HAVE you ever received unsolicited, off-target advice?
Some people just instinctually offer solutions when they see
someone in need. But what if their understanding of what's wrong is, quite
frankly, wrong?
Should you politely listen, or can you help them help you?
Consider John, an account executive who is contemplating how
to expand into a new market segment — one that is wrought with regulatory
challenges. With a puzzled look on his face, he walks past Samantha, who asks:
"Are you okay?"
John responds: "Not really, I'm trying to figure out
how to gain access for more of our products into Latin America." Samantha
immediately runs to her office and returns with a 100-page analytical report
detailing the region.
She then spends the next 10 minutes going over a how-to
guide on conducting market research. Out of respect to Samantha, John patiently
listens. But despite her good intentions, Samantha's input is
counterproductive.
John might have benefited from Samantha's time if she had
focused on solving his regulatory conundrum.
Instead, John walks away feeling even more frustrated and
perplexed.
This is not an uncommon scenario, especially in a culture of
instantaneous communication. We've been programmed to respond quickly, but
perhaps not thoughtfully, to questions.
While we may genuinely want to help, we don't have the time
to probe, brainstorm, and engage in dialogue to explore the core issues of a
problem. Instead, we politely give an off-the-cuff response that often results
in the kind of well-intentioned, yet irrelevant advice that was given in the
example above.
The most dysfunctional consequence of this pattern is that
colleagues who genuinely need advice on an issue will stop asking for it. When
the input they receive is repeatedly wrong, they unconsciously begin to dismiss
the value of others' input.
This creates an individualistic culture where people try to
solve problems in isolation without the benefit of multiple perspectives.
If you find that you often receive unhelpful help, here are
several ideas could increase your odds of getting good input.
Target your requests
Instead of asking whoever is available, intentionally target
certain individuals.
Create a list of people who have access to resources,
information, and relevant experience about your problem. Expand your list to
include friends and colleagues who tend to challenge the norm and see the world
differently.
Make a point of including people who are likely to have
useful views but you might hesitate to approach because you think they are too
busy or wouldn't be interested.
Frame your question
Before asking for input, figure out what you really need:
what kind of advice are you looking for? What information would be useful? Are
there gaps in your thinking?
Then consider how to frame your question so that you solicit
the right advice.
Redirect the conversation
If the person offering advice jumps to conclusions, be
prepared to redirect them. Most people will not be offended if you politely
refocus them.
For instance, had John interrupted Samantha's lecture on
market research by saying: "The issue isn't our understanding of the
market, it's how to deal with the area's regulatory restrictions.
"That's where I could use some help," Samantha
could have spent the next 10 minutes firing off some useful ideas.
Often people try to help but miss the mark. If you really
want quality input, don't shrug your shoulders and walk away frustrated. Take
the lead in getting the help you need.
By carefully targeting the sources of help, framing
questions more sharply, and keeping the conversation on topic, you're more
likely to benefit from reaching out to others - and they will feel better about
being able to help you.
What techniques have you used to secure helpful advice?
- Reuters
* Ron Ashkenas is a managing partner of Schaffer Consulting
and a co-author of The GE Work-Out and The Boundaryless Organisation. His
latest book is Simply Effective. This post was coauthored with Holly Newman, a
consultant with Schaffer Consulting, where she focuses on large-scale
transformational change and performance improvement initiatives.