Are You Building Thinkers Or Dependence?

You hired smart people so you would not have to do their thinking for them. Yet here you are.

A manager walks into your office with a challenging situation. They explain the problem, list a few obstacles, and may even suggest a solution. Then they look at you and wait. 

In that moment, you are about to make a choice that will shape your calendar and focus for months.

You can give them the answer, tell them what to say, and move on. It’s definitely faster. It’s efficient. It may also give you satisfaction of being the "expert."

You have also just taught them that they do not need to finish their own thinking. Instead, you're inadvertently paying a smart person to deliver problems rather than solutions.

The alternative takes more effort. You sit in the silence a little longer. You ask what they have already ruled out. You ask what an ideal outcome looks like. You ask what they would do if you were not available.

That version usually takes longer in the moment, but it sends a very different message.

In the first version, you confirm that you are the only real problem solver in the room. In the second, you make it clear that judgment is part of their job.

Those small interactions decide how you spend your time. 

You either stay buried in approvals and escalations that someone else is already paid to handle. Or you free yourself to focus on the decisions that truly sit at your altitude while your managers grow into theirs.

Teaching your managers how to think is not a nice-to-have. It’s one of the few opportunities you have to reduce escalation, create real breathing room during your week, and build a team of leaders you actually trust.

This week, pay attention to how you respond when someone brings you a problem. Are you building a thinker or are you building dependence?