Cary Sylvester, Executive Director of Technology for Williams Reality International, hit a cord with me on a “Just for a Moment” podcast when she described a frequent leadership mistake: taking care of everyone’s problems (http://justforamomentpodcast.com/wordpress/archives/date/2011/04/04) .
When someone has come into your office with a problem, how many times have you said “I’ll take care of it.” Ok, I confess, I’ve done that! But how does this grow self-sufficiency and confidence in those you are supposed to be mentoring? And in the long run how much damage does it do in getting your work done?
Instead, Sylvester recommends:
1. Acknowledge the problem
2. Discuss the issues, and
3. Give ownership for solving the problem back to the employee.
Is downshifting caretaker instincts as easy as 1-2-3? What’s your experience?
I think this advice relates closely to the advice given in "The One Minute Manager and the Monkey". Once you accept responsibility for taking care of another person's problem, that problem becomes a monkey on your back. Don't carry around other people's monkeys!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't have much supervisory/management experience in the business world (I left the industry to be a full-time college lecturer), I do have to practice this technique in the educational world. Some students want all of the answers given to them, eliminating the need to think critically and find the answers themselves. I think it is important to empower students to do their own research to solidify their understanding of concepts.
Thank you for the reminder of this management principle!