Good Advice or Action Learning
Advice is available everywhere. There are trouble spots though. Bad advice, advice no one pursues, and advice that is entirely unwanted. Do you have any good advice?
Good Intentions
Most advice has the best intentions. People trying to help other people. A good thing. However, being right, attempting to correct behaviors, or point out where the action went wrong doesn’t always result in positive future performance.
Trying to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels is a learning experience. Shouting from the sidelines about balance, pedaling, or how to steer doesn’t help much. Action by the person learning will make the difference.
The same is often true in workplace roles, attitudes, and how to navigate the C Suite. Offering the right answers, suggestions for a proven path, or how to have a different perspective aren’t guaranteed to spark new behaviors.
Good Advice
A difference for the learner is that discovery often changes the course of action more than advice. Could it be that the best advice is not so much about good advice but more about facilitating discovery?
Action learning, creating the ah-ha moments, and effective use of Socratic questions are likely more responsible for change when compared with the voice of good advice.
Action Learning
Perhaps instead of handing out advice we should grab the sissy bar and push little, stabilize a little, and offer encouragement while the action is taking place.
Advice is easy to find. The best learning often takes place when there is discovery and action.
Next time you set out to give some good advice, consider how you can facilitate discovery of the solution instead of just handing it over. Not because you don’t want to help, but because you do.
Hearing the answer is not as powerful as experiencing the answer.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
