--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's a big problem and you've got…" description: "\"If there's a big problem and you've got the right people with you, usually the answer emerges and you do what's the obvious thing to do. I don't think ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/larry-brilliant-29870_answers_if-there-s-a-big-problem-and-you-ve-got_1980927.jpg" --- # If there's a big problem and you've got the right people… ![“If there's a big problem and you've got the right people with you, usually the answer emerges and you do what's the obvious thing to do. I don't think of myself as some great manager or great leader. I've been very lucky to be in the positions that I've been in. I meet a lot of people and I've…” quote by Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/larry-brilliant-29870_answers_if-there-s-a-big-problem-and-you-ve-got_1980927.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/larry-brilliant-29870_answers_if-there-s-a-big-problem-and-you-ve-got_1980927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/larry-brilliant-29870_answers_if-there-s-a-big-problem-and-you-ve-got_1980927.jpg) > “If there's a big problem and you've got the right people with you, usually the answer emerges and you do what's the obvious thing to do. I don't think of myself as some great manager or great leader. I've been very lucky to be in the positions that I've been in. I meet a lot of people and I've grown a lot of companies, and I meet a lot of CEOs at big enterprises. I'm always so surprised at how much they seem to know. It doesn't always seem to be correlated to how well they actually do.” [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a capable team is assembled, solutions appear naturally, and the speaker credits luck and humility rather than personal greatness for success. **In simple terms:** Right people bring obvious solutions; humility matters. Key Takeaway Value teamwork and stay humble. Themes leadership teamwork humility luck problem solving Mood reflective inspirational Type advice leadership When to use this quote - product development - startup growth - corporate strategy - mentoring - networking Key Concepts collaborative intelligence emergent solutions humble leadership Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure the right people are in place? - What role does humility play in effective leadership? A Different Perspective Even strong teams can falter without clear direction or resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Big Enterprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-enterprises-3382301/) [Big problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-problem/) [Big problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-problems/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Ceo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceo/) [Ceos Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceos-big-2616399/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Great leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-leader/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great Manager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-manager/) [Great managers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-managers/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Manager Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manager-great-625126/) [Managers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/managers/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Obvious things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious-things/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Right people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-people/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Things to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-to-do/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I'll tell you what makes a great manager: A great manager has a knack for making ballplayers think they are better than they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-jackson/i-ll-tell-you-what-makes-a-great-manager-a-great-manager-has-a-knack/) [Reggie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-jackson/) > [If you are a great manager you have to have a great personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkay-gundogan/if-you-are-a-great-manager-you-have-to-have-a-great-personality/) [Ilkay Gundogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkay-gundogan/) > [Wenger is a great manager, a great person, someone who knows the league here in England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-benitez/wenger-is-a-great-manager-a-great-person-someone-who-knows-the-league/) [Rafael Benitez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-benitez/) > [Everybody knows that Jurgen Klopp is a great manager and a great guy as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emre-can/everybody-knows-that-jurgen-klopp-is-a-great-manager-and-a-great-guy/) [Emre Can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emre-can/) > [When I was with the Giants, I played for Dusty Baker, and I love Dusty to death. I think he's a great manager and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-martinez/when-i-was-with-the-giants-i-played-for-dusty-baker-and-i-love-dusty/) [Dave Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-martinez/) > [If you have a great manager, you want to pay him very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/if-you-have-a-great-manager-you-want-to-pay-him-very-well/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Am I a great manager? Huh. I was blessed to have a front office that found great talent, and then I was smart enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sparky-anderson/am-i-a-great-manager-huh-i-was-blessed-to-have-a-front-office-that/) [Sparky Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sparky-anderson/) > [All the time and effort people devote to picking the right fund, the hot hand, the great manager have, in most cases, led to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/all-the-time-and-effort-people-devote-to-picking-the-right-fund-the/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [I was imagining a long life of being a stone cold loser. Then I got a job, which was really nice, then I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-davis/i-was-imagining-a-long-life-of-being-a-stone-cold-loser-then-i-got-a/) [Mackenzie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-davis/) > [Time