07/15/2025

Stop Solving Everyone’s Problems for Them

The entire organization pays the price when one person becomes the default problem-solver

Sven, a sales leader, received a call from a major customer who was furious. Their order arrived late, the product was damaged, and, to top it off, their invoice did not reflect the volume discount promised in the quarterly newsletter.

Sven wasn't quite sure what to do. He would need to involve other departments to resolve the problems, but there was a lot of organizational red tape. Plus, recent layoffs and economic uncertainty had him paranoid about making a mistake. Sven decided to bring the problem to my client Laura, his manager and the organization’s chief revenue officer.

Laura listened attentively as Sven waded through the details. She asked, "What support do you need from me?"

Please select this link to read the complete article from Harvard Business Review.