Quote Originally Posted by jdizzlean View Post
that's a good way to go about it. most people will say it's dumb out of laziness, but if they can point out why its dumb, and more so what to do about it instead, then you have a winner on your hands. the hard part is mentoring everyone else to be just like that person
I learned it from someone who was my boss's boss many years ago. I went into his office with a problem that I thought he needed to be aware of, he kicked me out of his office immediately. As I was leaving I said "but this is important", he said "I don't care. Stop coming to me with problems and start coming to me with solutions".

I changed my attitude pretty quick, because clearly he wasn't impressed with me... and you don't want your boss's boss to think you are annoying. I ended up getting along with him really well after that, and learned lots from him. Another thing he said to me at the time was that "You aren't in management yet, but that shouldn't stop you from being a leader". He was a blunt jerk at times, but he really motivated me to grow.