Comments on: Digging Out of the Answer-Person Hole http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:03:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mary Jo Asmus http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-863 Mary Jo Asmus Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:54:57 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-863 Gwyn, I love the monkey metaphor. So much so that I actually bring a (stuffed) monkey into my coaching skills workshop as a visual reminder for the leaders there that coaching is all about "giving the monkey back" to their employees. And I agree - trading in some of those answers for some well-placed questions is key! Thanks. Gwyn, I love the monkey metaphor. So much so that I actually bring a (stuffed) monkey into my coaching skills workshop as a visual reminder for the leaders there that coaching is all about “giving the monkey back” to their employees. And I agree – trading in some of those answers for some well-placed questions is key! Thanks.

]]> By: Gwyn Teatro http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-862 Gwyn Teatro Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:19:24 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-862 This is such a great topic! I am reminded of a metaphor someone once shared with me about how people tend to bring a problem to "the boss" and leave, much relieved, when s/he solves it for them. In this case, having a problem is similar to having a monkey on your back. You carry it to your boss and s/he takes it from you thus relieving you of any responsibility for its resolution. Bosses who continually take "monkeys" from people by providing all the answers, pretty soon end up with an office full of monkeys and a huge burden of responsibility for making all of the decisions. There is absolutely a place, and a requirement, for leaders to provide timely information to those they lead but I'm thinking that a way out of the "Answer person hole" is to share the "monkey". And I think that can be accomplished by trading in some of those answers for some well-placed questions. Another great post MJ. Thanks! This is such a great topic! I am reminded of a metaphor someone once shared with me about how people tend to bring a problem to “the boss” and leave, much relieved, when s/he solves it for them. In this case, having a problem is similar to having a monkey on your back. You carry it to your boss and s/he takes it from you thus relieving you of any responsibility for its resolution. Bosses who continually take “monkeys” from people by providing all the answers, pretty soon end up with an office full of monkeys and a huge burden of responsibility for making all of the decisions.
There is absolutely a place, and a requirement, for leaders to provide timely information to those they lead but I’m thinking that a way out of the “Answer person hole” is to share the “monkey”. And I think that can be accomplished by trading in some of those answers for some well-placed questions.

Another great post MJ. Thanks!

]]> By: Mary Jo Asmus http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-861 Mary Jo Asmus Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:56:39 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-861 Dallas, its darned hard work to have all the answers. Sleep well. Bret, how true. Our organizations do resemble families, of sorts. Tom, I'd say most leaders need this kind of reflection, wouldn't you? Thanks! Travis, great insight. Better to have employees think for themselves and learn! Stephanie, you can use the search function on this site and look for posts on inquiry or coaching. You may find a nugget or two there. Kevin, I'd call this "short term pain for long term gain". Dallas, its darned hard work to have all the answers. Sleep well.

Bret, how true. Our organizations do resemble families, of sorts.

Tom, I’d say most leaders need this kind of reflection, wouldn’t you? Thanks!

Travis, great insight. Better to have employees think for themselves and learn!

Stephanie, you can use the search function on this site and look for posts on inquiry or coaching. You may find a nugget or two there.

Kevin, I’d call this “short term pain for long term gain”.

]]> By: Kevin Chou http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-860 Kevin Chou Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:52:22 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-860 Guiding someone to find his own answer takes more elbow grease than simply give him the answer, but it is probably the only way to dig ourselves out of the answer person hole. The energy spent will be a good investment. Guiding someone to find his own answer takes more elbow grease than simply give him the answer, but it is probably the only way to dig ourselves out of the answer person hole. The energy spent will be a good investment.

]]> By: Stefanie http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-859 Stefanie Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:29:24 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-859 Great information. I hope your next post is phase 2 - recommendations on how to effectively guide employees to discovering their answers and retaining their learnings. Great information. I hope your next post is phase 2 – recommendations on how to effectively guide employees to discovering their answers and retaining their learnings.

]]> By: Travis Branzell http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-858 Travis Branzell Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:29:14 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-858 I really believe that guiding your employees is much better than telling your employees how tasks should be performed. This does a couple things.....people have to think and learn how to problem solve much better if they have guidence on how to perform tasks rather than being told what to do. Guiding them can also lead to less direct management as well. Some employees are completely dependant on an answer person and struggle to think for themselves to solve problems. When I started working outside of college, I would ask my boss a lot of questions to get insight on how he wanted me to perform my tasks. After a while he would answer less and less of my quesions and reply "you went to college, therefore you know how to problem solve.....figure it out." From then on I've learned to only come to him with questions when I reach a dead end on a task. I've also been able to come up with my own solutions to solving problems since I have relied less on my boss for answers. I really believe that guiding your employees is much better than telling your employees how tasks should be performed. This does a couple things…..people have to think and learn how to problem solve much better if they have guidence on how to perform tasks rather than being told what to do. Guiding them can also lead to less direct management as well. Some employees are completely dependant on an answer person and struggle to think for themselves to solve problems.

When I started working outside of college, I would ask my boss a lot of questions to get insight on how he wanted me to perform my tasks. After a while he would answer less and less of my quesions and reply “you went to college, therefore you know how to problem solve…..figure it out.” From then on I’ve learned to only come to him with questions when I reach a dead end on a task. I’ve also been able to come up with my own solutions to solving problems since I have relied less on my boss for answers.

]]> By: Tom Glover http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-856 Tom Glover Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:49:57 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-856 I really like that you keyed in on "at this time" and "for this situation." I think leaders need to be seen as the answer person, just not all the time. Once we learn how to stop and take the time to realize that we don't need to always be the answer person we can look at each situation and say do I need to do it "at this time" and "in this situation". I really like that you keyed in on “at this time” and “for this situation.” I think leaders need to be seen as the answer person, just not all the time. Once we learn how to stop and take the time to realize that we don’t need to always be the answer person we can look at each situation and say do I need to do it “at this time” and “in this situation”.

]]> By: Bret Simmons http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-855 Bret Simmons Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:41:12 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-855 Thinking you are the answer person is a very paternal posture. As long as mommy and daddy have all the answers, I don't have to think for myself. This creates dependency and the kids are still living at home when they are 35 :) Thanks! Bret Thinking you are the answer person is a very paternal posture. As long as mommy and daddy have all the answers, I don’t have to think for myself. This creates dependency and the kids are still living at home when they are 35 :) Thanks! Bret

]]> By: Dallas Bragg http://www.aspire-cs.com/digging-out-of-the-answer-person-hole/comment-page-1#comment-853 Dallas Bragg Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:24:07 +0000 http://www.aspire-cs.com/?p=961#comment-853 MJ-- You just described me to a "T"! Your advice has cinfirmed similiar mesages I've received recently. I have always been proud of having all of the answers, but have been left exhausted. Thanks! Dallas MJ–

You just described me to a “T”! Your advice has cinfirmed similiar mesages I’ve received recently. I have always been proud of having all of the answers, but have been left exhausted.

Thanks!

Dallas

]]>