Clarify before you coach

When someone on your team says they are stuck, the fastest thing feels like giving them the answer. You know this problem. You could fix it in ten minutes. So you do — and later you find you solved a problem they never had, while they learned to bring the next one straight back to you.

This lesson is for new managers who keep getting pulled into other people's work. It covers why jumping to solutions is the most common first-year habit, what it quietly teaches your team, and how to find out what someone actually wants before you offer anything. You get two questions to open with, a way to check you understood, and a short script you can use in your next conversation.

Part of the Coaching track. About two minutes to read, with a seven-day practice plan and a recall check a week later.