LET EMPLOYEES FIND THE SOLUTION |
If you are like most managers, you earned your position by being really good at your job. You know how to solve the common problems your employees face, and you are expected to get the job done. As a result, when an employee is struggling, it's easy to tell them what to do to solve the problem.
Stop doing that! When you tell an employee the obvious solution, you're doing the thinking for them. Sure, you may get the problem solved more quickly, but every time you do, you teach the employee to depend on you for answers. You are conditioning them to come back, again and again, rather than identifying solutions on their own.
You've heard the proverbial saying, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." The same principle applies to managing employees. Your job as the manager is to teach employees how to fish.
Instead of automatically giving the answer, stop and play dumb.
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Painless Performance Conversations Training System
NOW AVAILABLE!
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Final Footnotes NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE
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I'm proud to be the keynote speaker at this month's CUPA-HR Utah Chapter annual conference on May 11th in Orem, Utah. "Let's Talk" is the theme, and we're going to explore how to use conversation to foster greater levels of employee engagement.
Next month I'll be in Sedona, Arizona at the School Nutrition Industry Conference, sponsored by the School Nutrition Association of Arizona. As the featured speaker, we'll explore how leaders can use conversation to tackle the challenges, opportunities, and changes in this particular industry.
As always, if there is anything I can do to support your performance management efforts, just give me a call at 480-705-9394 or shoot me an email.
Marnie E. Green, CSP, IPMA-CP
Principal Consultant
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