Art of the Question
Rick Piraino
Managers and their employees are in a partnership to accomplish the goals of the organization. Managers often feel their value in this partnership comes from having the answers to employees' problems. When issues come up, they are often quick to offer solutions to the problem before fully understanding it's complexity, what the employee has already tried to overcome it, and the obstacles beyond the employee's ability to control blocking its resolution. As a result, the manager may wind up offering the most obvious ideas which are usually not all that valuable. Whether or not the employee has thought of this on his/her own solution, I'd suggest it's a lose - lose deal