How do you make continuous improvement an everyday habit?

In this article, you'll learn to avoid stifling creativity and problem-solving by shifting your leadership focus from requiring immediate solutions to encouraging open problem identification.

You’ll learn:

  • Why the common leadership mantra "Don’t come to me with problems, come with solutions" can hurt innovation.

  • How the concept of "Golden Eggs" can help you uncover valuable, unsolved problems.

  • Practical ways to encourage your team to identify and present problems without immediate solutions.

Here's the leadership mistake every one of us makes.

As leaders, it’s natural to want our teams to come to us with solutions, not just problems. After all, we’ve all been taught that leaders are problem-solvers, and solutions are what drive progress, right?

The well-known phrase, “Don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions,” has been repeated in organizations for years. It’s a logical approach: you don’t want your team to overwhelm you with issues they’re not thinking through themselves. But here’s the problem—this mindset inadvertently discourages your team from bringing up some of the most important problems—the ones they don’t know how to solve.

This is where the concept of Golden Eggs comes into play. Instead of asking your team to come with solutions, encourage them to identify and share problems without solutions. These unsolved problems often represent unrealized opportunities that can lead to innovation, but they’re easy to overlook in environments focused solely on solutions.

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Discover a simple methodology used within Japanese manufacturing to build a culture of continuous improvement.

The "Golden Eggs" Concept

In Japanese engineering, there’s a concept called "Golden Eggs," which refers to problems that don’t yet have solutions. These unsolved problems are considered golden opportunities for improvement and innovation.

For example, Japanese companies like Hitachi and Mazda have long encouraged employees to find these golden eggs. In fact, research from the 1990s found that the average Japanese employee contributed dozens, if not hundreds, of suggestions per year on how to improve processes, products, or systems. Companies like Mazda, for instance, reported an average of 128 suggestions per employee per year, while OKI Group employees generated an impressive 833 suggestions annually.

In contrast, the study found that U.S. employees typically only submitted around two to three suggestions per year. Why the dramatic difference? One key reason is the cultural mindset around problems. While many organizations discourage problem-raising without an accompanying solution, companies like Mazda and Hitachi celebrate problems as the starting point for innovation.

The result is a steady stream of "Golden Eggs"—unsolved problems that drive continual improvement and innovation.

Why “Don’t Come with Problems” is Stifling Your Team’s Creativity

When you tell your team not to come to you with problems unless they also have a solution, you’re inadvertently doing two things:

  1. You limit the scope of the problems they bring to you. They’ll only surface issues they feel comfortable solving, which means the bigger, more complex problems—the ones they don’t know how to tackle—go unspoken.

  2. You reinforce the fear of failure. Your team may feel like they’re expected to have all the answers, and this pressure can lead them to avoid raising important but difficult problems. They fear looking incompetent or unprepared, which stifles creativity and problem identification.

For true innovation to happen, it’s crucial to identify problems before a solution exists. In fact, the more unsolved problems your team can identify, the more opportunities you have to unlock new possibilities for growth and improvement.

How to Encourage “Golden Eggs” in Your Team

So how do you shift from a solutions-only mindset to one that encourages the identification of Golden Eggs? Here’s a step-by-step approach:

1. Redefine What Success Looks Like

First, you need to change the way your team thinks about success. Success isn’t just about solving problems; it’s also about identifying the right problems to solve. The most valuable problems are often the ones without immediate solutions.

Encourage your team to view unsolved problems as opportunities rather than failures. Explain that success in your organization is measured not only by finding solutions but also by raising important issues that may not have easy answers.

2. Create a Safe Space for Unsolved Problems

Your team needs to feel safe bringing forward problems without solutions. If they’re worried about being judged or criticized for raising an issue they can’t solve, they’ll hesitate to share their thoughts.

Make it clear that identifying unsolved problems is a valuable contribution, even if they don’t yet have a solution. You can reinforce this by celebrating the identification of new problems during team meetings, and praising individuals for highlighting obstacles, even if the way forward is unclear.

