The 1-3-1 Leadership Method that Develops Critical Thinkers (and not just order takers)

If your team brings you problems without solutions, you’ve trained them to rely on you. And if you keep answering? You’re not leading, you’re enabling dependency.

That’s where the 1-3-1 Leadership Method comes in. It’s not just a strategy. It’s a mindset shift that forces your team to think critically, own outcomes, and build decision-making confidence.

When I first started using this in Launch Loyalty, my team hated it. Every time someone came to me with a problem, I’d say, “What do you think? Give me your 1-3-1.” At first, it frustrated them because they just wanted answers. But over time, it rewired how they approached challenges. It forced them to slow down, evaluate options, and take ownership. And that’s when I saw the shift where they weren’t just coming to me with problems anymore, they were bringing solutions. That’s how leaders are built.

What Is 1-3-1 Leadership Method? 1 Problem → 3 Possible Solutions → 1 Recommendation.

This is how leaders build a culture of ownership and eliminate the bottleneck of top down decision making.

You train your team to bring:

• 1 clear problem they’ve identified

• 3 potential solutions they’ve considered

• 1 recommended course of action they’re prepared to own

You don’t just get better answers, you build better leaders.

Why It Works This method does three things:

1. Develops critical thinking: They’re forced to evaluate trade offs, risks, and options before coming to you.

2. Saves your time: You stop firefighting and start evaluating solutions.

3. Builds ownership and autonomy: When they recommend it, they’re more likely to own it.

The Breakdown

Step 1: One Problem Before anyone can solve a problem, they need to define it clearly. No vague frustration. No emotional venting. Just a clear, specific issue that needs solving. This forces clarity.

Step 2: Three Possible Solutions Now they think in terms of options. You don’t care which one is right yet. You care that they’re thinking like leaders.

Step 3: One Recommendation They make a call. This is what separates passive employees from proactive problem solvers.

Your Role as the Leader

• Coach the logic, not just the outcome. If you disagree, ask why they chose that recommendation. Help them think sharper, not just follow orders.

• Reward initiative. Even if the solution isn’t perfect, reinforce the behavior of bringing solutions.

• Raise the bar. If the three options are weak, don’t solve it for them but instead send them back to think deeper.

The 1-3-1 Method trains your team to think, not wait. It turns chaos into clarity. And it forces leadership to scale.

Because if they can’t bring you three ways to fix a problem…

You’ve still got a training problem, not just a business one.