Learn the difference between a teammate who needs advice and one who just needs you to listen.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

Offering a fix to somebody who wanted to be heard reads as being hurried along, and it teaches them to bring you less next time. Not everyone who tells you about a problem is asking you to solve it, since some are just trying to put it down for a minute. The skill is telling the two apart, and the shortcut is that you can simply ask.

Try asking whether they want ideas or just want to talk about it. Respect whichever answer you get, even when the advice is sitting right there. It is harder than it sounds and people notice immediately.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Does your friend want your advice or just your attention?

MORE IN LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE

Free, with nothing to buy inside it.