ProblemMeister

I once had an employee (I’ll call him PM) who seemed to think his primary role in our organization was to identify the problems.  

PM regularly appeared at my office door, asking for a moment of my time.  PM would then commence to inform me of some problem with the building, with a bus, with another employee, with a process, etc.  Once he had dutifully relieved himself of that burden he would turn and leave my office, as if he had done his part. (I presume he was off to find a new problem to report).

Identifying problems is not rocket science.  Every organization, team, school, and family has its share of problems that need to be addressed.  Virtually anyone (inside or outside the organization) can find problems that need correcting/attention. 

The kinds of team members I cherish most are the ones who actually DO SOMETHING about the problems they perceive.  They either tackle the problem themselves, or propose a possible solution to the problem being reported.

Now I'm wondering how I can better foster a culture of Problem Fixers and not Problem Meisters.