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Problem-Solvers and Theory-Builders
Leadership / Dualities
Two types of thinkers. Both are valuable in different situations.
Problem-Solvers
- Focus on the immediate issue.
- Pragmatic and action-oriented.
- "Let's fix it and move on."
- Risk: solving symptoms instead of root causes.
Theory-Builders
- Focus on understanding the underlying system.
- Build mental models and frameworks.
- "Let's understand why this happens."
- Risk: over-analysing while the house is on fire.
In Engineering Teams
- Problem-solvers shine during incidents and tight deadlines.
- Theory-builders shine during architecture work and prevention.
- The best engineers can switch between both modes.
For Leaders
- Don't favour one type over the other.
- Match the thinker to the task.
- During incidents: empower problem-solvers.
- During planning: empower theory-builders.
- Help problem-solvers slow down for root cause analysis.
- Help theory-builders ship before the model is perfect.
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