Highlighting problem is not good enough

I have learned much from my boss who is considered successful given the fact he is just 3 years my senior and currently holding the position of executive director of a large multinational corporation. As much as I may find him an extremely difficult boss to deal with many a time, and highly demanding and having high expectations from his subordinates most of the time, I have to honestly admit though he has outstanding and unique qualities that enable him to reach the position of his as of today.

I had a not so pleasant discussion with him yesterday regarding human resource deployment. The discussion mood was tense and at one point of time he felt I was challenging and acting tough on him. As the discussion move forward one of his casual statement and remarks struck me. He said one of the main reasons why his boss likes him is because for any issues that he discuss with his boss, he will provide paths or solutions to the problems.

Most superiors or bosses normally does not like to listen to problems or issues without any recommendations or suggestions to alternative paths to resolve it.
Hence the next time when you wish to discuss an issue with your boss, always be prepared to propose or suggest solutions to circumvent the problem. Your boss may appreciate that and reward you accordingly. That is one of the key factors to have your boss appreciate and value your presence in the organization and thus perhaps help you in your career advancement.