The Silent Tipping Point: Why 2028 Changes Everything - Part 2 with Don Barden, Ph.D.
Behavioral economist Don Barden found that the best leaders take three steps before they jump in to fix things, and it doubles how long people stay and how much they grow.
▶ Watch the full episode with Don Barden for deeper context on how to approach these questionsYour First Reaction
When someone brings you a problem, what do you actually do in the first ten seconds (be honest, not the version you'd like to be true)?
Sympathy For The Problem
Don says step one is treating the problem as a real thing to solve, separate from the person, not their fault. When did you last make someone feel like the problem was their fault, instead of just a problem the two of you would handle together?
Empathy For The Person
Step two is looking at the person and easing their fear before anything gets solved. Who on your team is carrying a problem right now and could use you to say 'this isn't on you, we'll figure it out together'?
Hand Back The Keys
Step three is asking 'if you had a magic wand, how would you fix this?' instead of taking over. Think of a problem you grabbed last week. If you'd asked that, what would they probably have said?
The Conversation You Owe
Think of one person you keep solving things for, the one who brings you the same kind of problem again and again because they don't feel trusted to handle it. Don says they almost certainly already know the fix. Who is it, and what's the one 'how would you fix this?' question you'll ask them this week to hand it back?