88 MITSLOAN MANAGEMENT REVIEW SPRING 2020COLUMN
KEITH NEGLEY/THEISPOT.COMMIT Sloan Management Review (ISSN 1532-9194) is published quarterly by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Periodicals postage paid at
Boston, MA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MIT Sloan Management Review, PO Box 8500, Big Sandy, TX 75755, USA. Canadian GST No. 12761 8635
RT0001. Copyright © Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. All rights reserved.THERE’S A TIME AND PLACE FOR ADVICE.But when giving
it is your default response to colleagues and friends
who face difficult situations (and for most of us, that’s
the case), it becomes a problem.
It’s an insidious habit — one you’ve been encour-
aged to adopt all your life. From your early days in
school, through exams in college, and into your ca-
reer, it’s always been about having the answer. And
biology is colluding with societal influence. When
you give advice, your brain gets a dose of feel-good
chemicals. You feel smart and accomplished, poised
and helpful. The buzz is intoxicating. No wonder
you’re giving advice all the time.
But most of it is not useful or effective. Here’s why.- You’re solving the wrong challenge.More often
than not, you’re offering solutions (brilliant or not) to
the wrong problem. You’ve been suckered into believ-
ing that the first challenge mentioned is the real issue.
It rarely is. But because we’re all twitchy-keen to help
and “add value,” you jump in and solve the first thing that shows up. - You’re proposing a mediocre solution.Let’s say you side-
stepped that first mistake and took a little time to identify the real
problem. Unfortunately, you’re still likely to make suggestions that
are not as good as you think they are. There are reasons for that. To
start with, you don’t have the full picture. You have a few facts, a de-
lightful collection of baggage, a robust serving of opinion, and an
ocean of assumption. Your brain is designed to find patterns and
make connections that reassure you that you know what’s going on.
(Chances are, you don’t.) Add to that your own self-serving bias,
which is what behavioral scientists call it when you’re over-inclined to
believe your ideas are excellent, and the nuggets of gold keep coming. - You’re displaying poor leadership.Even if you avoid the first
two mistakes, you’ll reach a crossroads: Do you supply an answer
that’s fast and right? Or give someone else who’s less experienced
or less senior the room to figure things out? Down one path: speed
and a confirmation of your status within the group. Down the
other: an act of empowerment — and with it, an increase in confi-
dence, competence, and autonomy.
Sadly, most of us choose the first path. We’ve been conditioned to
do so. But problem-solving becomes much more interesting and ef-
fective when we stay curious and know when to step out of the way.Michael Bungay Stanier (@boxofcrayons) is the author of The
Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap, from which this article
is adapted. Comment on this article at http://sloanreview.mit
.edu/x/61326.
Reprint 61326. For ordering information, see page 4.
Copyright © Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020. All rights reserved.Stop Rushing In
With Advice
BY MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER