Myth #2: The Manager’s Job is to Have the Answers
Why It’s a Myth: Each time a manager answers an employee’s question, he or she becomes a thief. The manager has robbed that person of the opportunity to think and the opportunity to grow. While experience has value, people don’t learn when that hard-won wisdom is handed over on a platter, much less forced down their throat.
Why It’s Believed: In many firms, sales managers are created by promoting top salespeople into management positions. Those individuals naturally assume that they were promoted because they “know how to sell” when in fact that knowledge is probably specific to their own personality and style of selling.
The Real Truth: The manager’s job is to ask the right questions. The trick to managing effectively is being able to spark, in the employee’s own mind, the thought processes and ideas that will make the employee successful. Great managers know the “magic questions” that help employees discover where they need to improve and how, and which get the commitment necessary to make the improvement.
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