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Robyn Bolton recently had an article published in Forbes that is designed to help business leaders and managers get the best results from proactive employees. 

One of the first pieces of professional advice many people receive from their managers is, “Bring me solutions, not problems.”

From my perspective, this is good coaching because it teaches people to be problem-solvers, to think critically about the problems they see and to take ownership for solving them.

But if you have ever followed that advice and brought your manager a solution instead of a problem, you might have been left feeling your manager wanted neither the problem nor the solution. The reason? In my experience, most solutions are met with silence. The manager might nod, thank the person for bringing the problem to their attention and suggesting a solution, and carry on as if nothing happened.

This reaction is likely not because the solution isn’t appreciated but because no one ever gave the manager advice on what to do when someone does bring a solution instead of a problem. In these instances, I recommend asking the following five questions when someone brings you an idea:

Key points include:

• Identifying the problem
• Investigation of the solution
• The passion driver

Read the full article, Five Questions To Ask When An Employee Brings You An Idea, on Forbes.