Jane recently attended a Results Coaching Global seminar and had her leadership world turned upside down. It all started when she learned that advice, something she proudly handed out on a daily basis, was actually toxic and worked against her desired outcome of achieving greater results.

These three points helped Jane move toward a new and improved way of leading and away from giving advice. What do you think?

1. No two brains are exactly alike. What might work for you does not necessary work for another person. We all process information in dramatically different ways. When we tell someone else what we think they should do, we are actually telling them what our brain might do – and yet – we do not have all the information that they have to make such a decision.
2. Improving results calls for improving thinking. If we want to improve the quality of thinking, we are better served to stop advising and start helping others process ideas better. This happens when they get clarity about their ideas, make connections between concepts or prioritize their thoughts. When people make deep, new connections in their own mind, there is a tangible release of energy, an “aha” moment that motivates us to take actions.
3. It’s more efficient to refrain from giving advice. David Rock (Quiet Leadership, 2006) says that it takes a fraction of the time to get a positive outcome to any kind of problem using a self-directed approach rather than making suggestions. Rock says it takes about 10 – 20 percent of the time when others do the thinking. Giving someone else the answer does little but continue his or her dependence on you. When someone comes to you and says “What do you think I should do?”, or “I’m not sure what to do.”, these are statements that people want help with their thinking and their best growth comes when they do the thinking for themselves.

As you read these three important points about why advice is not the behavior of today’s leaders, what are you willing to do instead of giving advice? If you have not yet attended one of our seminars – come and learn about powerful options to advice giving and join the growing numbers that say – this training is life changing!