Your phone buzzes. Someone needs “a quick minute.” You drop what you’re doing, solve it, and feel great about it. Then it happens again. And again. Suddenly it’s 7 p.m., your own work is untouched, and you’re wondering why everyone keeps coming to you.
In this episode, we unpack solutionizer syndrome: the habit of leaders who become hyperreactive, get pulled in every direction, and quietly train their teams to bring problems to them before trying anything on their own. It feels like leadership, but it’s a trap.
Jesse shares the early warning signs you’re already in it, including the one most leaders miss: that flash of frustration when someone doesn’t take your advice. Then he flips the script with a mindset shift that changes how you measure your own effectiveness: you haven’t solved a problem until the other person has applied the advice and gotten the outcome they wanted. Giving the answer isn’t the finish line.
Want a simple, practical way to change the conversation before it starts? We share three questions to ask up front, and one permission step that keeps ownership where it belongs.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why constantly fixing problems creates dependency instead of capability
• The early warning signs you’re a solutionizer (and why frustration is the tell)
• Why “solving” requires follow-up, not just good advice
• The three-question check that tells you what someone actually needs: venting, brainstorming, or advice
• How to ask permission before sharing observations, and why it matters
• How to make it clear the other person owns the decision and the action
00:00 Solutionizer Symptoms
02:38 Meet Jesse and Community
04:11 Two Shifts Overview
04:54 Mind Shift Reality Check
07:25 Dependency and Payoff
09:41 Behavior Shift Agreement
12:22 Ask Venting or Help
14:43 Permission and Ownership
17:36 Next Steps
Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be (https://www.depthbuilder.com/books)
