Solve the Right Problem: Three Questions Every Leader Should Ask
Image: Unsplash
Most leadership problems don’t persist because people aren’t capable.
They persist because we’re solving the wrong problem.
A team issue keeps resurfacing.
A process breaks again.
A conversation feels “resolved” — then quietly unravels.
This isn’t poor effort.
It’s shallow diagnosis.
The best leaders don’t move fastest.
They pause long enough to understand what’s really going on.
Question 1: What’s actually happening — not what I think is happening?
Before you try to fix anything, strip the story away.
What are the observable facts?
What has actually occurred — without interpretation, judgement, or emotion?
Leaders often jump straight to conclusions:
“They’re disengaged.”
“The team doesn’t care.”
“This always happens.”
Those are assumptions, not data.
Clarity begins when you separate what you see from what you’re telling yourself it means.
Question 2: What part of this is actually within my control?
This is where sustainable leadership starts.
You cannot control:
how others feel
how quickly they change
how they interpret your intentions
You can control:
clarity of expectations
boundaries
systems
consequences
how consistently you show up
Most problems persist because leaders spend energy trying to manage what isn’t theirs to manage.
Sustainable solutions sit firmly inside your circle of control.
Question 3: If nothing changed, what would this look like in six months?
This is the question that cuts through avoidance.
Project the issue forward:
What compounds?
What erodes?
What becomes harder to fix later?
If the future feels uncomfortable, you’ve identified something worth solving properly — not quickly.
This question helps leaders distinguish between:
problems that need monitoring
and problems that need decisive action now
The Versed edge: space before solutions
Leaders don’t rush to fix problems because they’re careless.
They rush because they’re overloaded.
Pressure narrows thinking.
Overwhelm shortcuts diagnosis.
Fatigue pushes us toward quick relief, not lasting resolution.
The leaders who solve problems sustainably create space first — space to think, reflect, and choose deliberately.
This is one of the biggest shifts leaders experience through coaching:
they stop reacting and start responding.
Final thought
You don’t need more answers.
You need better questions.
When you slow down enough to understand the real problem, solutions become simpler — and more durable.
Solve the right problem once, and you won’t have to keep solving it again.
That’s not just effective leadership.
That’s sustainable leadership.
