Questioning evidence
Get them to think instead of thinking for them
"How do you forget this certitude of being indispensable to everyone and do it without pride!" Marie-Claire Blais
It’s so gratifying, this feeling of being useful with no special effort! The pleasure of being the one responsible for solving all the problems! But this self satisfaction has a price: the autonomy of others, their personal reflections, their creativity. After all, the boss knows!
Compare : Get them to think instead of thinking for them
Remember
Not doing what we are used to doing is to dare, to take a risk, of course,... and thus open up a new path.
A trap: to be ‘drawn into’ the other’s panic, to lack objectivity and not see how incongruous the request is.To be asked to deal with this type of question is not that ‘normal’: it would be better to take the time to show surprise and thusbreak this type of usual situation.
Accept that you won’t be liked for a while
By changing your way of working, keeping yourdistance from the request, you run the risk of not being liked. Not an agreeable situation but often necessary to move things forward.
Accompany the thought process
Bringing the other to find a solution without our unconditional help does not mean sending them off with a ‘do it yourself’. You’re not trying to put them on the defensive but rather develop their aptitude at managing. It’s perhaps helpful to accompany the process with some questions: eventually they’ll understand that they’re not that far from the solution.