This is an article I wrote for LinkedIn in September 2025, published here for posterity.
“Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions” is a phrase that I, as a junior engineer, felt empowered by. It told me that I was trusted to do the job for which the company had hired me, without asking the boss for permission when faced with a problem I thought I could solve. At the very least, I knew that even if I failed, I would be able to show what I had tried, saving some time.
Much later, I learned that this phrase is often considered controversial. Rather than empowering employees to be proactive, some felt that it sent the message: “Don’t bother asking me for help; if you’re not capable of solving every problem independently, you’re not good enough to work here.” Which is obviously not the message you’d like to be sending out as a leader.
I think this negative interpretation of the phrase comes from the context of a workplace that does not have a strong culture of collaboration, where employees do not experience psychological safety, or which is lacking in good leadership. Even in a workplace I perceive as having these qualities, others may feel differently.
Nowadays I like to use a different phrase which I feel better conveys my intent, and sounds a little tongue-in-cheek: “It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
I believe employees at all levels of seniority should feel, and be, empowered to proactively work to solve problems without waiting for a go-ahead. I also feel that when another engineer is asking me for input, if they have already given the problem some thought and come up with a possible solution, our time will be spent more productively. Even if we ultimately end up deciding to solve it some other way.
Especially in software, almost all decisions are easily reversible. It’s fine to mess up as long as we catch the mistake, fix it and learn from the experience. More problems are caused by a failure to act than by trying to solve a problem in slightly the wrong way.
If you’re a leader, think about how you would foster this environment within your teams.