Listen and then Listen Some More

I was talking with someone in my group recently and they were sharing a challenge in their life that I could really relate to. I found myself anxious for them to finish their story so that I could share my experience and then tell them how I solved that particular problem. I had some really great stuff to offer that I was confident would help! As they finished, I was just starting to speak and I suddenly remembered that there was something better to say.

Instead of sharing my wisdom, I asked: “So what do you think you should do about that?” – I could see the wheels begin turning and as they thought about it, they came up with their own solution which was almost the same as mine, but much better… mostly because it wasn’t mine. As the owner of the solution, they are now much more vested in seeing it occur. All I had to do was encourage them to pursue it and tell them that I was going to ask them about it next week. Being helpful is much better and often easier than being smart!