(3 mins read)
I was listening to a podcast recently when the host dropped three simple lines about leadership that got me thinking:
🔹 Bad leaders create problems.
🔹 Good leaders solve problems.
🔹 Great leaders solve the causes of problems.
They moved on quickly, but I couldn’t stop reflecting on it.
We’ve All Experienced This
Think about it—over a 35-40 year career, you’ll probably work with 20–30 different leaders. Some will drive you crazy, others will be decent, and if you’re lucky, a few will be genuinely great. Working for a great leader feels almost effortless. Everything just runs smoothly. Everyone is on fire—motivated, satisfied, and fulfilled. Working for a bad leader? Well, that’s a different story. You might learn resilience, but it’s usually frustrating as hell.
Firefighting vs. Real Leadership
Most leaders today are stuck in firefighting mode. The pandemic, a VUCA world, de-globalization, and geopolitical shifts bring new challenges not every day, but every hour. If something breaks, leaders fix it. Crisis hits, they manage it. But real leadership goes deeper. The difference is simple:
- Good leaders treat the symptoms.
- Great leaders cure the disease.
And bad leaders? They’re often part of the problem—or keep making the same mistakes over and over.
How to Spot the Difference?
Problem-Solving vs. System Thinking
- Bad leaders create problems.
- Good leaders jump in and fix things fast.
- Great leaders ask, “Why did this happen?” and fix the system so it doesn’t happen again.
Reactive vs. Proactive
- Bad leaders ignore or miss problems.
- Good leaders handle problems well when they come up.
- Great leaders see problems coming and prevent them.
Quick Fixes vs. Long-Term Change
- Bad leaders often make problems worse.
- Good leaders get things back to normal.
- Great leaders make things better than they were before.
The Ripple Effect of Leadership
The impact of these different leadership approaches extends far beyond immediate problem resolution.
- Bad leaders create environments of stress, uncertainty, and constant crisis management.
- Good leaders provide stability and competent guidance, creating reliable but limited growth.
- Great leaders build cultures of continuous improvement, innovation, and proactive excellence that compound over time.
Your Leadership Observatory
Next week, try becoming a leadership observer. Consciously identify the bad, good, and great leaders around you. Notice not just what they do, but how they think about problems. Pay attention to whether they’re creating, solving, or preventing issues.
Ask yourself:
- Which leaders do people seek out versus avoid?
- Who creates calm versus chaos?
- Which leaders’ teams run smoothly versus constantly struggle?
And most importantly: Which kind of leader are you becoming?
Every Day Development 