever since my promotion to manager, I can feel the pressure tightening around my head.”

“How so?” I prompted.

“My team runs into situations they can’t solve. One of two things happen. They either freeze and do nothing about the problem, or they line up outside my door where the problem lands on my desk.”

“Isn’t that why we pay you the big bucks?” I nudged.

“It’s not funny. It’s stressful. And, I feel like my manager is watching me to see if I can pick up the slack.”

“Details?” I wanted to know.

“Most of the problems are self-inflicted,” Meredith explained. “The team gets behind because someone was late to work. Or the work cell shuts down because we run out of a raw material with a one-week lead time. Or the schedule gets delayed because a necessary machine goes off-line for preventive maintenance. If it’s not one thing, it’s something else.”

“And, this causes you stress?” I pressed.

“Of course. I am supposed to fix it, but most of these things should never happen in the first place.”

“As you look at each situation,” I nodded, “can you identify a person, other than you, who should more appropriately own the problem?”

“But, I’m the manager,” Meredith pushed back.

“Did you ever consider that everyone on your team owns the problem, and they are simply engaging in behavior to shirk that responsibility? And, I am looking for more than individual competence, I am looking for organizational competence. It is not enough to have individually competent players, they must work together as a team. Whose problem is it when a team member is late for work? The problem may be created by one person, but the whole team bears the brunt of the problem. You accept responsibility for the fix, when it’s a team problem.”

“So, what am I supposed to do?” Meredith pleaded.

“You sound like your team members lined up outside your office,” I smiled. “You want my advice, my guidance and direction, but, this is not my problem to solve, this is yours. So tell me, what could you do differently so the solution is distributed to those most affected, who more appropriately should own the problem?”