When people ask for assistance, resources, or information, our response often reveals our attitude. Especially telling is when we respond without thought.
While independence is a strong desire for most people, it has downsides. In the workplace, you miss out on collaboration, learning, exhortation, encouragement, and accountability. You miss out on the help and advocacy that engaged bosses can provide.
In their defense, they are often smart and experienced. They know a lot about what works and what doesn’t. But how much joy is it to always be told what to do? How demotivating is it to rarely use your own ideas or perform tasks the way you would like to do them?
As we mature, hopefully in a way that makes us better, we change right? We hold on to many core values, but we learn and make adjustments in how we think. We change what we do. In many people, this includes letting go of what previously gave us our core identity.
Decide to move past talking about what people are “doing” and talk about what people are “thinking and feeling.” Embrace the mindset that moves from asking “what are you working on?” to “how do you feel about what you are working on?”