Dear Leaders: you don’t have to have all the answers.
I know that deep down you already know this. I know you know that NO ONE has ALL the answers.
But it just feels so good to be the one who solves for X.
And yet, how much better is it to give your people the chance to find X?
I used to worry that I wouldn’t have the answer a coaching client needed on a given call. This will be the call where they say, “Thanks for nothing. You didn’t give me the answer I needed.”
And then something wild started happening…
The calls would end with some variation of, “That question/story made me see the issue in a new light and here’s what I figured out.”
They never needed me to provide an answer, they just needed someone to help them find the answer for themselves.
How deliciously collaborative!
When someone on your team comes to you with an issue, resist the urge to go straight to SOLVE FOR X.
Instead, become the guide that helps them find their way.
Ask, “what have you tried so far?” or “what do you think the underlying problem is?” or “who else have you talked to?” or “how can I help you?”
On the surface this might sound coy and inefficient, but that’s only if you interpret the goal exclusively as finding X as soon as possible.
My thesis is that helping your people find pathways to find X on their own is the long game.
Your job isn’t to spoon feed them the answer, it’s to help them see the obstacle through a new lens, to help them think laterally and leverage their peers, and to empower them to find the answers for themselves.
TRY THIS: When your people ask you variations of “what do I do about this?” or “why is this happening” respond with questions of your own that will help you understand what has them stuck. Don’t do for them what they should be able to do for themselves. Act like a coach.
My free PDF, “The 5 Secrets of Impossibly Effective Teams,” will show you the simple leadership moves that help teams unlock their full potential and deliver outsized results, without burning out. Grab your copy now at geoffwelch.com/secrets