January 18, 2021

Hold your own spoon

Man spoon feeding a toddler

Oh no! Not again 🙁

Another question from someone who could have figured it out for themselves and instead they come and ask me.

I inwardly sigh and give them the answer… again.

I’ll be honest, it does give my ego a boost, but there must be a better way.

Sometimes they need my expertise. I get that. But all the other times, maybe I am spoon-feeding them too much? Maybe asking me is too easy? Maybe they need to learn to hold their own spoon? Or maybe the consequences of them making a mistake are too high, so they need reassurance or protection? Maybe they think I am micro-managing and that I need to be in the loop? Maybe it’s something else?

I wonder what it is that encourages this behaviour?

The next time I will ask them…
“What do think the answer is?”
“How could you find this out for yourself?”
“Have you looked on the XYZ system?”
“Why ask me when the answer is available on the XYZ system?”
“What will you do the next time you have a similar question?”

I am curious to find out what answers I get!

My best wishes, Paul

Paul Matthews

CEO and Founder of People Alchemy

share this article:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

related posts

Learning Horizons podcast cover

Driving Learning Impact Through Accountability

“Start with the end in mind. Lack of clarity of outcome is the root of all evil in L&D.” Paul ...
Read More
Otter floating in the water

Only dead fish follow the stream

Swedish proverb: ‘Only dead fish follow the stream’ Now that really got me thinking! What does it mean to you? ...
Read More
Cover image for Performance Consultancy webinar

Principles of Performance Consulting

Do you ever feel like everyone’s telling you to “move into performance consulting” but not really explaining how to do ...
Read More
B&W illustration of two people exchanging feedback

What is in your blind spot?

Last week, I was talking with a friend about receiving feedback. It’s interesting that what others see in us, both ...
Read More

search blog

Get your free weekly tip

You agree that we can keep a record of your details, and send you other occasional offers. See our Privacy Policy