Three questions to get your employees to solve their own problems

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

You’re scrambling to meet a tight deadline and have somehow found time to finish up a key project. Unfortunately you’re interrupted every 15 minutes by employees who need help with problems they’re perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

“Becky has been giving me weird looks.”

“My computer is running slow.”

“I have a question about cashing in my PTO.”

Why can’t your employees do anything for themselves?????

We all know that our employees are supposed to come to us with challenges. You’re supposed to help them with their tough problems. You show that you’re invested in them by clearing obstacles out of their way, enabling them to focus on their main job. But it becomes difficult to find balance as you fall into the temptation of rescuing them from the reasonable difficulties of day-to-day duties. It comes back to bite us at the worst times.

Why do your employees pass you all their problems? Because you let them.

I went through this early in my management career. As a young leader who cared a lot about supporting my employees, I cleared every imaginable obstacle out of their way. I made myself infinitely accessible and was eager to let them delegate tasks/problems up to me. I told myself I was removing obstacles but in reality I was simply putting those obstacles in my own way and hobbling their ability to be problem solvers.

I rescued my employees from any perceived discomfort, and would then feel victimized when those same employees seemed to expect me to solve their problems for them. I couldn’t understand why they expected me to do something that I had….explicitly shown them that I would do.

Leaders get the organizations/teams/employees they deserve.

Every situation is a chance to ask: what behavior am I reinforcing here? We unintentionally teach our employees through our actions that the simplest/fastest way to clear an obstacle is to delegate-up; bring the problem to us and we’ll solve it for you. How efficient for them!

Your employee is having issues with a peer? You’ll sit down with the two of them and work it out. Your employee is having technical issues? You’ll go walk them through the troubleshooting yourself. They have HR questions? You’ll look up the policy for them.

Taking a hands on approach is a necessary tool in urgent or mission-critical situations, but at all other times you should use it scarcely. Use consistent filters for the sort of problems you’re willing to tackle. Write the following phrases down on a sticky note and put on your wall or computer monitor:

“Have you done everything in your power to solve this problem yourself” This question alone will end 75% of the discussions. Did the person make a reasonable effort to call IT themselves to put in a work order before bringing it to you? Did the person try to mediate the dispute with their peer before bringing it to you? Did they look in their policy book for the PTO policy? Did they go through a reasonable level of discomfort and effort before bringing the challenge to you to solve?

“What is the outcome you’re hoping for?” Don’t assume that you know what the employee is trying to get accomplished. Also, you’re going to find that 50% of the time, the person that’s bringing you the issue hasn’t really thought it. When they think it through, they’re going to realize that it’s an outcome they can achieve without you.

“How, specifically, do you think I can assist you?” There may be a legitimate reason why you are uniquely qualified to help this employee. By asking this, you’ll learn the sorts of things that each employee thinks are “boss things” that should be delegated up. Sometimes they’ll be right, other times you’ll have to work with them on what they should feel empowered to handle.



Obviously, you should edit these questions to match your particular style and comfort.

At the end of this discussion, help your employee understand why you’re asking those questions. “[Hypothetical employee], I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s important to me that you feel empowered to address your day-to-day challenges. I don’t want you to feel like you have to run to me for every problem.”

The first thing you’ll notice after implementing consistent filters is all the little ways you’ve taught employees to reflexively bring you their challenges and problems. It’s not their fault so don’t attack them, they thought this is what you wanted! You seemed happy to help!

It is going to take 60-90 days of consistent practice to change the culture in your office. You’re going to have employees that seem confused and frustrated that you “won’t help them” (which might be an indicator of something else). Eventually, your employees will adjust to this and consider it a normal part of what it’s like to work with you.

Good luck out there.

-Patrick

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