From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
One of my biggest frustrations, as a manager, is the expectation from the people that report to me that I ‘spoon feed‘ them answers to all of the problems and challenges that they face. Do I have the wrong people? How can I get out of this trap?
Response:
Your solution is in your question. You are spoon feeding them the wrong stuff. When you provide answers to your team, you are creating a co-dependent relationship that you turns you into Radio Shack (you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers). You are actually training them NOT to solve their problems, but to bring them to you for solutions.
So, STOP it.
Every team member is entitled to have a competent manager, with the Time Span capability to bring value to their problem solving and decision making.
As a manager, you do NOT bring value by spoon feeding answers. Learning happens through questions, not answers. As a manager, your greatest value is in the questions you ask your team members. And if you are not getting the response you want, then you are asking the wrong questions.
As a manager, one should learn how to lead by setting direction, and then defining success metrics. The employees need to be able to trust that their manager isn’t going to be constantly changing everything out from under them.
Then one’s reports need to feel comfortable – have confidence – that their expertise will be respected and utilized, as long as the results meet those metrics.
The key is clearly defining the vision, and the goals & metrics so that the employees can trust that meeting those metrics is the minimum they need to do to succeed.
The “obvious coach” is the one that tells a player to throw farther or to catch the ball or not to fumble-next time. I use this term for managers or associates who continually find and point out what is wrong with no solution offered. My favorite question in these situations is “and what are you doing about it?” Many times they have a solution, but are uncomfortable or lack the confidence to put it forth. By challenging them to offer a solution, it brings not only value to their decision making, it also builds confidence and buy in to the solution.
I guess that this is a typical case of people that lack some degree of self-sufficiency, which comes from self-discipline. The leader should set goals, not solutions.
The reason you are getting this quality of worker is because that is how they have been trained in the educational system. Teachers are so stressed out about fitting in all the content that they have to cover, that if students are taking too long to answer a question, the teacher just provides them with one, therefore taking all the inquiry thinking skills out of the classroom.
Wendy,
The question is not why or how it happened, but what can we, as managers do to break the cycle, and get our team members to step up to the plate. -TF