It happens all the time, someone points out a problem. Most of the time it is an employee, someone who is paid to be at your business. They have a front row seat after all, nobody is more aware of the intricacies of your business than a full time employee. Out of nowhere they will let you know that one of the AC vents in the dining room is dripping on a table, that the beer delivery guy came and left because the driveway was blocked, or that a cook was wasted last night and is trying to get his shift covered…
Problem delivery is not an Issue.
Most of the time the employee who is delivering believes they are doing you a service, that they are clearly better than the other employees because they are delivering the problem to you not creating it. They are right about that. They are better, but are they significantly more valuable? To me true value in a business organization comes from somewhere else.
Value is derived from problem solving.
A standout employee delivers solutions to problems you may not know existed, and when that is not possible a standout employee finds solutions to problems you can identify but dont have the time to tackle. A business owner does this by nature, they see a market and construct a business to satisfy it. They have no one to pass the buck to so they find a solution to every problem or it goes unsolved. A business owner teaches himself how to do things he does not know, there is not always someone to tell him what he should to do in every situation.
You enter the Cult of Solving When You Put Your Ass on the Line
If you are an employee today, you can cut your teeth for future business ventures by finding solutions to the problems that your company faces. Be the defacto leader your co-workers may need. That does not mean just finding someone to buy something from, money matters, and if you solve a problem and your company makes less money… you created a bigger problem. When you own a business your ass is on the line, its not a job, its your investment and your name, its your chance to make it or break it… when in those shoes you are consumed with solving issues that others only choose to point out.
You are not Born with it.
A business owner is not better, smarter, or somehow otherwise more gifted than an employee… he/she is someone who is dedicated to solving problems others feel are too complicated or time consuming, and he is the one that will benefit when they are solved.
A good business owner will reward an employee who takes steps to solve problems in the best interest of the business. Make sure you are doing that, and putting your best people in the position to either show you they can or can’t take that step.