3. Implement a "Golden Egg" Quota

One way to actively encourage this behavior is by implementing a quota for problem identification. Just like Mazda or Hitachi, you can set an expectation for how many new problems your team should be uncovering each week, month, or quarter.

For example, ask your team to come up with three unsolved problems that may arise over the next year that could hinder your team’s progress. This exercise shifts their focus to anticipating challenges early, allowing time for creative thinking and collaboration on potential solutions.

4. Separate Problem Identification from Problem Solving

The process of identifying problems and finding solutions can often be done in stages. Rather than forcing the team to always solve a problem as soon as it’s identified, give them time to focus on discovery before diving into problem-solving.

This can be done through brainstorming sessions or workshops specifically designed to uncover and document unsolved problems. Only after the problems are fully understood should you move into the solution phase.

5. Build a Culture of Iteration

Lastly, create a culture of continuous improvement. Remind your team that not every problem has to be solved perfectly on the first try. By framing problem-solving as an iterative process, you encourage creativity and risk-taking. The more your team feels they can experiment with ideas without fear of failure, the more innovative their solutions will be.

The Power of Golden Eggs: Unlocking Innovation Through Unsolved Problems

When you shift your mindset and encourage problem identification without requiring immediate solutions, you open the door to a whole new level of innovation. Here are a few key benefits of embracing Golden Eggs in your leadership strategy:

1. You Discover Unseen Opportunities

The most valuable opportunities are often hidden within the problems that don’t yet have solutions. When you encourage your team to bring forward unsolved problems, you give them the chance to identify challenges you didn’t even know existed. These problems represent potential opportunities for improvement, growth, and innovation.

2. You Foster a Culture of Creativity

Creativity thrives in environments where experimentation and problem exploration are encouraged. When your team feels free to present problems without solutions, they begin to see these challenges as opportunities for creative thinking and collaboration, rather than obstacles to be avoided.

3. You Prepare for Future Challenges

By actively identifying problems early—before they fully materialize—you set your team up to tackle challenges before they become crises. This proactive problem identification allows for more thoughtful and strategic problem-solving in the long run.

How can you start applying these ideas?

Here’s a set of simple advice and thought-starter questions to help you integrate the Golden Eggs mindset into your leadership:

1. Redefine the Role of Problems:

  • Advice: Don’t just focus on solutions—celebrate problems. Shift the narrative from “only come with solutions” to “bring me the important problems, even if you don’t know how to fix them yet.”

  • Thought Starter: How can I make it clear to my team that identifying unsolved problems is as valuable as finding solutions?

2. Set a Golden Egg Quota:

  • Advice: Ask your team to identify three major problems or obstacles they expect to face in the coming year. This pushes them to think beyond the present and anticipate future challenges.

  • Thought Starter: What potential problems is my team overlooking because they don’t yet have a solution?

3. Create a Safe Space for Problem Exploration:

  • Advice: Build a culture where it’s safe to bring forward problems without solutions. Reinforce the idea that identifying these problems is a crucial step toward innovation.

  • Thought Starter: How can I create a safe environment where my team feels comfortable raising unsolved problems?

4. Separate Problem Identification from Problem Solving:

  • Advice: Give your team space to explore problems without the pressure to solve them immediately. Problem-solving can come later, after the problem is fully understood.

  • Thought Starter: How can I structure meetings to encourage problem identification before diving into solutions?

Wrap-up: embrace problems without solutions to keep opportunities for growth in focus 

The Golden Egg concept challenges the conventional wisdom of only bringing forward problems with solutions. By encouraging your team to present unsolved problems, you open up a world of unrealized opportunities. These opportunities, once explored, can lead to breakthrough innovations, improved processes, and a more proactive, creative team culture.

The key takeaway? Don’t just look for solutions—look for problems worth solving. Encourage your team to find those Golden Eggs, and watch how they unlock the next wave of innovation in your organization.

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