Stop solving people’s problems

Do you like solving problems and coming up with solutions?

You might be creating a rod for your own back. 

If people know that you solve their problems, they’ll start to rely on you. Learned helplessness might develop. 

This means that:

👉 As a team, you’ll come up with worse solutions (as you’re the only person contributing ideas)
👉 You’ll become overworked as you’re involved in all the problem-solving
👉 You may start to resent the rest of the team as it’s always you helping them

So next time someone asks for help with solving a problem, respond with: “What do you think?”. Coach them to come up with solutions themselves. 

This might take more time in the short-term. You’ll reap the benefits long-term.