One of the earliest influential management consultants argued that managers should supervise employees because workers "shall be so stupid and phlegmatic that he more nearly resembles an ox than any other type." Regrettably, many managers continue that failing approach.
When coworkers ask you for guidance, do you ask them questions? Or do you give them direct orders? Telling people what to do doesn't normally work. First, you may not even be solving the right problem. You don’t have the insight of those experiencing the puzzle. Second, people may not be fully committed to your idea. When we don't have ownership of ideas, it's easy to blame others, claiming it was someone else's idea all along. If you're the boss, you will assume your advice was good, but your team's execution was poor. So then you begin a cycle of micromanagement. That makes nobody better.
So instead of pontificating, ask questions. I've found that these three work best to curate a compelling culture of innovation.
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