From Answer-Providing to Question-Asking: A Leadership Skillset

Early in my career, I believed that my job was to resolve every issue my analysts faced. The typical scenario would unfold like this:

Analyst: "Thomas, I don't know how to solve this scheduling problem."

Me: "Sure, no problem. You should follow these steps."

Analyst: "Thanks!"

I thought I was an excellent leader because I solved my analyst's problems. However, in most of these situations, the analyst would return to me with a similar issue a few months later, and I would have to explain the steps again. That's when I realized that by simply providing the answer, I may have solved the immediate problem, but I wasn't helping my analyst develop their critical thinking skills. It's similar to anything in life; one doesn't truly learn a skill unless they go through the trials and tribulations of working through the problem.

Now, in similar situations, instead of giving the answer, I ask more questions:

- What problem are you trying to solve?

- Could you describe the steps you took to address this problem?

- Which steps didn't work as expected?

- Why do you think those steps didn't work?

- How would you approach it differently?

Typically, these types of questions help the analyst arrive at a solution on their own and aid in their skill development.

There is one caveat to this thought process. If you have a junior team, it's advisable to guide them on how to solve the problem while explaining why you're tackling it in a specific manner. Through my experience, I've found that giving a junior analyst a problem and having them attempt to solve it independently can be overwhelming. Especially in a technical and nuanced process like WFM (Workforce Management), it's a good idea to provide a basic framework that the analyst can use as a foundation.

One lasting benefit of having analysts solve most problems on their own is that they become more self-reliant. This frees up your time to focus on strategy and make higher-quality decisions. Additionally, your analysts will continually build their self-confidence and skillset, which will contribute to their career progression. So, the next time you find yourself resolving an analyst's problem, pause, ask questions, and help them discover the answer on their own. Your future self and your future analysts will thank you for it!