I Don't Know Either

Wilma I can’t seem to find if a team finished their submission? They said they did.

Betty Well, have you checked the submission and team information to see if they have? Do you need more information from them to ensure you are looking for the right information? Wilma I’m not sure they gave me all the information, but I did quickly look at the submissions and didn’t see anything that stood out as theirs. You built this submission reporting, can you help figure this out me? Betty I have told you how it all works and what connects to what, if you could just follow the flow backwards, you will figure out what’s going on. If you have questions about how it works, let me know. If needed, I can look at it later to help figure this out. …later… Betty After a quick search of the submissions and team information I saw that the two were disconnected for the team’s submissions, I updated their team name per the submission guidelines and now you can see they have submitted

Wilma didn’t ask Betty to help; she asked her to figure it out. The reality is Betty didn’t know the answer either, Betty just took the time to figure it out. The fact that Betty built the reporting does two things:

  1. Give her a leg up in solving this problem
  2. Give Wilma an excuse not to try harder based off the information and knowledge she has

For the Wilma’s

First off, thank you for trying to help. It is very much appreciated and needed. Second, you know more than you think you know. Be confident and curious. Take things truly as far as you can; bend without breaking. Ask specific questions about what you see and/or how something works to help build your confidence and come to solutions on your own.

For the Betty’s

First off, thank you for being a productive member of your team. Second, you need to remain patient and a teacher. You aren’t going to help your team through these situations with frustration and not teaching under pressure. Encourage your team to do this and always be open to feedback on how things can be handled better: better explanations, better materials, and better solutions.

Nothing really tangible separates Wilma from Betty. However, what needs to drive both is the cost of doing better. While difficult to master, pushing towards this provides satisfaction and fulfillment to entire teams because they are operating smoothly, are their for each other without being a crutch.