is a great manager: it arranges things well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/time-is-a-great-manager-it-arranges-things-well/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [Great managers know they don't have 10 salespeople working for them. They know they have 10 individuals working for them . A great manager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-buckingham/great-managers-know-they-don-t-have-10-salespeople-working-for-them/) [Marcus Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-buckingham/) > [I was once asked what it takes to be a great manager...my response? Great players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stengel/i-was-once-asked-what-it-takes-to-be-a-great-manager-my-response/) [Casey Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stengel/) > [You're not going to become a great manager overnight. You're not going to become a great public speaker or figure out how to raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/you-re-not-going-to-become-a-great-manager-overnight-you-re-not-going/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [Ferguson, as a manager, and Ken, as a director, are very similar. One's a great manager, the other a great director, but both have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/ferguson-as-a-manager-and-ken-as-a-director-are-very-similar-one-s-a/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [The shining star in the world is Shanghai. That's what CEOs from big companies say - 'if I want mathematical analytical work done, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-rosling/the-shining-star-in-the-world-is-shanghai-that-s-what-ceos-from-big/) [Hans Rosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-rosling/) ## More by Larry Brilliant > [This is not something that happens far away to people that we don't know. Global warming is something that happens to all of us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/this-is-not-something-that-happens-far-away-to-people-that-we-don-t/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [If you don't put the spiritual and religious dimension into our political conversation, you won't be asking the really big and important question. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/if-you-don-t-put-the-spiritual-and-religious-dimension-into-our/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [The defining character of Steve Jobs isn't his genius, it isn't his talent, it isn't his success. It's his love. That's why crowds came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/the-defining-character-of-steve-jobs-isn-t-his-genius-it-isn-t-his/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [If you are constantly making judgments based on superficial affiliations, your world gets to be pretty small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/if-you-are-constantly-making-judgments-based-on-superficial/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [Smallpox was the worst disease in history. It killed more people than all the wars in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/smallpox-was-the-worst-disease-in-history-it-killed-more-people-than/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [The great thing about gurus is not that they make you feel everybody's love. It's that they make you feel that you can love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/the-great-thing-about-gurus-is-not-that-they-make-you-feel-everybody/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [I had been a radical, a left-wing politico, and meeting the Indian people made me realize that the politics of the left and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/i-had-been-a-radical-a-left-wing-politico-and-meeting-the-indian/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [Global warming is something that happens to all of us, all at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/global-warming-is-something-that-happens-to-all-of-us-all-at-once/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [If I have a 100 percent batting average, you should fire me, because it means we haven't tried anything really noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/if-i-have-a-100-percent-batting-average-you-should-fire-me-because-it/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [Many of the issues we face in dealing with rapid climate change are well suited to an engineering mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/many-of-the-issues-we-face-in-dealing-with-rapid-climate-change-are/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [In 1980 we declared the globe free of smallpox. It was the largest campaign in United Nations history until the Iraq war. A hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/in-1980-we-declared-the-globe-free-of-smallpox-it-was-the-largest/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [The point of life is to transcend the smallness of the finite self by identifying with things that last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/the-point-of-life-is-to-transcend-the-smallness-of-the-finite-self-by/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [I make a hundred mistakes a day. I am, and have been, and will continue to be, wrong about almost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/i-make-a-hundred-mistakes-a-day-i-am-and-have-been-and-will-continue/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [Google's a strange place. When I met Eric Schmidt, he said, "If you are kind to everybody, then you will make good decisions because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/google-s-a-strange-place-when-i-met-eric-schmidt-he-said-if-you-are/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) > [One percent of the equity, 1 percent of the profits, and 1 percent of the people go into Google.org. The most important asset isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-brilliant/one-percent-of-the-equity-1-percent-of-the-profits-and-1-percent-of/) [Larry Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) [Explore all 18 Larry Brilliant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-brilliant/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there's a big problem and you've got the right people with you, usually the answer emerges and you do what's the obvious thing to do. 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