Stop Just Reporting The Problem

There are two kinds of people in management roles in any company:

1.) Those who passively report what’s wrong.

2.) Those who proactively drive what happens next.

One points to the fire.

The other grabs the extinguisher.

The first shows up with a shrug and a problem.

The second shows up with clarity, context, and a path.

Now, which one do you think gets promoted, trusted with more responsibility, and creates better financial outcomes? Highly likely it’s person #2.

See, the issue is that most people are lazy communicators.

They think speaking up is enough. It’s not.

These are the same people who walk into rooms to inform others of the problems, instead of providing solutions.

They relay what they saw. Not what they believe should be done about it based on factual information.

Active leaders on the other hand ask:

• What does this mean?

• What’s the impact?

• What needs to happen now?

They understand something most people don’t:

Communication isn’t just transferring information. It’s managing consequences.

As a leader or manager, you’re not here to be a narrator.

You’re here to be a force that moves people, projects, and decisions forward.

But none of that happens if you keep walking into conversations, shrugging, and hoping someone else has the answer.

Here’s exactly what that difference sounds like:

Person 1: “Client project is late. What should we do?”

Person 2: “Client project is 3 days behind. Second time this month. If we don’t get ahead of it, we could lose the Q1 renewal. I’d suggest we move the meeting up, reset expectations, and follow up with a recap. I’ll draft the email—can you review it by EOD?”

It’s the same problem. Same meeting. Completely different level of leadership.

One person is offloading responsibility. The other is already handling it.

Person 1 won’t get more opportunities—because their communication screams ‘not ready.’

Person 2? They become indispensable. The one everyone wants in the room when things go sideways and the one companies keep even when layoffs hit.

So if you want to start communicating like Person 2...

Use this:

1. What’s happening? (Be clear. No fluff.)

2. What’s the context or pattern? (Is this the first time? The tenth?)

3. What’s at risk? (Why does it matter?)

4. What are the options? (Don’t bring just one.)

5. What do you recommend? (Pick one. Own it.)

This isn’t about theatrics or over-communication.

It’s about showing up like someone who gets paid to manage outcomes—not just pass along observations.

Because when you start communicating like someone responsible for results?

People start treating you like it.

So choose to be the person who makes things happen… not the one who just points out what’s broken.