Don't bring me problems; bring me solutions!

or "Don't come to me with a problem if you don't have a solution"

These sayings are some things I've heard along the course of my career. 

Now, when I first heard it, I thought it was dumb. I mean why the heck else would I approach my boss? If I didn't have a clue how to fix a problem, then why *shouldn't* I go to my boss?

But just as in observing a jewel & its many facets, there are many ways to interpret the above remarks... 

A few experiences have shifted my attitude from the one I previously held.

1. I encountered an issue at work and realized it needed to be addressed with a higher priority than some projects that I was managing currently. I called my manager and told him about this new problem. He seemed to be pretty busy but listened to me and then came right to the point: "What do you need to do?" My first reaction was to feel put on the spot. I thought he'd want to mull it over, hash it out, conduct an exercise in re-prioritization, etc. But instead I responded with "I need a developer and it will take 2 weeks ". He said, "OK, it's important. Do it". Problem solved...

If I were to have not thought of a solution and simply told him the problem and stopped there, I wouldn't have added any true value. I just would have laid the problem at his doorstep and waited for instructions.  That's not what I get paid to do. In that moment that I felt put on the spot, I was able to move past it & instead respond with my proposed solution and so he was able to make a decision and give the go-ahead. This is what being pro-active is all about and in that moment, I realized the truth of those sayings above.

2. I had a discussion with a medical doctor about this very same topic and she expressed to me the parallels of this in her own work. She supervises residents who would call her up with the patient's condition and explain things to her. Then silence... The residents wait for her to tell them what they should do. She can of course easily do that. She knows what needs to be done. But residency is training for medical doctors. So she simply turns the tables and asks them what they want to do. "They can suggest the craziest things; it's OK. We don't have to do it, but they need to generate ideas" is what she said. She can identify the good doctors from the not-so-good ones from interactions like these.

I'm not saying that you can't go to your manager with problems. Your manager is supposed to guide you and if you have no clue about how to go about something, then by all means ask your manager. The saying is just a reminder that we always have more power than we think in creating solutions to the problems we encounter.