No Problems on a Silver Platter

By Mitchell Stephenson

The Stepping Stone, September 2025

You are going to make mistakes in your career. No matter how knowledgeable or meticulous you are as an actuary, nobody’s work can be perfect 100% of the time. If you’re lucky, the mistake is immaterial, or it gets caught before it can cause any harm.

Early in my career, I worked for a manager who needed to coach me to be solution-oriented. I was in the habit of bringing him problems and expecting him to solve them. I had not yet developed the muscle of bringing a solution for every problem.

My manager knew I needed to break this habit. To do this, he had me present him with three solutions for every problem I brought. The first few times I put this in practice, I made sure to articulate what I thought were three workable solutions, not generally promoting one over the others.

Soon I realized there was usually one solution that stood out more than the others. I got in the habit of recommending this solution out of the three when I presented them to him. It became easier over time to get his alignment on the path forward once I brought a recommended solution with each problem. This simple habit—bringing a solution for each problem—made a significant difference for me in the years ahead.

The norm on my team is “no problems on a silver platter.” This means that I do not want team members to present problems and expect me to solve them. I expect them to bring solutions for every problem they present. I want them to show the same habit my manager expected of me all those years ago.

Although this is easy and habitual for many people I work with, for some it is not. Some folks go years—even decades—without building this habit. I have seen seasoned professionals habitually present problem statements, expecting others to solve them, the same way that entry level employees might. The difference usually has to do with the complexity of the problems, but it is nonetheless a similar dynamic of presenting a problem on a silver platter. To break this habit and instead, build the habit of being solution-oriented, these are key steps to follow:

• First, identify when you are presenting a problem, or problem statement. This can include checking yourself when making statements like “I don’t know what to do,” or when asking questions like “what should I do?”

Employees often save this kind of statement or question for their manager, and when or if their manager solves the problems, it reinforces the bad habit of presenting them this way. Every time you catch yourself making statements or asking questions like this, it is an indicator that a solution is needed. This is the time to heed my prior manager’s advice to bring three solutions for every problem.

• Next, outline multiple solutions with pros and cons associated and/or the rationale for a single solution. For complex problems where there are multiple practical solutions, a matrix with solutions and associated pros and cons is useful.

This may include complex topics like organizational design, how to handle difficult stakeholders or situations, or complex decisions like choosing among multiple vendors or software packages. In other instances, there are limited solutions, and it is only necessary to present one with the associated rationale. Either way, this presentation of potential solutions with every problem statement is the key habit to embrace in being solution-oriented.

• Last, make the recommendation simple to understand. I am a big proponent of creating a one-pager in the form of an executive summary, no matter how complex the problem. Supporting details are important but can be available via links to more detailed documents, added content after the executive summary, or in an appendix.

I often see technical professionals make a key mistake when they spend precious time with senior audiences walking them through their process, logic, and details of the inputs used to draw a conclusion. Most audiences, especially senior ones, will trust that the presenter—especially a technical expert—has done their work correctly and has drawn the right conclusions. What the presenter really needs to do is outline the problem and solutions, with the rationale clearly told, for the audience to agree or disagree with. Creating a one-page summary forces the presenter to fully understand the problem enough to summarize solutions concisely but also increases the probability of getting through the content before interruptions.

I have often found that audiences will give a presenter the grace of getting through one slide but as soon as the page turns, questions arise, and it may be difficult to get back on track with the presentation. It is also critically important when presenting multiple options in a one-pager, to highlight the preferred or recommended solution. Whether the audience agrees or disagrees, including the preferred choice leaves no doubt as to the singular recommendation you are making.

Bringing It All Together

Incorporating this one habit—being solution-oriented—can make a substantial difference in how your boss, peers and overall management chain perceive you. They gain trust that no matter the problem, you will be someone who will figure out solutions. The more you can do this for complex problems, the more value you will add to your organization. This is all about building the right habits and remembering, in addition to the advice of my former boss who wanted to see three solutions for every problem, to present no problems on a silver platter.

This article is provided for informational and educational purposes only. Neither the Society of Actuaries nor the respective authors’ employers make any endorsement, representation or guarantee with regard to any content, and disclaim any liability in connection with the use or misuse of any information provided herein. This article should not be construed as professional or financial advice. Statements of fact and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Society of Actuaries or the respective authors’ employers.

Mitchell Stephenson, FSA, MAAA, is head of model governance solutions at Fannie Mae. He can be reached at mbstep684@gmail.com or via LinkedIn.