Credit

I liked this one a lot. Although I don't like to call things "problems".  Just "Challenges".

And I like it when people in conversations with me bring up a challenge and right away offer a solution that they have thought of.  Students, board members, colleagues, business contacts, customers, husbands, friends.  

If you just leave it as "I have a problem with..." and you don't offer some thoughts on how to work on it....then you are just blowing air at me and being critical. (ps I tend to dig my heels in when someone does that to me by the way....so if you are ever wondering how to get me to do something or alter my course, be positive and offer other ideas if you don't like mine instead of just criticizing my idea. I tend to drive hard when I think I have a good idea but I will listen to other folks who are being positive and trying hard to make something work.)  

If you offer something then you actually do get credit for solving it in my book.  Even if the solution you offered isn't one we went with...you tried...so you get credit too.

For truly important problems- Seth Godin

You know something is important when you're willing to let 

someone else take the credit if that's what it takes to get it 

done.